Yesterday Schwab reported third-quarter earnings. During the three months ending Sep. 30, the e-broker made 70 cents a share up from 64 cents a year earlier while revenue increased $5 to $2.71 billion. Guess where the money was made? “For Schwab, net interest revenue made up 60% of overall revenue during the September quarter,” reports the WSJ. Do you know what net interest revenue is? It’s when Schwab lends your cash out, keeping the profit for itself. “Schwab and other e-brokers make a significant portion of their profits by sweeping cash daily from customers’ brokerage accounts … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Our Cabin on Kodiak, Alaska
I’ve been working with Dr. Lee for 16-years. He was only 53 when he became a client. Even back then he was the millionaire next door. But for about two weeks of every month, he doesn’t have any neighbors. That is unless you happen to have a cabin on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Even then you probably won’t see each other. Overlooking the water, his cabin is a fly cast away from world-class King Salmon fishing. He loves to fish. He also loves to share his knowledge and to keep learning. Before he retired he would sharpen his professional axe teaching university students about oral … [Read more...]
You’ve Read The Last Issue of Intelligence Report, Now What?
UPDATE: It's been two years now since the last issue of Richard C. Young's Intelligence Report, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Fed just announced it will begin buying $60 billion a month in T-bills. And the cycle continues. “I'm going to miss hearing from Dick Young every month,” said one long-time reader of Intelligence Report, “I’ve been reading his letter for 25 years. He was the best hands-down. He always wrote to me the way he saw things.” That’s a common refrain I’ve been hearing over the last couple of weeks. In an industry littered with opinions, you … [Read more...]
US Blacklists Chinese Shipper: Bolsters American Crude Exports
Efforts to enforce American sanctions on Iran have led the U.S. government to blacklist COSCO shipping, the world's largest shipping company, and the owner of 6% of the world's VLCC (very large crude carrier) fleet. The fallout from the blacklisting has created a boon for American oil exporters who have picked up the slack. Costas Paris reports at The Wall Street Journal: Shipping executives say the U.S. action late last month over allegations that the vessels were tied to illicit shipments of Iranian crude has hit more than 40 tankers operated by a subsidiary of Cosco Shipping Energy … [Read more...]
Breaking News: Fidelity’s $0 Commissions Done the Right Way
Well, it’s not exactly breaking news that Fidelity has said it will offer free online trading. What is worth noting is they will not be making money off of your cash by lending it out as was explained here: You may have seen that Charles Schwab has reduced its commissions to $0. But when you dig a little deeper you realize there’s a catch. As it turns out it’s free but Schwab gets to use your cash, lend it out, and pocket-the interest you could have made. “Schwab doesn’t use money-market funds or short-term Treasury funds, which could earn nearly 2% at recent rates,” explains Jason … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Sweet Home Alabama
Whether you like golf, music, food, or all of the above, there are plenty of reasons to visit Alabama. Not least of which is Alabama's third-lowest cost of living in the United States! Here are some of my favorite destinations in Alabama. Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Muscle Shoals Lucy Buffett's Lulu's Lucy Buffett is the sister of Jimmy Buffett. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama - 7/2/1977 - Oakland Coliseum Stadium (Official) … [Read more...]
$0 Commissions: Charles Schwab Has Always Been About Charles Schwab
You may have seen that Charles Schwab has reduced its commissions to $0. But when you dig a little deeper you realize there’s a catch. As it turns out it’s free but Schwab gets to use your cash, lend it out, and pocket-the interest you could have made. “Schwab doesn’t use money-market funds or short-term Treasury funds, which could earn nearly 2% at recent rates,” explains Jason Zweig at the WSJ. “Instead, it shunts the cash into Charles Schwab Bank, which currently pays 0.55% on the money—and then turns around and lends it out at roughly 2%.” Clearly you can see Schwab isn’t working … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Check Out the New Corvette C8
Your Survival Guy had a chance to check out the new Corvette C8. Starting out at $59k this stunner is a game-changer. Jay Leno has the first look at the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray - Jay Leno's Garage Jay Leno has turned his passion for cars into an investing strategy. See how he does it here. … [Read more...]
RIP Ginger Baker
Eillie Harrison of The Independent writes of Baker's life: Ginger Baker, the legendary drummer and co-founder of rock band Cream, has died at the age of 80. Last month, the musician’s family announced he was critically ill in hospital, but no further details of his illness were disclosed. On Sunday morning, a tweet on his official Twitter account stated: “We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away peacefully in hospital this morning. Thank you to everyone for your kind words over the past weeks.” Baker had suffered from a number of health issues in recent years. He underwent … [Read more...]
How to Find the Best Place to Retire
If you are like many soon-to-be-retirees in America, you're looking forward to getting away from your cold, northern, probably-high-tax state and settling down in retirement in a southern locale with low taxes and warm winters. But, how can you know where you'll like it best in your Golden Years? I encourage you to do some A/B testing. Live short-term or spend a vacation in some of the places you'd potentially move to during retirement. Without actually staying there for a month or more, it can be hard to judge whether or not you'll be happy. There's another way to get a feel for new … [Read more...]