Archive

Dear reader, Share buybacks are a battleground for politicians and economists alike. Back in 1936, in the depths of the Great Depression, Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt claimed share buybacks could be a solution to income inequality. His argument was that capital languished in corporations that paid lower taxes than investors, and so the federal […]

• GE
• IBM

Dear reader, It takes 13 years to paint the George Washington Bridge from end to end. As more than 50 million vehicles cross every year, around 20 workers clamber up the scaffolding of the 88-year-old bridge, paintbrushes in hand. In order to qualify with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, applicants are […]

• AXTA

Dear reader, We received some great responses to our article from Monday on real estate investing: The Most Common Investment in the U.S. is a Bad One. One of our readers' questions came from Jacob S., who asked... I would be interested in Joel's analysis of housing appreciation verses stock increases if he were to […]

• PEP

Dear reader, It's been tough living in a post-Game of Thrones world. Nothing makes a long day pass by faster than knowing you'll be stepping into the world of Westeros after. However, one of cable network HBO's newest shows, Succession, recently caught my attention... For the uninitiated, Succession is the story of a billionaire media […]

• NWSA

Dear reader, Many theological studies focus around the idea of cosmic dualism. This, of course, is the concept that the universe is governed by opposing forces. There are many manifestations of dualism... Good and evil... the Taoist and Zen concept of Yin and Yang – which comes to represent a number of opposing forces (light […]

• F
• GM
• LKQ
• NAV
• TM
• VOW3.DE

Dear reader, There is a type of investment that's riskier than the S&P 500, and has performed worse on average than the stock market. It also regularly requires investors to use debt to buy it – amplifying its risk. Yet most Americans have more money locked up in this asset than they do in stocks. […]

• MCD

Dear reader, In the early 18th century, the ruler of Japan was in trouble... all due to the price of rice. In feudal Japan, rice was the most important source of food for farmers. Due to its value, it was paid to local nobles known as "daimyo" as a tax. As these lords then paid […]

• CME

Dear reader, In the world of investing, two of the most important – and scarce – resources are information and time. Information, of course, allows you to make informed investment decisions. Having more data than the next guy gives you an informational advantage. It's hard to get an informational advantage, though... especially as an individual […]

• ADP

Dear reader, As cliché as it may sound, change is important for long-term corporate performance... Japanese video-game giant Nintendo (NTDOY) began its life as a playing-card company in 1889. After a successful 75-year run, the company began experimenting with new business lines. The card business was declining, so the company took what it learned from […]

• DIS
• IBM
• NTDOY
• PUGOY

Dear reader, In 1988, conglomerate RJR Nabisco was languishing at a low stock price of $40 per share after the recent merger of cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and cracker company Nabisco Brands. After growing management perks and buying back stock, CEO F. Ross Johnson was looking for a new play to buoy his company's […]

• MDLZ