Cash may not be king, but it’s still royal, yielding close to five percent in money markets. When your lazy cash is treated like a peasant by banks, it can be frustrating. How about your stocks? It’s hard to see the big picture. It’s hard to act and put money in the stock market even if you know your allocation isn’t right for you. It can be easy to get out of balance: too much in stocks, too much in cash, not enough in bonds. Now, with the longer end of the yield curve rising for fear of too much debt, what are investors to do? For one, I recommend turning off your news feed. Today’s … [Read more...]
How Much Have Biden and Harris Hurt Americans?
The cost of living has soared for Americans under the Biden/Harris administration. In The Wall Street Journal, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rick Scott explain what they cost Americans, writing: The kitchen table is where the American dream is built. Every month, families gather there to pay their bills and plan for the future. In a good economy, a couple can buy a home, purchase a car once every decade and help their kids pay for college. But in the past four years, runaway inflation has made it increasingly difficult for families to make ends meet. Since the Biden-Harris administration took office, … [Read more...]
Trump’s “No Brainer” Energy Policy
The New York Post calls Donald Trump's energy policy a "no brainer," writing: For Americans who want their lights, heat and A/C to keep working and to keep driving normal cars with gasoline available and affordable, the choice for president is a no-brainer. Donald Trump is pushing a “drill, baby, drill” approach that will surge US oil and gas production and keep power plants healthy and energy supplies plentiful — holding down prices. Kamala Harris will continue her war on fossil fuels, banning gas appliances and gas-driven cars, imperiling the nation’s electric grid — and driving … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy in Paris: He Went to Paris
Leaving Paris is never a good idea. But that’s life. As one of our friends told us as he was saying goodbye, “The day you leave Paris, you’re one day closer to the day you’ll return.” Which means this morning we’re a couple of days closer and not quite over the jet lag, but that’s a price I’m happy to pay. You and I know traveling is not for the faint of heart. Your routine is thrown out the window for a new one where you can feel like you’re always on the go or not sure what to do next. I wish I could say to just go with the flow, but you do need a plan, at least for your restaurant … [Read more...]
Harris: Higher Taxes, Heavier Regulation
As a long-time follower of Andy Kessler, he deftly makes the case that America cannot afford four more years of Harris. He writes in The Wall Street Journal: Actions speak loudly. Ms. Harris co-sponsored Bernie Sanders’s 2017 Medicare for All Act, co-sponsored the Green New Deal and was the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act to spend gobs on green gravy. I almost feel sorry for my center-left friends who’ve been mugged by a progressive agenda. My question: Can the economy handle four more years of progressive power? • Price controls. Candidate Harris wants to end grocery … [Read more...]
401(k) Dead Weight and Your Path Forward
Your Survival Guy has seen his share of 401(k)s sitting around doing nothing, left behind like misfit toys. One of the biggest reasons is that investors forget they have them. Don’t let that be you. Consolidate with my favored Fidelity Investments and get your accounts rowing in synch. Schlomo Benartzi explains the outdated 401(k) system in The Wall Street Journal, writing: One major challenge is that millions of Americans end up with multiple small retirement accounts that they have left with former employers. This shouldn’t matter in theory: After all, 10 accounts of $10,000 should be … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy in Paris: The Magic of Christian Dior
“Haute couture is one of the last repositories of the marvelous, and the couturiers the last possessors of the wand of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother.” — Christian Dior “When Maison Christian Dior first opened, it had three workrooms in the office of 30 Avenue Montaigne, a tiny studio, a salon in which to show the dresses, a cabine or dressing-room for the mannequins, an office, and six small fitting-rooms,” recounted Monsieur Dior in his memoirs. Today, you can walk through this “repositor of the marvelous,” the beating heart of the House of Dior since its founding, now home to La Galerie … [Read more...]
Uncle Mo is Trump’s Friend
Donald Trump is getting a call from good ole' Uncle Mo, as in Mo-mentum. Polls have tightened significantly in the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris after Harris lost the lead she had accumulated with massive amounts of legacy media and celebrity backing. Take a look at the chart below of the RealClearPolitics.com poll averages for Trump and Harris and you'll see the two are now tied in the race. Of the last four polls of the race, two performed by NY Times/Siena and CNN were tied, and the other two performed by The Wall Street Journal and Forbes/HarrisX had Trump ahead by 3 … [Read more...]
Big Blue Blob Cities Can’t Control Youth Violence
You have watched since the summer of 2020 when radical progressives unleashed the #DEFUNDTHEPOLICE movement on America, sparking riots and looting and what has since become a constant wave of crime. The saddest and most dangerous part of the trend is the uptick in youth crime that has come with it, especially in America's big blue blob cities. In New York City, for instance, youth crime spiked by 42%, according to the city's YouthStat crime records. Not only are young people committing more crimes, they're also the victims of more crimes. Hannah E. Meyers explains at City Journal, writing: In … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy in Paris: Luxury and You
When it comes to busy shops in Paris, there’s Hermès, and then there’s the rest. Every time we go into the corner store on St. Honoré, it’s mobbed with shoppers picking through scarves, trying on shoes, and laying down their credit cards. The money side is all so discreet as you’re whisked away to the cashier room that’s reminiscent of a mint just printing money. Last week, when we went upstairs, there were a dozen artists/students (young and older) gathered in a workshop-type setting as a woman posed, and a string duet serenaded. No one I encountered thought this was unusual. It was just … [Read more...]