Oleg Dulin

Coincidence ? I think not

nobody@vox.com(Oleg Dulin) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:48:06 -0800

Illinois Governor Arrested on Corruption Charges - FOXNews.com Transition Tracker

http://www.foxnew...

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested Tuesday morning in Chicago on two counts each of federal corruption charges

Isn't it convenient for Bank of America that the day after Gov. Blagojevich threatens to cut business with the bank he gets arrested and silenced ?

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

What we do with cash gifts to Miriam

nobody@vox.com(Oleg Dulin) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:59:01 -0800

We put them away for her college education.

When she was born we opened up a 529 account with NJBest as well as a Treasury bond account with US Treasury. We also have a brokerage account.

We liquidated and closed her 529 a few weeks ago after it suffered some losses in the stock market. I reviewed the available investment options and realized that NJBest is not prudently managed. One thing I noticed was that their portfolio for a 17 year old is at least 30-40% in equities. At 17 the kid is either in college or a year or two away from entering it and having that much in stock is waaaay too much risk. With such a short horizon one wants to see a more stable investment configuration. When I say "prudent management" I mean being conscious of the markets and the time horizon and making tough decisions. NJBest is an epic failure at that. Even tax-deferred it makes no sense.

So, we decided to manage Miriam's college savings on our own. We liquidated and closed her 529, moved money out, matched the stock market losses out of our savings, and placed her portfolio with the US Treasury (for now). When rates on other investments improve we may reshuffle.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

What planet does Rick Wagoner live on ?

nobody@vox.com(Oleg Dulin) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:34:35 -0800

GM, Ford Executives Say No To $1 Salary In Exchange For Government Aid

http://money.cnn....

The chief executives of General Motors Corp. (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (F) said Wednesday they wouldn't accept a $1 salary in exchange for government aid to their imperiled companies, as the head of the former Chrysler Corp. did a generation ago.

Rick Wagoner would rather see his company go bankrupt than give up his lavish salary. The guy is an incompetent moron who drove the largest automaker into the ground. He needs to go.

Heads at the auto companies must roll.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Bush is part of the problem

nobody@vox.com(Oleg Dulin) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:34:39 -0700

Bush says U.S. moving quickly to solve market crisis - Forbes.com

http://www.forbes...

President George W. Bush said on Friday the U.S. government was moving aggressively to address the financial markets crisis, but he acknowledged that anxiety was feeding on itself as stocks continued to plunge.

I think what is happenning in the markets right now is the sheer incompetence of our government getting priced in.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Short term memory of the American consumers

nobody@vox.com(Oleg Dulin) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:42:59 -0700

The Associated Press: Consumer outlook up, housing bottom may be near

http://ap.google....

"Americans felt better about the economy in August, as a barometer of sentiment posted the biggest boost in two years amid falling gas prices."

Gas prices went down just a little bit and now Americans feel better about themselves. I am proud of this country, just not proud of my fellow citizens.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Interfluidity :: Bear raid in plain sight?

nobody@vox.com(Oleg Dulin) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:07:47 -0700

Interfluidity :: Bear raid in plain sight?

http://interfluidity.powerblogs.com/p...

Was Bear raid an orchestrated attempt to drive the company out of business ? It sure would explain the trading volume and yesterday's close of BSC at well above $2/share that JPMorgan is offering. Fascinating. We live in interesting times.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Yet another misguided populism from Robert Reich

nobody@vox.com(Oleg Dulin) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:20:40 -0700

Robert Reich says:

Problem is, financial entrepreneurship is becoming more and more dominant in the economy. Thirty years ago, finance was the handmaiden of American industry. Now industry is run by finance. For every budding Steve Jobs or Bill Gates there are now thousands of aspiring private equity or hedge fund managers. That’s because this is where the big bucks are. Which means, it’s where some of our most talented young people are going.

Why is it a problem ? Robert, I respect you a whole lot but you are missing the point. Even product developers do it for the money. Bill Gates was no bleeding heart and Steve Jobs was no artist. Making money off of money is no easy fit and there is plenty of technological innovation in that field. You are probably forgetting ECNs, algorithmic trading, etc.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend