RichC | November 29, 2025
In the grand theater of economics, supply and demand are often cast as the star performers—shortages driving up prices, gluts pulling them down. But peel back the curtain, and you’ll find a quieter, more insidious culprit: the weakening U.S. dollar. As the world’s reserve currency, the dollar’s value doesn’t just influence trade; it permeates every […]
RichC | November 26, 2025
The cost to live comfortably in Ohio varies by household size, but it remains among the more affordable states nationwide (see UpgradedPoints). The new study using cost-of-living data and the 50/30/20 budgeting rule shows what families and individuals need to earn to maintain a comfortable yet sustainable lifestyle across Ohio in 2025. What Does “Living […]
RichC | November 20, 2025
Wednesday evening was a big “hold your breath” moment for nearly every investor who still has Nvidia stock in their savings or retirement portfolios (nearly all mutual funds, ETFs, index funds, etc). I suspect all portfolio managers were concerned that $NDVA’s quarterly earnings and guidance might show some sort of chip order and AI buildout […]
RichC | November 12, 2025
Elon Musk‘s new Tesla pay package isn’t a guaranteed $1 TRILLION payout, it’s a stretch-goal incentive structure requiring him to achieve extraordinarily ambitious milestones: deploying 1 million robotaxis, selling 10 million FSD subscriptions, scaling to 1 million Optimus robots, and growing Tesla’s market cap 6x to $8.5T (surpassing Nvidia’s peak). Tesla also laid out a […]
RichC | November 9, 2025
Why do public schools, a college education, the social safety net and health care continue to need more money? Because government is inefficient and too heavily involved … especially at the Federal level. Late last week I sent my right-leaning column commentary to TheHusting.news — we’ll see how it is received. No doubt those on […]
RichC | November 1, 2025
After recently selling our 2010 Acura RDX and replacing it with a “previously loved” 2019 Tesla Model 3, it feels good to be buying a used vehicle rather than needing to shop for a NEW car (definite sticker shock). Certainly, it would be nice to have a squeak-less new SUV to replace our 2010 BMW […]
RichC | October 31, 2025
If you’re a senior relying on Social Security to make ends meet, the latest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announcement might feel more like a tease than a relief. Last Friday, the Social Security Administration revealed a 2.8% boost for 2026 benefits, adding an average of $56 per month to retirement checks—bringing the typical payout to $2,071. […]
RichC | October 27, 2025
The stock market in late 2025 presents an interesting picture as we approach the final two months of the year. Based on historical data from 2003–2024, we can assess the probability of significant market corrections during November and December. A severe pullback of 10% or more has been relatively rare, occurring in only 2 of […]
RichC | October 24, 2025
First up, the Consumer Price Index inched up a tenth of a percentage point in August from 2.9% to 3% on an annual rate (numbers were pre-government shutdown). This is ties into the second important number of 2.8% — the Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA). This is key for Social Security recipients as it is […]
RichC | October 12, 2025
Inflation is like that sneaky friend who borrows your money and never pays it back—it erodes the value of your dollars over time without you even noticing. But in the world of U.S. taxes and government benefits, there’s a built-in defense mechanism called inflation indexing. This automatic adjustment ensures that tax brackets, deductions, and entitlement […]
RichC | October 10, 2025
As the long Columbus Day weekend approached, a little tariff news from President Trump was enough to trigger a day of selling on Wall Street. If I were a bit more willing to take a risks … and if it were not October after a strong stock market uptrend this summer … it might be […]
RichC | October 2, 2025
Likely, Andrew Ross Sorkin’s new book, “1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How it Shattered a Nation,” is not on my “must buy list,” but the Bloomberg pre-release review below (see archive.ph) has it sounding relevant and interesting. So like my buddy Jeff, I’ve put it on my library hold list […]
RichC | September 28, 2025
Even though I follow the business news closer than most, it is tough to predict exactly why prices continue to put financial stress on most families. Brenda and I are likely not going to starve, but our grocery bill is now higher then when we had more mouths to feed. I’ve bellyached about inflation since […]
RichC | September 13, 2025
You would think that I would be acutely on top of things when it comes to finance, and things such as buying and selling used cars and electric vehicles (Ok, not so much EVs). That is not the case as I found out this week when communicating with my son-in-law who is in the process […]
RichC | September 7, 2025
There’s nothing like the frustration of going to the doctor and thinking they are being paid for what they are worth … but then getting a follow up “Explanation of Benefits” (EOB) from your insurance company letting you know how much they were billed and how much YOU now owe. ☹️ Last month I finally […]
RichC | September 6, 2025
It is not as if I haven’t been watching … and whining about … inflation and what the US dollar buys these days, but until seeing comparisons that pit the US dollar against the average American’s family budget … it is harder to comprehend. Still we all know what we buy and how much everything […]
