Find your Personality Type

Check out this interesting website: Typealyzer.com.    The site attempts to determine the blog authors personality using a psychological text analysis.  Here are some examples:

http://thefinancialengineer.blogspot.com/   was typed as ISTP, the mechanics.  The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

http://thefinancebuff.com/  was typed as ESTJ, the guardians.  The organizing and efficient type. They are especially attuned to setting goals and managing available resources to get the job done. Once they've made up their mind on something, it can be quite difficult to convince otherwise. They listen to hard facts and can have a hard time accepting new or innovative ways of doing things.

http://earlyretirementextreme.com/  Was typed as ESTP, the doers.  The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities. 

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The UAW has already bought their Bailout

Bailing out the big 3 automakers is nothing more than kicking the can down the road and that road is headed over a cliff. 

Will the ruling party stand up and make the hard choice, the unpopular, but necessary decision to force these companies to declare bankruptcy?   Bankruptcy would allow these unwieldy, behemoths to restructure, reorganize, streamline and break the juggernaut of the unions. That is the key - No industry can survive paying an average of $73 per hour to low skilled labor.

The unions seem to be trying to stop time by refusing to adapt and change with new technology (robotics).  They are so consumed with preserving their old, outdated jobs that they are willing to kill the mothership, herself.  

Bankruptcy is not the end.  Many companies emerge stronger, leaner and more competitive. Frankly, there is not much chance of this happening since the unions own the president elect. Can you imagine the outcry if BHO doesn't give these folks everything they demand?

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Another 401(k) plan bites the dust in Argentina

Argentina’s government has announced their intention to expropriate $30 billion held by Argentine citizens in private pension funds (similar to 401(k) retirement savings accounts). The money is needed to refinance old bad debts so that they can borrow yet more money to keep the country afloat. The announcement rocked investor confidence in Argentina and sent the Buenos Aires stock market plunging.  More details can be found here.  

Expropriation refers to confiscation of private property with the stated purpose of establishing social equality. Argentina is quickly falling into economic socialism.  The country's rank plummeted from 19th-freest economy in the world (out of 156 countries) scored in 1998 to 108th out 162 countries by 2008 as calculated by the Index of Economic Freedom. 

This action by Argentina sounds eerily similar to the plan currently under consideration by our own US government.  

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Your 401(k) is at RISK

Just when you thought the situation with your 401(k) account couldn't get any worse, our new democrat-controlled government is preparing a plan to nationalize your personal, private 401k retirement account! 

The plan calls for the elimination of tax deferred 401(k) contributions.  No more 401ks. Instead, the federal government will pay every worker $600 per year (inflation adjusted each year) and require every worker to invest 5 percent of their after-tax pay into a new retirement account to be administered by the Social Security Administration. The money would be invested in a new class of government bond which would yield 3 percent per year, adjusted for inflation.

That would be a drastic reduction in the amount that I currently invest in my 401k.  I contribute the maximum amount of $15,500 per year and my company match gives me a couple thousand more to add to my personal retirement.  My 401k is a big part of my retirement plan.  I love the fact that it allows me to plan for my own retirement.  I never want to depend on social security or the government in any way.  

Why does the government want to take away that independence??  What's their motivation?

Money, of course.  By removing the tax deferral of 401k contributions, the dems can increase federal tax revenues by about $80 billion a year.  In addition, this plan would allow the government to take over the largest pool of private savings in the U.S.  And, as with the Social Security fund, the government could borrow and spend all the annual proceeds over and above any payout to retirees.

This ingenious plan will enable the government to redirect some $3 trillion which would provide the money to fund the massive expansion of government programs, subsidies and tax "cuts" promised by Barack Hussein Obama.

If all of this sounds inconceivable, then consider another democratic President, Lyndon Johnson, who promised not to raise taxes to fight the Viet Nam war, but rather he suggested borrowing money from the SS fund for ONE year. 

The federal government has borrowed this annual "surplus" every year since. And now SS is nearing a deficit with nothing but a bunch of government IOUs to pay the retirees.  Click here for more information and find out who is behind this "grand" scheme.

And here's another viewpoint from Investment News.

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Free Blu-ray Disc player with TD Ameritrade Deposit

TD Ameritrade sent me another “exclusive” offer for a Sharp AQUOS Blu-ray Disc player in exchange for a deposit of $50,000 into my TD Ameritrade account. For another $50,000, I can get one year of 3 DVDs at a time from Netflix.  

While these items are some pretty nice gifts, it just isn't attractive enough to get me motivated to tie up 50Gs for one year in a brokerage account.   The Blu-ray can be purchased for $240 or less with a little internet searching.  

And even more disconcerting is the possibility of your account falling below the minimum, in which case TD charges your account for the disc player.

Evidently these give away offers are effective.  Last June, TD Ameritrade offered a free Nuvi for a deposit of 50 grand.  Either that or they are grasping at ways to encourage investors to get back in the game.

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