RichC | November 24, 2024
With all the expenses associated with owning a Florida condo these days (HOA monthly dues, large engineering related assessments, increases in insurance and real estate taxes, not to mention normal utilities and repairs) … I’m wondering if being an owner is worth it? Nevertheless, Brenda and I do enjoy the longer escapes these days as […]
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 | June 26, 2024
Have you noticed that food, housing and energy aren’t the only things that have gone up in the three-plus years of President Biden and his Bidenomics (heavy government spending AND regulation — especially on energy)? Recent reports have also detailed how insurance rates and property taxes have risen and are rising … by hundreds, if […]
RichC | May 25, 2024
No matter how I set the trigger, our friendly cardinal regularly triggers a warning on our Wyze Cam. He is enjoyable to watch and so I really don’t mind it. On the other hand, I DO MIND the price increases hitting Americans at the gas pump, grocery store and restaurants … not to mention nearly […]
RichC | May 15, 2024
U.S. inflation eased slightly in April, with a key measure of price pressures slowing to its lowest level since spring 2021. The consumer-price index, a gauge for goods and service costs across the U.S. economy, rose 3.4% in April from a year ago, the Labor Department said Wednesday. So-called core prices that exclude volatile food […]
RichC | April 10, 2024
We have been using the economical Wyze Cams to monitor things around home for a few years now, along with leftover Canary Cams … and our old school original wired security system. I do like the way these inexpensive cameras have held up and are improving, but the speed and notification tweaking of their Wyze […]
RichC | April 6, 2024
The subject line is my questionable twist on the Francis Church response to Virginia O’Hanlon in 1897, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (see below). All of us “seeing” inflation month after month really don’t question its existence, but we do wonder how long inflation will continue a higher than the desired two percent […]
RichC | March 27, 2024
Amazing day for the stock market again. It looks like more high inflation and that this kind of strong market confidence may push off Fed rate cuts until inflation drops closer to 2%, unemployment begins to rise or the entire economy hits the skids. On the other hand, this irrational exuberance looking excitement (Crypto, $RDDT, […]
RichC | March 17, 2024
Going to college after high school has always seemed expensive, but by working, borrowing and getting help from parents … it was do-able, and by today’s standards, seemed affordable. I can’t help but smile noticing that when I finally paid off my student loan that I could start saving to put my kids through college. […]
RichC | February 16, 2024
Although those reading MyDesultoryBlog.com more than once or twice are probably tired of me mentioning inflation … it is still an issue even as costs and prices are “rising” slower than previous. We all have policies, political figures and economic idealogy in mind when pointing our fingers … but I’ll leave that to voters come […]
RichC | December 17, 2023
My buddy Jeff and I enjoy debating and learning from each other while sharing what we are reading. We are far from experts on anything (I should speak for myself), but that doesn’t stop us from opining. HA! Last week with the Federal Reserve “pausing” on interest rate hikes with inflation coming down and semi-telegraphed […]
RichC | December 9, 2023
This would be a great photo of Brenda and Taylor, but for being a blurry selfie (click to see larger). Oh well, I enjoyed seeing the two of them out for their annual mother and son Christmas shopping and evening dinner. I hope they were successful? While they were out, I did my annual the […]
RichC | September 30, 2023
Thirteen years ago I blogged on the US National Debt spiraling out of control (the US National Debt was $13.5 Trillion in September of 2013) … who knew we wouldn’t even remotely take this exponentially increasing monstrosity seriously? Now we’re $33 TRILLION in debt, running huge deficits, and adding to the national debt even faster […]
RichC | August 23, 2023
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RichC | August 8, 2023
Archiving an article from last week’s Barron Magazine which highlighted what I’ve been noticing with homeowner insurance rates on our condo in Florida. When I called the agent about the increase last year, she commented that I should be thankful for the increase as it was on the lower side compared to most. Yikes .. […]
RichC | July 15, 2023
