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The Retired Investor: Is Mercantilism the Answer to Our Trade Imbalance?
By Bill Schmick,
04:33PM / Thursday, December 12, 2024
Mercantilism is often associated with Donald Trump's economic policies. Can reaching back into the past truly make America great again? That is up for debate.   For those few of us familiar with the term, mercantilism was the dominant economic system in Europe from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It was a world where it was believed that global wealth was fixed and finite. To become powerful, a nation needed to acquire as much wealth as possible. Back then, a nation's wealth was measured by how much gold and silver it accumulated.   If this period evokes visions of tall ships, the Spanish Main, and epic exchanges of cannon fire between Spanish galleys

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@theMarket: The Santa Claus Rally and Money Flows
By Bill Schmick,
03:49PM / Friday, December 06, 2024
Each year from roughly the end of the second week of December through the second week in January the stock market rises most of the time. This year, expect a similar occurrence.   There are plenty of explanations for why this occurs. Many believe it is simply the good cheer the holidays bring to the markets. Others point to the additional spending triggered by holiday shopping, while some argue it is because institutional investors buy stocks before going on their Christmas break.    For me, it comes down to the flow of funds in and out of financial markets. Every year, for many reasons the flow of funds into the financial markets increases at the end and

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The Retired Investor: The Future of Weight Loss
By Bill Schmick,
04:27PM / Thursday, December 05, 2024
More than 40 percent of Americans are now classified as obese while 75 percent of adults are either overweight or obese. A new group of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists have come on the scene to help in the battle to lose weight. Are they as good as we think?   You may have heard about them or some of their brand names like Zepbound, Wegovy, and Ozempic. The use of these drugs has exploded in popularity to the point where companies like Lilly and Novo Nordisk have had problems keeping up with demand.    There is nothing magical about the science behind these drugs. GLP-1 mimics a protein naturally produced by our small intestines. The receptors for

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@theMarket: Holiday Cheer Lead Stocks Higher
By Bill Schmick,
03:49PM / Friday, November 29, 2024
Scott Bessant at Treasury, threats of day-one tariffs on trading partners, and calls for another end-of-year rally buoyed markets. It is a seasonally bullish time for the equity markets with Christmas around the corner.   By now, you have probably heard that hedge fund manager Bessant will take the reins at the U.S. Treasury in January. Markets cheered that news. Most market participants believe Bessant is the man best suited for that post. Investors hope he will be market-friendly and a voice of moderation in the new Trump administration.   But before Bessant or anyone else gets carried away with the idea that Trump has lost that loving feeling he has for

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The Retired Investor: Cost of College Pulls Students South
by Bill Schmick,
04:34PM / Thursday, November 28, 2024
As the cost to attend several Ivy League colleges approaches $90,000 per year, applications to obtain a college degree below the Mason-Dixon line have skyrocketed.   But let's not focus on the most expensive schools like Princeton and Harvard. The average tuition price across all the Ivy League colleges is almost $65,000 annually. Many Southern colleges charge substantially less with pricing ranging from $30,000 to $49,999 per year.   However, college costs go beyond the tuition and fees charged at schools. The costs are increased by several additional factors such as living expenses, graduate outcomes, and financial aid.   In these areas,

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