Words of Wisdom From Mark Twain

10,996,447: Disability Beneficiaries Hit New Record!

The number of Americans receiving disability benefits continues to exceed the populations of Greece, Tunisia, and Portugal and is approaching the population of Cuba, which according to the CIA World Factbook is 11,047,251.

Who is paying for all of this?  Of course, you are!  Isn't America great?  That is, only if you are one of the individuals receiving such entitlements.  As I have mentioned previously, this is not going to end well!

GM Has Recalled 56% More Cars in 2014 Than it Sold in 2013

The total number of global recalls so far in 2014 is 15.2 million cars, which is 56% greater than the 9.7 million cars GM sold in all of 2013.  Guess what?  We still have seven months to go!

For those of you that have purchased the Escalade, you better read the following announcement from GM: "Purchasers of the 2015 Escalade and Escalade ESV were sent overnight letters and instructed them to not let occupants sit in the front passenger seat until the vehicle has been serviced."   

I would probably wait to purchase a GM vehicle until it can figure out its quality control measurements, or lack thereof.

Basic Cost for Health Insurance for an Individual Between the Ages of 25 and 35

Who Got the Jobs in April?

 

Did you notice from the above chart that all the job growth for April occurred with those individuals between the ages of 55 and 69.  The largest decline in jobs occurred with those individuals between the ages of 25-54.  Shouldn't it be just the reverse for a vibrant, healthy economy?  But, then again, who said we have a healthy economy? 

Are You an Institutional Investor or Retail (Small) Investor?

My money is on the institutional investor being correct about the future direction of this market. The tendency is for the retail (small) investor to always buy near the top and sell near the bottom.