A week or so back, Elaine came wandering over to the shop.  “Got a hose washer around, anywhere?” Whenever she comes to the shop looking for something, my first reaction is to see how big her problem is and confirm that her solution is the ideal one.  She hasn’t been wrong on a parts call … Read More

We begin today with a short review of economic cycles, what this being the first day of summer, and all. There are two kinds of investors:  The pragmatic “mathemetists” (quants) who believe is there aren’t a few arcane math symbols in someone’s forward view of markets, there certainly can’t be any accuracy to the outlook. … Read More

My friend (and co-author) Gaye Levy really likes “adult coloring books.”  So much so, she even has an article “Pursuing Your Passion: Getting Started With Adult Coloring” on her website. I have been thinking this one over in background for almost a year now, “Should I try this…or do I need another hobby?” Then, an … Read More

Several readers and two of our children are asking the same question at about the same time: “If I take an early 401(k) distribution because of a change in where I work and pay taxes on the money, how’s the best way to spend or invest it?“ Today, we play out a few scenarios – … Read More

If you are visiting UrbanSurvival today and wondering “What the hell’s going on  with Markets…collapsing like they are this morning…” the answer’s simple. You missed Monday’s column, or you would have already been braced for what’s coming at the (bloody opening) this morning. I say bloody because we were looking at the Dow dropping between … Read More

I heard it again from a neighbor down the road from us:  “I don’t have any TIME now that I’m “retired.” Amen, and ain’t that the Truth, brother. Like us, this fellow likes to tinker and build…and since “pulling the plug” on scheduled work life at the end of September, the noises from his property reveal what’s … Read More

Our work in ‘matters economic’ are of more than passing interest.  Already, even before the US markets opened, I’d made a “new Camry-sized bet” about what I thought will happen in markets today.  It would be inappropriate for me to reveal the specifics of that trade because it might be construed as “financial advice.”  So I … Read More

“Food for the mind, George – Ehor” There are books and then there are books.  The delightful gift of a book that landed Saturday from my long-time friend Ehor Mazurok was definitely in the latter category.  Published first in 1952, “Metals and How to Weld Them” is occasionally updated by the James A. Lincoln Arc Welding … Read More

Picking up from Wednesday’s report, we give some clear examples of where synthetic growth may come from… A kind of how-to for policymakers. More for Subscribers       ||| SUBSCRIBE NOW!       |||   Subscriber Help Center

The four witches refers to the fact that this is quadruple witching day..  That’s when index options, stock options, commodities, and bonds all go through the process called settlement.  It’s the quarter “Make good on contracts” event. It’s not unusual to see a decent-sized market move from Thursday to Friday because of how options settle.  … Read More

Want an idea that has a lot more value than zero-value/z-val social media? This hit me as Elaine and I were having the afternoon toddy this week.  I’d just read the first few pages of a book she’s writing loosely based on the personal experience of growing up in the wild west of upland/mountain Arizona country – … Read More

This is a great economy – if your name happens to be AT&T or FOX.  But, that’s not the case for working Americans.  But, what does matter is our growth prospects. Wednesday, the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell announced the expected quarter point hike in the  Fed’s key rate.  Not a great big deal, except … Read More

If there is one thing all our friends have in common, it’s the notion of being extremely competent in many different parts of life.  While some people piss-away their time on (useless) social media and what one financial analyst refers to as “z-val” (zero value) activities, people we find interesting are those who are really good … Read More