The Retired Investor: Are Federal Asset Sales a Solution to Debt Problem?By Bill Schmick,
04:16PM / Thursday, February 20, 2025 | |
At last count, the federal government owns 28 percent of the total land in the U.S., and under the surface of that real estate lies a wealth of oil, gas, and coal. Does selling off federal assets make sense in this era of downsizing government?
President Donald Trump plans to shrink the federal government through firing, hiring freezes, and layoffs. The only personnel spared are those in military enforcement, national security, and public safety. Everything else is fair game.
Earlier this month, regional managers at the General Services Administration (GSA) received memos from headquarters directing them to terminate the leases on approximately 7,500 federal 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: A Different View on Interest RatesBy Bill Schmick,
04:41PM / Thursday, February 13, 2025 | |
Scott Bessent, the nation's new Treasury secretary, is a product of the investment world. His private sector background brings to the government a different set of tools and ideas that may lessen the burden on the Federal Reserve Bank in its fight against inflation.
For decades, politicians of both parties with few exceptions have left it up to the Federal Reserve Bank to curb inflation while maintaining employment. It has been a tough job, especially when fiscal policy is working at cross purposes with their mandate. The fly in the ointment over the last several decades has been that while the central bank has been largely insulated from political pressures and has 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Here Comes Super Bowl 59By Bill Schmick,
04:28PM / Thursday, February 06, 2025 | |
Game Day is just around the corner. On Feb. 9, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, the Philadelphia Eagles will face last year's winners, the Kansas City Chiefs. America is gearing up for the biggest game ever.
Grocery stores are stocking up on chicken wings, nachos and soda. Consumers are shopping early and spending more while companies are breaking records on ad spend. And for many viewers, the Chief's tight end's romance with Taylor Swift will add a dose of human interest to the festivities.
This year the heavy demand for ads had some 30-minute spots selling for more than $8 million versus $7 million last year. It is probably the only TV 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Trump and the China tradeBy Bill Schmick,
04:20PM / Thursday, January 30, 2025 | |
It was supposed to be Agamemnon. Sixty percent plus tariffs on all Chinese products imported into the U.S. levied on Day One. What happened? Nothing.
Investors are still waiting for the first shoe to drop on the world's second-largest economy and America's No. 1 enemy. China has been the nation's punching bag ever since Donald Trump first acted against that country in his first term.
His actions resounded favorably with most Americans. China-bashing took on a life of its own. Decades of losing U.S. jobs and investment to China took its toll on both Democrats and Republicans. President Biden took up the baton and in the name of national security 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Food Prices Are Climbing AgainBy Bill Schmick,
04:19PM / Friday, January 24, 2025 | |
Eggs, fruit, vegetables, chocolate, cereal, and all kinds of protein — wherever you look — prices are rising faster at grocery stores than anyone may have imagined. The bad news is that consumers can expect this trend to continue.
Food prices jumped by 1.8 percent year-over-year at the close of 2024. That was the fastest increase in over a year, according to the Labor Department. In the last two months of the year, grocery prices climbed by 0.4 percent in November and 0.3 percent in December. Expectations are that January will see another rise.
Most voters will immediately point to corporate greed, grocery gauging, or as a last resort, the 0 Comments
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