RichC | August 27, 2025
For those of us of a particular age (or even younger) who are crunching their retirement income numbers should consider converting some of their Traditional IRA savings into Roth IRA savings. As a Barron’s Advisor practitioner, I’ve stressed planning in creating multiple income buckets in which to draw income from after retiring; in part this […]
RichC | August 19, 2025
Noticing that my name was mentioned in TheHustings right-column today, I felt it was imperative that I at least voice my conservative concern over the Trump administration wanting taxpayers to become non-voting shareholders in Intel ($INTC). Here are my thoughts; we’ll see if the editors include them? Intel: When Government Becomes a Shareholder The Trump […]
RichC | August 12, 2025
If you are an investor or just someone wanted some good news as inflation held steady, the market gained and had added hope noting the upcoming peace talks between President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. You might even say, “America’s Future is Bright” … a reference to my TheHustings commentary today after my previous polite […]
RichC | August 9, 2025
Since someone commented to me online, knowing that I’ve been tinkering with AI chatbots, “How much should everyday non-business users be paying for artificial intelligence?” I thought to myself and then decided to test the new ChatGPT4o … better known as ChatGPT5 … what “it” thought we should be paying (BTW, ChatGPT5 “really likes designing […]
RichC | August 8, 2025
For years, Google-served ads have appeared in the headers and footers of My Desultory Blog. Each time removing them seems appealing, the realization hits that they generate enough income – though far less than in the early days — to cover server costs, so they remained. Early this summer, tweaks were made to lessen their intrusiveness, […]
RichC | August 5, 2025
U.S. stocks surged on Monday, August 4, 2025, with major indexes like the Dow industrials climbing over 500 points, a gain of 1% or more. From utilities to meme stocks, the rally was broad-based, catching some investors off guard after last week’s volatility. Markets faced turbulence late last week due to President Trump’s tariff announcements, […]
RichC | August 2, 2025
It is interesting how certain things trigger long ago memories so clearly. I could see this can of Awake Orange Juice (with the orange lid) from the 1960s clearly in my mind. Likely I remember these cans from a container to store spare bolts and nuts or parts, but I also recall something else my […]
RichC | July 31, 2025
After seeing a new WSJ poll, I decided to work up some new right-column commentary for TheHustings, but still wanted to archive it on MDB too (below). Yet even as my attitude is positive in mid-2025, I suspect our government will find a way to continue the bloat of government, borrow more from future […]
RichC | July 24, 2025
Are too many people still sitting on cash as yields decline? Interest rates are likely to decline further and the question is, “should people lock into rates now (ie. Bonds, CDs or short term treasuries) or shift more heavily to equities?” One of the contributing factors powering the strong stock market is likely the falling […]
RichC | July 23, 2025
If you read my blog at all, you know I’m a long time Wall Street Journal subscriber and often quote or reference their content. I’m actually embarrassed to say that I’ve been reading the newspaper version from the time before the Internet and had it delivered to my place of business for years. So … […]
RichC | July 12, 2025
It might be a little concerning if I didn’t actually know my neighbors and neighborhood as well as I do … but another couple has decided the time is right to sell their home. The Groseth family has lived here for 30 years and we’ve watch our families grow up together. Both Marvin and Arlene […]
RichC | July 9, 2025
Although I’m not a big Hershey person, I do own a few shares and continued to write CALL options on $HSY. The surprising skid in stock price has me wondering why shareholders are selling just because a new CEO has been named? That aside, my CALL option has paid off today … just not as […]
RichC | June 25, 2025
While updating a few more Linux server items elsewhere today, I learned a little bit more that might help out my older “droplet” that refuses to function the way I want due to so much old software. Yes … overdue for an overhaul, but the older I get, the more comfortable and set in my […]
RichC | June 13, 2025
The heavier metal backed credit cards being issued by some banks these days seemed like a good idea when they first came out, but in reality (at least mine) … they don’t seem that much more durable than the plastic versions? The Capital One SAVOR credit card that I carry primarily for “restaurants and grocery […]
RichC | June 11, 2025
TheHustings editor sent me a request last week and wanted my thoughts on the recent feud between President Trump and Elon Musk (my submission posted Monday on TheHustings.news). Of course it was disappointing … and in my opinion … unnecessary (at least the personal stuff), but I definitely understood Musk’s frustration after all he as […]
RichC | June 6, 2025
Testing a few Tech Friday blog updates that have scrambled the MDB server. For the “media” inclusion, here is a graph of 10-year Treasury yield this morning when the better than expected job numbers were released.
