{"id":31901,"date":"2015-06-20T07:51:27","date_gmt":"2015-06-20T14:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=31901"},"modified":"2024-09-17T11:27:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T18:27:15","slug":"black-coffee-the-hot-investing-tips-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id31901-black-coffee-the-hot-investing-tips-edition.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: The “Hot Investing Tips” Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe<\/em> …<\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

Summer is finally here and it’s Father’s Day weekend — so I’m taking it easy this week. I hope all you Dad’s out there are able to do the same!<\/p>\n

Okay, off we go …<\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> For all you savers on a fixed income out there who are looking for bigger returns, you may want to consider Greek bonds. This week the yield on Greece’s two-year debt soared to more than 29%<\/a>. No, I didn’t forget a decimal point.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Then again, Greece’s central bank is also warning that a financial collapse<\/a> is in the cards if they can’t come to a debt-restructuring agreement with their creditors — so those bonds may eventually not be worth the paper they’re printed on.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> That’s not the only warning. More and more mainstream fund managers in Britain are finally waking up<\/a> and recommending that their clients prepare for a “systemic event” by holding gold and silver, and even keeping physical cash in the mattress. Miracles never cease.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Meanwhile, here in America, where everything is rainbows and unicorns, major US stock indices ended a four-day winning streak on Friday — but not before the Nasdaq hit another all-time high<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> For his part, former-Representative Ron Paul — one of the few politicians who really understands how our financial system works — is also warning that a “day of reckoning<\/a>” is near … for both the stock and<\/em> bond markets.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Unlike Greece, the US devised a clever solution to ensure its own<\/em> day of reckoning never arrives: stop tracking the National Debt. Yep. Treasury records show the federal debt has been officially frozen<\/a> at $18,112,975,000,000 for more than 90 days now.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Um, speaking of not tracking data, Obamacare bureaucrats have no idea who they recently distributed $2.8 billion in Obamacare subsidies<\/a> to. See? That kind of critical attention to detail is why government does things cheaper than the private sector. Or not.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> It’s official: The Lone Star State officially enacted a law this week to repatriate $1 billion in gold from the New York Fed’s vault — and it includes an additional provision that prevents US government seizure<\/a> of their metal. In other words: “Hey, feds … don’t mess with Texas.”<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Gee, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say the folks in the Lone Star State believe that America’s unconstrained debt problem<\/a> now has the US dollar on a very shaky foundation — if not its death bed. I know … that’s probably just crazy talk.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Yes, this is the same Texas where city officials in a town called Overton shut down a lemonade stand<\/a> being run by two little girls because they didn’t have a $150 business permit. Sadly, even in the Lone Star State, government is far too big for its britches.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Just when you thought the fee-happy airline industry couldn’t get any more annoying, they did it again. This week, Frontier Airlines announced that they’ll be charging passengers $1.99<\/a> for soft drinks, coffee, tea and juice. The good news is: the lavatories are still free. For now.<\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Maybe Frontier Airlines should take a lesson from Air India. This week The Independent reported that Air India is now providing lizards as an in-flight meal service accompaniment for no additional charge. Well … at least for one lucky traveler<\/a>. Mmm. Lizards.<\/p>\n

By the Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of air travel, when it comes to travel delays, here are the five best — and five worst — US hub airports to fly into or out of, based on data accrued during the past 12 months:<\/p>\n

1<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Honolulu<\/p>\n

2<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Portland, OR<\/p>\n

3<\/strong><\/span><\/span> San Diego<\/p>\n

4<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Tampa<\/p>\n

5<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Salt Lake City<\/p>\n

26<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Philadelphia<\/p>\n

27<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Chicago (O’Hare)<\/p>\n

28<\/strong><\/span><\/span> Newark, NJ<\/p>\n

29<\/strong><\/span><\/span> New York (JFK)<\/p>\n

30<\/strong><\/span><\/span> New York (LaGuardia)<\/p>\n

Source: fivethirtyeight<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Question of the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n

[poll id=\"66\"]<\/code><\/p>\n

Last Week’s Poll Result<\/strong><\/p>\n

How much spare change do you typically keep in your primary car?<\/p>\n