The incompetent Gov. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut is providing taxpayer money, to the tune of $22 million, to keep Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater hedge fund headquartered in the state. This is the same Ray Dalio who was paid $3.9 billion in 2011 alone. Are you kidding me? This is what happens when the 2 and 20 gang teams up with politicians. This is not just a Democrat problem. It was started by a Republican as the WSJ points out: “Mr. Malloy’s Republican predecessor Jodi Rell raised the top marginal tax rate to 6.5% from 5% on individuals earning more than $500,000, and Mr. Malloy raised it again … [Read more...]

From the WSJ: Born in the small town of Chisholm to Italian immigrants, Mr. Enrico won a scholarship to Babson College in Massachusetts, studying business administration, before enlisting in the Navy. He served in Vietnam, whereas a lowly ensign he said he convinced an admiral to build a fuel pipeline instead of flying in supplies, only for the pipeline to be repeatedly blown up. After a stint as assistant brand manager for Wheaties at General Mills Inc., Mr. Enrico joined chips-and-soda giant PepsiCo in 1971, initially helping market Funyans, an onion-flavored snack. He quickly was promoted … [Read more...]

Over the weekend my kid’s asked for some money for ice cream. I gave them $20 and didn’t get much change. Who says there’s no inflation? … [Read more...]

"Rather than thinking of a sixth-generation fighter, can you modify the F-22 and re-open the line cheaper and keep the numbers up?" asks outgoing US Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh. "I don’t know. We’re working on that right now. We’ve got to open the spectrum a little wider about how we’re going to get the job done 20 years from now." And this from defensenews.com: Although top Air Force officials have said in the past such a project would be cost-prohibitive, it’s “not a crazy idea,” Welsh said. “I don’t think it’s a wild idea, I mean the success of the F-22 and the capability of … [Read more...]

You really can’t make this stuff up. Pension funds refuse to read the writing on the wall: We are living in a reduced return world. It’s as simple as that. Yet instead of taking their lumps, and I’m not even talking about funding what they should have paid years ago into the plan, they are reaching for returns. If you’ve learned anything from my posts to you about investing, it’s that you cannot “hope” for the market to do something for you. You do not want to “reach” for returns. And yet that’s what pensions are doing. It’s not teachers, firemen, and policemen doing this. They leave it to … [Read more...]

There’s a lot of reasons for New Englanders to retire to Florida or New Hampshire. From the Tax Foundation: In addition to the federal estate tax of 40 percent (which is fourth highest in the OECD), many U.S. states levy their own estate and inheritance taxes.  Estate taxes are charged against the estate regardless of who inherits the assets, while inheritance taxes are levied on the transfer of assets to heirs, based on the relationship of the inheritor to the deceased. In the case of inheritance taxes, spouses, children, or siblings often have different exemptions and experience … [Read more...]