RichC | May 24, 2025
The U.S. penny, a staple of American currency since 1787, will no longer be minted after 2026, as announced by the Treasury Department. The decision comes as the cost of producing a penny has soared to 3.7 cents, far exceeding its face value. With 114 billion pennies in circulation, the move aims to cut losses […]
RichC | May 23, 2025
After asking both ChatGPT and Grok for some “value investor, dividend stock” advice on May 2nd (see link), I received an invite from Gemini 2.5 Pro to test an update. So I decided to ask the same question just to see what Google’s Gemini would spit out. Unfortunately I must have picked a busy time […]
RichC | May 22, 2025
Democrats don’t want you to see what they are doing when they spend your taxdollars (and borrow more) … while Republicansl try to convince you that the Federal government needs to increase spending now and in order to cut spending later. BTW, the U.S. House passed the Trump backed One Big Beautiful Bill today. Key […]
RichC | May 10, 2025
At the heart of President Donald Trump’s economic vision is a renewed commitment to American manufacturing. Central to this goal is the strategic use of tariffs—not as instruments of isolation, but as tools to encourage domestic production, protect American workers, and reestablish the United States as a global industrial leader. The Trump team views tariffs […]
RichC | May 2, 2025
Having both an interest in Value Investing and AI, I decided to do a side by side comparison between ChatGPT and Grok3 for “stock trading advice for value investors” (highlighted in my request) … and “recommend three dividend stock buys that limit risk of loss but offer the highest chance of gains over the next […]
RichC | May 1, 2025
The Federal Reserve finds itself walking a tightrope as new data released this week points to a troubling mix: slower economic growth and higher inflation during the first quarter of 2025. It’s a combination that could eventually force the Fed to prioritize one of its dual mandates—either keeping inflation in check or supporting employment—at the […]
RichC | April 29, 2025
Although TheHustings.news editor didn’t ask me to write anything this week (previous requests), I decided to work on something over the weekend that has been bothering me. As a long time advocate for shrinking our Federal government (as a conservative, small government Republican) and focused on the “spending problem” Congress has had for decades —which […]
RichC | April 24, 2025
U.S. markets closed on a high note today, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumping over 500 points to 40,093 and the Nasdaq surging nearly 3% to 17,166, marking the third consecutive day of gains. Investor optimism was fueled by positive developments in U.S.-China trade talks and robust corporate earnings reports. The S&P 500 also […]
RichC | April 13, 2025
I’ve been known to grumble and complain about big government and taxes most of my life, but I’m not alone. In fact, before I was even born there were versions of this poem being published in newspapers. So as April 15th nears (tax day in the U.S.), it seems like it should be added to […]
RichC | April 9, 2025
Posting a late afternoon blog addition since I would be remiss to not mention the stock market rocketing after the Trump administration announced a “pause” with 75 countries wanting to negotiate tariffs and non-tariff barriers with the U.S. The notable holdout at this point is China … but the financial markets took all of this […]
RichC | April 6, 2025
Once again the request was out from TheHustings.news for a bit of a pro-tariffs and pro-Trump right-column commentary than others could muster (text below before the editor puts his pen to it). Truth be told, I struggled after the hammering investors took last week (including me). I had to work a little harder to stay […]
RichC | April 5, 2025
The Trump tariffs that have been long in the making and took hold on April 2nd, “Liberation Day” (he first talked about them in the 1980s). Not everyone is as sure or as comfortable with them as U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Still, most of us recognize that the industry that built this country in […]
RichC | April 3, 2025
Although I have a personal opinion on just how trade between countries “should” function (free trade), I also realize there’s really no such thing in the real world. There are those who believe companies in the United States end up holding the short straw when exporting their products overseas … due to a variety of […]
RichC | March 14, 2025
The manic markets and crazy movement down and up (today) are enough to have investors pulling their hair out. Thankfully there was a reprieve from the steady down movement over the tariff dispute between President Trump and many of our trading partners (more on that this weekend). Consumer sentiment is not positive and will likely […]
RichC | January 27, 2025
