The Top 5 Financial Lies of All Time

TMFBomb — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:05:52 GMT

I counted 'em down...I'll be curious to hear your doozies as well...

http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2009/03/02/the-top-5-financial-lies-of-all-time.aspx

Is It Time to Buy Banks?

TMFBomb — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:40:17 GMT

A little cross-promotion action...wrote an article on whether we should be buying bank stocks now...

http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/02/24/is-it-time-to-buy-banks.aspx

-A

Why We'll Never Know If TARP Leads to More Lending

TMFBomb — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:16:49 GMT

There's been much outcry over making sure banks use their TARP money for lending...rather than corporate jets, Vegas vacations, dividends, repurchases, or even shoring up their reserves.

For today's post, I'm leaving aside the whole "isn't this what got us into this mess" side of things.

Let's assume that the goal is making sure banks are using TARP money to make more loans and unfreeze the credit markets. Geithner's

Why the market always drops when Bernanke speaks

TMFBomb — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:52:16 GMT

It's kind of a running joke that the market drops every time Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke opens his mouth.

I was reminded of this while watching him on CNBC this week. The sound was off in the office, but I saw a caption along the lines of "Bernanke: there was some 'confusion' over TARP spending."

It finally hit me why the market reacts so negatively to seeing him speak. It's kind of li...

Satyam Means "Enron" in Hindi

TMFBomb — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:55:37 GMT

Wow, talk about a bombshell this morning. Satyam's Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju admitted to making up earnings and cash, dropping an already battered share price by over 90%. You can read all about it in Rick Munarriz's piece: Satyam: Slumdog Millionaire

My first thought was how risky investing abroad can be. My s...

2008: The Year That Put Me 10 Years Farther From Retirement

TMFBomb — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:31:41 GMT

Fellow Fool Alyce Lomax declared 2008 The Year of Moral Hazard. Talking with her today, it got me thinking...how else could we characterize the year?:

2008: The Year That Put Me 10 Years Farther From Retirement

2008: The Year Wall Street Died (2010: The Street Strikes Back?)

Professor George W. Bush Teaches Negotiating 101

TMFBomb — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:53:35 GMT

So the automakers got their bailout today. And they got very lenient terms to whip themselves into shape in the next three months. At least we're keeping up the facade of holding their feet to the fire, right? Wrong...check out this quote (courtesy of the WSJ) from President Bush:

"We lost 533,000 jo...

Bernanke Should Run Wal-Mart

TMFBomb — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:22:40 GMT

A little cross-promotion action...wrote an "if they ran it story"...including the first two...click the link for the rest:

Sometimes, people just aren't doing the jobs they should be doing. No worries -- I'm here to help. Here are some of my suggestions:

Bernanke should run Wal-Mart
Sure, Wal-Mart's (NYSE: This excerpt from a Wall Street Journal e-mail alert cracked me up:

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says he is confident his company can survive the recession but is "very concerned" about the future of GM and Chrysler. He added that he had been unprepared to offer details when he testified before Congress but says he is now armed with a recovery plan.

So, Ford, what you're telling me is that:

Auditors say the Treasury has "critical issues"

TMFBomb — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:02:27 GMT

Per the Financial Times (link below):

The US Treasury has failed to address “critical issues” in implementing the $700bn financial rescue plan, including how to ensure that banks are complying with executive pay limits, a congressional watchdog said on Tuesday.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted a few issues with the Treasury's $700 billion TARP program:

- ...

Bernanke to buy Treasuries...with Treasuries?

TMFBomb — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:31:06 GMT

Tired of pushing interest rates asymptotically toward zero, Bernanke said today that the Fed may buy Treasuries to help boost the economy.

So we've been funding the bailouts by opening up the Fed's printing presses and increasing our debt load. Now we're cranking out more dollars to lower our debt load? We're similar to a company that does a stock offering only to buy the share...

What I learned in Vegas

TMFBomb — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:24:58 GMT

I got back late last night from a trip to Vegas.