My financial and investment musings have been few and far between lately, but while reading Barron’s Magazine article this past week, it reminded me that we investors often can look to history for insight. If you don’t want to read it, try listening to it — Audio ElevenLabs. ElevenLabs AI reading this content – […]
RichC | May 4, 2023
While waiting for the big TWO TRILLION dollar company that is Apple ($AAPL) to report earning after hours on Thursday (story), I’m contemplating the likely outcome of accelerated interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Obviously concluding that “inflation in transitory,” as the Fed Chair commented after the pandemic, was the incorrect assumption … and […]
RichC | February 28, 2023
This past month on our trip to Florida, I downloaded an audiobook on Hoopla from the library in order to save on iPhone data (our Mint Mobile plan has a 4GB limit). I started it on my AfterShokz headset while on the beach, but Brenda soon wanted to listen with me … so we both […]
RichC | January 21, 2023
There are two projects sitting semi-started in the workshop this winter (delayed with Brenda’s hip fracture), although I’m still struggling to accept the VERY HIGH lumber prices. To be fair, I’ve always complained about buying lumber as no matter where it is purchased, it always seems far to high. But nowadays with inflation raging, it […]
RichC | December 31, 2022
If you were filling your tank, paying to keep the lights on or buying groceries (or shopping for nearly everything) … 2022 has been a struggle. If you were saving for college or retirement, it was also very painful. Will 2023 be a continuation or a painful recession … or is there a chance inflation […]
RichC | December 20, 2022
By CC BY-SA 4.0, Link Since I’m a tail-end baby boomer, at least according to the charts, the thought of “did I plan properly for retirement” regularly crosses my mind. Having lived through the last couple of decades of economic ups and downs without significant inflation …beyond the normal and desirable 2-3% per year (except […]
RichC | December 10, 2022
With inflation pushing grocery prices up, Brenda refuses to purchase store-bought croutons unless they are “on sale.” So since we had a quarter loaf of stale bread after our recent week away, I decided to cube and turn it into Rosemary, Italian seasoning, Garlic and Olive Oil croutons. After making them (bake 10 minutes at […]
RichC | November 12, 2022
Well … the hopeful political “red wave” did not happen (at least from a conservative perspective). If we are to be generous, it could be viewed as a “small ripple” … but the results of the election as of this post are not fully counted even yet. Does that seem odd in our evolved and […]
RichC | October 23, 2022
The Federal tax brackets are adjusted each year by the IRS based on inflation numbers in an attempt to stop “bracket creep.” This prices have soared as in September 2022 consumer prices were up 8.2% compared to 2021. It is likely most Americans have not seen that kind of wage increase which means their buying […]
RichC | October 21, 2022
With inflation raging and oil prices sky high, opting for the most premium synthetic oil is no longer and option for my aging 2010 BMW X5 35d diesel. I’ve been using Ravenol and usually do my own oil and filter changes and although self-changing the oil on a premium diesel model is still better done […]
RichC | October 16, 2022
It’s simple: between the Federal Reserve spewing out more than $4 trillion in cheap money over the past year, and Congress signing off on “relief” packages totaling an unprecedented $3 trillion, there is too much money chasing too few goods. .. Inflation will only get hotter if Biden and congressional Democrats press ahead with even […]
RichC | September 15, 2022
As we face another recession (some believe we are already in one – see February 2022 part 1 and part 2), I couldn’t help but notice a post from about this time of the year in 2008 (see chart at left) when we faced a previous self-inflicted recession (banking crisis). The 2007-2008 Financial Crisis was the […]
RichC | September 13, 2022
If you believe the number 13 makes for an unlucky day, you’ll probably point to that as an omen … but the deep, nearly 1300 points, drop in the Dow came as investors and economists were expecting an easing pace of inflation … not continued high inflation. The CPI report indicated a 8.3% rate compared […]
RichC | August 7, 2022
While discussing the “will it” or “won’t it” Inflation Reduction Act being pushed by Democratic leadership in Washington DC as a way to replace the failed 2021 Build Back Better spending plan by President Biden last week, I figured digging into the details might prove better than spewing left or right talking points. The bill […]
RichC | July 24, 2022
UGH! Gasoline may have dropped 40 cent per gallon as American consumers cut back on travel and driving due to inflation and the likely coming recession, but diesel prices continue to remain elevated. There are very few options when “you need to get to go, and need to be able to get where you need […]