As commented in the WSJ, “DeepSeek has sparked a deep freakout.“ Stock Market Today: Nvidia Stock Sinks in AI Rout Sparked by China’s DeepSeek The Chinese artificial-intelligence upstart has trained high-performing artificial intelligence models cheaply—and without the most advanced gear provided by Nvidia and others. That has pulled the rug from under global companies benefiting […]
RichC | January 18, 2025
While reading a recent issue of Kiplinger as an investor, an article has me contemplating the history of the year following Federal Reserve rate cuts. It seems likely, that unless there is a crisis in 2025, that financial markets will see gains again. Of course the market watcher in me realizes that the stock market […]
RichC | January 11, 2025
It is difficult to fathom the amount of devastation happening in Southern California due to the out of control wildfires fueled by the yearly dry vegetation and Santa Anna wind blowing through the canyons and mountains around Los Angeles. Having dense population and homes in the hills around the suburbs adds to the risk when […]
RichC | January 4, 2025
After four years of inflation impacting everything Americans need and want, the optimism for improvement might not come all that easily to the next administration. Wages are struggling to keep up with prices, and although the Fed has started an easing cycle with rate cuts, everyday citizens don’t see that when it comes to necessities […]
RichC | December 21, 2024
Where should you work — for the government or their private counterpart? From economist Stephen Moore: According to @RealEJAntoni‘s recent analysis, the cost of state and local government employees is a staggering 41.7% higher than their private sector counterparts. While wages are 24.4% higher, the real kicker is benefits—an astonishing 83.0% more!
RichC | December 18, 2024
The Federal Reserve is less sure about how much it’ll keep cutting rates after agreeing to a reduction this Wednesday afternoon. Chair Jerome Powell admitted that the decision was a close call (see WSJ and rate chart from 2000-2024 below). The latest cut, approved by 11 out of 12 Fed voters, will lower the Fed’s […]
RichC | November 20, 2024
President-Elect Donald Trump is currently preparing his list of nominees for the cabinet he needs to help advise him. Along with a few controversial picks, Trump has also added a couple of high profile names, Elon Musk and the Vivek Ramaswamy to a new advisory panel … a committee that is smugly being referred to […]
RichC | October 30, 2024
Last year on this date, I commented about “investors being nervous this time of year” on the U.S. stock market indices. So as a filler nearly exactly one-year later, I figured I would do the same. The DOW and NASDAQ above on October 29, 2024 are WAY UP from 2023 and Chevron ($CVX) below is […]
RichC | October 25, 2024
Nobody really knows when the next recession will come, but economists and those of us who monitor investments would really like to know before it arrives. This week while moving a few more dollars to the sideline, at least until after the November 2024 election and until mid-January 2025 (parked in a 3-month CD) … I […]
RichC | October 2, 2024
The government under Biden/Harris has been totally irresponsible when it comes to spending. They’ve shown zero interest in working towards a balanced budget and have put us another $2.3 TRILLION dollars further in debt (they are spending way more than they collect in taxes). Of course there’s nothing new to this fiscal malfeasance … it […]
RichC | September 18, 2024
Investors and traders on Wall Street started today in a pensive mood as all impatiently waited for the much telegraphed “first rate cut since 2020.” Market journalists debated if Chairman Powell and the Federal Reserve board members would see the slowing economy as a sign that their tightening polices had stifled inflation enough to managed […]
RichC | August 11, 2024
Investors who bought US Treasury iBonds when inflation was raging may see the lower May 2024 rate reduction as no longer attractive; the rate is currently 4.28% (it adjusts every 6 months). The interest rate has steadily fallen as month to month inflation has eased from its high and investors may be able to find […]
RichC | August 6, 2024
As an amateur market follower, I have watched economic indicators that signal boom and bust cycles for years. One of the more insightful signals is the spread between treasury yields (inverted yield curve) … especially the 10 and 2 year treasuries. An inversion has been a good indicator of a recession … as posted a […]
RichC | July 25, 2024
The indices took a dive on Wall Street on Wednesday as the Magnificent Seven tech stocks that have lead the stock market recently, sold off after Alphabet $GOOGL(parent of Google) and Tesla $TSLA disappointed with earnings. As a WSJ live post put it, “the thrashing wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars in market value […]