Here are my thoughts from the trip:

- I've been intrigued with casino operators MGM and Wynn as stock ideas, but haven't done nearly enough research to determine how they'll whether this storm...MGM in particular has a huge debt load. I stayed at the MGM Grand, so I was curious if I could spot an ailing business. It was hard to tell if the crowd was ...

Big Three Bailout Poll and a great article

TMFBomb — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:22:41 GMT

We put a poll up today on whether the Big Three should get bailed out...I just checked and it's neck and neck:

http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2008/11/12/fool-poll-should-we-bail-out-the-big-three.aspx

For those who subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, here's a great story that will make you rea...

Foolish Thoughts on the Detroit Bailout

TMFBomb — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:30:16 GMT

We've been writing (and I've been editing) a lot of coverage on the potential bailout of the Big Three automakers.

The hard part of these types of debates is that any end result is pain. No matter what we do. There's no Hail Mary pass we can throw, no "this might be just crazy enough to work" solution.

If we let them bail them out, we get the short-term gratification of saving jobs and pensions.&#...

Bernanke's next cut

TMFBomb — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:08:18 GMT

Alright folks, I think it's come to this. After the Fed cuts rates to 0% (isn't it inevitable at this point?), Helicopter Ben will only have one move left...expect the headline: "Bernanke Announces Beard Cut".

-A

PS...that's for you, Grizzly Adams, wherever you are.

The Worst Move of the Day

TMFBomb — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:29:52 GMT

Below is the headline and blurb I read in the Wall Street Journal...really, Ford? Oil prices fall and two seconds later this is your reaction? Forecasting growing demand for a gas guzzler? You've forgotten about the recession we're in?

Really makes you wonder about the $25 billion in auto bailout money...

OMG...I so went to the mall this weekend

TMFBomb — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:05:40 GMT

So, like, I did.

I promise I will get to the Peter Lynch-style investing aspect shortly, but first some commentary.

I used to love shopping. I never understood why other guys hated it...shopping is just a dirty word for buying cool stuff for yourself.

Of course, that was back when I was growing up in my small hometown in Ohio...the mall was the hub of activity for our area, but it was never...

Main Street vs. Wall Street: Who's to blame?

TMFBomb — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:04:24 GMT

I'm tired of the Main Street vs. Wall Street political rhetoric.

It's easy to paint negative pictures of Wall Street fat cats...especially since many of the accusations are true. They are to blame for this housing/credit mess.

But, let's be clear. Wall Street and Main Street are BOTH to blame. Both succumbed to greed and the thrill of a housing bubble.

Main Street colle...

I'd like to punch him in the face!

TMFBomb — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:55:00 GMT

I'm a little late on this one, but it's been cracking me up all week.

Following rumours that the incident had occurred, Vicki Ward, a US journalist, said "two very senior sources - one incredibly senior source" had confirmed it to her. "He went to the gym after ... Lehman was announced as going under," she told CNBC. "He was on a treadmill with a heart monitor on. Someone was in the corner, pumping iron and he wal...

Thoughts on the Panic of 2008

TMFBomb — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:13:16 GMT

Pretty brutal day...er week...er year. At this point I'm kind of numb to the mugging of my portfolio.
Every day my net worth sinks and my caps score increases a little, just to rub it in my face.
Here are my semi-rational musings on this state of affairs:
- I think I have Stockholm Syndrome...I'm almost rooting for the market to sink lower...and not even just to pick up some cheap s...

TMFBomb's Blog

The Top 5 Financial Lies of All Time

Is It Time to Buy Banks?

Why We'll Never Know If TARP Leads to More Lending

Why the market always drops when Bernanke speaks

Satyam Means "Enron" in Hindi

2008: The Year That Put Me 10 Years Farther From Retirement

Professor George W. Bush Teaches Negotiating 101

Bernanke Should Run Wal-Mart

Auditors say the Treasury has "critical issues"

Bernanke to buy Treasuries...with Treasuries?

What I learned in Vegas

Big Three Bailout Poll and a great article

Foolish Thoughts on the Detroit Bailout

Bernanke's next cut

The Worst Move of the Day

OMG...I so went to the mall this weekend

Main Street vs. Wall Street: Who's to blame?

I'd like to punch him in the face!

Thoughts on the Panic of 2008