RichC | June 25, 2022
It is stomach-churning to follow the often heard “hold tight” and “stick with the plan” advice often given by financial advisors. If you are currently retired and living off of a fix-income and nest egg, or are trying to prepare for retirement, you are likely worried about times like these. Advisors tell you not to […]
RichC | June 11, 2022
CPI up 8.6% driven by a 35% jump in energy prices and 12% increase in groceries This is what a “sea of red” looks like for investors and stock market traders … and I can only imagine the “red” those living on a fixed income or families struggling to make ends meet must be seeing? […]
RichC | May 13, 2022
FoxBusiness/WSJ graphic For the good or bad, whenever I’m away from my daily routine, it seems like the financial markets lose stability and investors go into crisis mode? The past couple of weeks, those invested in stocks, bonds and crypto know that it has been painful; there have been very few refuges from the sharp […]
RichC | April 23, 2022
As the Fed finally starts to deal with inflation, the market took note this month and seems to be selling off across the board. The expectation is that the economy will slow and as they say in the investing world, “don’t fight the Fed.” There isn’t a silver bullet that can keep businesses booming, paychecks […]
RichC | March 26, 2022
The “pain at the pump” is definitely real if you are buying fuel and if you have spend the last decade with gas and diesel at 40+% lower than we are seeing today. That said, in inflation-adjusted dollars, we are still off the highest per barrel prices that we have seen (chart below). Most oil […]
RichC | March 23, 2022
From a John Steele Gordon lecture at Hillsdale College … “money is just another commodity, no different from petroleum, pork bellies, or pig iron. So money, like all commodities, can rise and fall in price, depending on supply and demand. But because money is, by definition, the one commodity that is universally accepted in exchange […]
RichC | March 2, 2022
I’m not an expert on how the events in Ukraine will impact the world, but I do pay close attention to geopolitical events, the financial markets and the economy … and can’t help but wonder how this will reshape our future. For the past year or so I’ve been grumbling about how the Biden administration’s […]
RichC | February 17, 2022
Well, two doses of disappointing news in one week. First, the Bengals lose in Super Bowl 56, and then my Barron’s magazine gets smaller with even smaller type (requires a second pair of readers!). They call it “shrinkflation” in an attempt to save a few dollars and probably force subscribers into a 100% digital subscription. […]
RichC | February 12, 2022
Although this is really not a smooth continuation from yesterday’s “Inflation Hot” post, the financial and economic theme remains the same … so it will be considered “part 2.” The post left off with trying to stop inflation in the 1980s and forcing a recession, actually “back to back recessions.” We can all hope that […]
RichC | February 11, 2022
It is pretty obvious to most consumers that even with years of the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates low, printing money and Congress spending, inflation remained in check at under 2%. Unfortunately after the last round of easy money policies during the pandemic, business shutdowns and government giving away money, this is no longer true. […]
RichC | January 25, 2022
So … how’s the economy doing in 2022? Well, if you measure it based on the stock market or maybe finding a job (if you want to work) … then the façade looks ok. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find out that your paycheck doesn’t go that far … IF you can find what […]
RichC | December 15, 2021
As Christmas cards arrive and the 15th of December hits, it is time to start winding down my business year and thinking about 2022 (BTW, we mailed our cards this week). One thing I have noticed this year is that more cards are from people who are now retired or are retiring. Hm … does […]
RichC | October 1, 2021
What once was a weekly or at least bi-monthly lunch with my friend Jeff, has shifted to once every 3 months or so since COVID19. It’s not all due to the pandemic as changes in work habits and eating out habits has contributed to neglecting getting together. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable to spend an hour […]
RichC | September 3, 2021
A friend asked me the other day, “what are you going to do if inflation becomes a bigger problem than it is already?” Good question … the canned answer (safe answer) is to be diversified. The reality is far more challenging. There was a day when the first reply was to own hard assets like […]
