Ideas on Personal Finance
What a difference a month makes! This time last month, the US stock market was hitting all time highs. Now the market is in a correction (down more than 10%). I try to avoid talking about politics—this is a personal finance blog, after all! However, there are times when politics has such a big impact … Read more
In theory, investing is pretty straightforward – Buy Low, Sell High! Buy things when they are down. Sell things when they go up. In practice, investing is pretty difficult. Let’s take the first part of the equation – buying low. When stocks go down, we should buy them, right? But when stocks fall 10% there … Read more
A couple of years ago, the stock market crashed, and everyone was freaking out. The S&P 500 index fell from a high of around 4,800 to a low of about 3,500 in 2022—a 27% drop. Many stocks fell even more—Amazon’s stock dropped by half, and Meta (Facebook) was down 65%. Back then, I wrote a … Read more
When people worry about the threat from AI, they invariably imagine robots coming for us, like in the movie Terminator. They envision AI suddenly becoming self-aware and sending Terminator robots to exterminate humanity. But does the real threat from AI come from Terminators; or from our increasing over-reliance on AI? AI and Driving Let’s take … Read more
In my last blog post, I discussed the growing concerns about the risk of World War 3. While I still consider such an event unlikely, it is worth exploring how one can prepare for extreme scenarios. Lessons from History Many books delve into the impacts of war on wealth. For instance, Wealth, War & Wisdom … Read more
Lately, headlines warning about the possibility of World War 3 seem to be increasing. Normally, I’m not one to worry about such things. However, when respected voices, like the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, start raising alarms, it’s worth paying closer attention. Why I Used to Dismiss the Idea I always believed World War 3 was … Read more
This might be the least glamorous of the three posts I have about the election (the other two being – Revival of crypto and Rise of betting markets). But it’s an important one and worth paying attention to – the growing debate over the independence of the central bank. Why Should We Care About Central … Read more
In addition to the rise of crypto; another key takeaway from this election is the rise of betting markets. While polls consistently showed Trump and Harris were tied, betting markets predicted a clear Trump win. How did that happen? Polls ask people who they will vote for. Betting markets are a place where people bet … Read more
This election cycle has been tough, and I’m glad it’s finally over! Half the country is happy, and half is not. I miss the days when people would just shrug and move on after an election. I guess I am getting old!! But since this is a finance blog, I will not drive into politics … Read more
It’s spooky time! And I’m not talking about Halloween… Every four years, our country gets excited, anxious, nervous, or downright terrified about the elections. Who will win? Who will lose? Will taxes go up? Will inflation come down? What will happen to my investments?? While I don’t have answers to any of these questions, history … Read more