Against Ayn Rand
There is one main reason why I have never been tempted to read any book by Ayn Rand. Her disciples are monomaniacs that if they were anything more than a tiny minority of society, would make life miserable for most...
Read MoreAuthor: David Merkel
Thanksgiving Thoughts
My main reason for blogging is not to develop a business, make political points, or earn money off of book reviews, advertising, or anything else, but to give something back. I have a gift of sorts, which means that I...
Read MoreOn Investment Modeling, Part 4
I thought part 3 would be the end, but I ended up with one huge and good comment from a friend. A real friend, not a Facebook friend. I will respond to it in pieces. Good article and series. A few comments and/or...
Read MoreBook Review: The Last of the Imperious Rich
This is a great book for those that love economic history, as I do. It describes the fortunes of the Lehman clan, Jews having emigrated from Germany, to antebellum Montgomery, Alabama, and later New York City, and what...
Read MoreOn Investment Modeling, Part 3
This is the last piece intended in this series, but I know that I will get a some abuse for it. One small request to those who agree with me on this issue: if I get flames as a result of this piece, and you disagree with...
Read MoreBook Review: Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism
This book is misnamed. The subtitle should have been the title, or, the author should have entitled it “The Financial Crisis and the Aftermath: Six Ways to Make Money Now,” because that is what the book really...
Read MoreOn Investment Modeling, Part 2
Before I begin tonight’s piece, one small thing that I want to point out from my last piece was that though my models were a few years ahead of the life insurance industry, the two most important things that I did were:...
Read MoreOn Investment Modeling, Part 1
Investing is a battle between the past, present, and future. The past tempts all to look and see what has happened, and extrapolate, or assume mean-reversion. It tempts academics to use simplistic math, and calculate...
Read MoreEthics and Investment Writing
There are three things that I am happy with when it comes to writing about investments: I am glad that Jim Cramer invited me to write for RealMoney seven years ago. Motown Josh Brown put together a great piece on the...
Read MoreBook Review: That Thing Rich People Do
If you know anything about investments, this is not the book for you. This is the book for your relative or friend that doesn’t have the barest idea about how to manage money. This was another book that I thought I...
Read MoreFree E-Book
TraderPlanet’s Quick Guide to Candlesticks