RichC | August 18, 2021
It is a month and a half late, but concrete companies and for that matter most construction companies are very busy this summer. The COVID19pandemic has put most projects behind and perhaps we should be thankful to be on their schedule. Tearing out (video from Canary Security Cam) and re-concreting a driveway is one of […]
RichC | June 23, 2021
Although I’m likely tainted in having lived through a period where inflation was real and uncontrolled, I do worry that people living today either ignore or downplay the negative impact inflation, stagflation or worse … hyperinflation … can make on our country. For those who know me, I’ve likely been the “boy who calls wolf” […]
RichC | June 6, 2021
For years now … no, it is now decades … my buddy Jeff and I have gone out for lunch ever other week and almost exclusively to a Mexican restaurant … primarily for the chips and salsa (and relaxed conversation). Before that, we lived in different cities (he in Florida and then Alabama … and […]
RichC | May 29, 2021
A separate air conditioning unit has long been on my “want list” for my home office. I’ve contemplated adding a high efficiency minisplit inverter unit for years to better balance the southwest corner upstairs office in our house. It has never really been comfortable in the summer with multiple computers, printers and gadgets, especially in […]
RichC | May 8, 2021
A few times before I’ve thought, and blogged about MMT or Modern Monetary Theory, when it comes to newfangled economics. Personally, I (nor many economists) can accept the thinking or rationalize the large deficits and debt path our country is on. In order to better understand the mind-set, I decided to read Stephanie Kelton’s book […]
RichC | March 18, 2021
Real estate has been on a tear in many markets as the coronavirus has people moving from cities to the suburbs and their own piece of land. In my opinion it is not just COVID19 related, but that fact that cities aren’t as secure or as tax friendly to live in, especially on the east […]
RichC | June 17, 2020
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RichC | January 5, 2020
An interesting take on “inflation” and how different generations perceive the possibility of it accelerating in the next decade or so … and perhaps the effect it can or will have on our lives. For example, in the graph below, pick your birth year and note the color bars to determine how many years of […]
RichC | February 5, 2019
The prediction that diesel fuels will rise (“double in price” – note the last minute of the interview) is bound to impact the price of goods. Everything is shipped using diesel fuel, be it on ships, trains or trucks, and with those prices rising significantly, consumers will be paying. On the personal side, those of […]
RichC | November 2, 2018
As the positive economy in the U.S. continues to grow America out of the "great recession" and rebound off the slow growth Obama years, we are seeing signs of inflation, hopefully just the right amount. Wages are rising and businesses sense they have pricing power and can raise prices (their cost are up too). Consumers […]
RichC | July 12, 2017
The United States is healthy enough to absorb further gradual rate increases and the slow wind down of the massive bond portfolio accumulated by the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said in prepared testimony to be delivered to Congress Wednesday morning. Source: Fed’s Yellen says economy steady enough for more […]
RichC | June 14, 2017
Sort of a surprise to most Fed watchers today as the consensus was for the Federal Reserve to raise rates a 1/4 point in September, not June. Perhaps it won’t make much difference for the whole year, but Chair Janet Yellen obviously wants to stay ahead of the curve. The target inflation rate remain 2% […]
RichC | May 1, 2017
The rate of U.S. inflation for March was slower than expected just one month after hitting a five-year peak. The number reflects lower gasoline and consumer goods prices, including automobiles. Thiis could ease pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, even though central banks have telegraphed increases this year. The U.S. economy is […]
RichC | March 25, 2015
Nationally the pay for babysitters is up in 2015 according to care.com as reported on CNBC this morning. When the reports indicate that wage growth is stagnent and inflation is at bay, they obviously don't have kids to take care of …
RichC | August 20, 2014
There were a few articles on VJ day this past weekend marking the anniversary of Victory over Japan and focused on the relief we felt ending World War II. While glancing at the front pages, it made me realize how the dollar has lost value … or if you’re dollar biased, how much goods and […]