Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872

Everyone Gets An Award. So What?

These days we live in a world where everyone gets an award for participation. Every now and then reality intrudes on our blissful paradise. We’ll talk about the 3rd quarter GDP numbers and what they mean in Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872.

Ballyhoo and BS

We’ve been the victims of economic ballyhoo at least since 2016. Even more for years since the recession of 2008 we’ve been sold all kinds of snake oil. Green Shoots. The Light At The End Of The Tunnel. Priming The Pump. Economic Boom!

GDP Is The Yardstick

Gross Domestic Product is the yardstick by which we measure the economic performance of the world’s countries. This is especially relevant in the United States, where we will choose a new president and congress in 2020.

How Are We Doing?

Economy is one of the yard sticks by which we determine how our leaders ‘are doing’ at their jobs.

Third Quarter

Therefore when the third quarter GDP numbers came out this week, we now have a third data point on which to judge US economic performance in 2019.

Smoke and Mirrors?

How are we doing? We’ll find out in Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872.

What’s A Boom?

First of all exactly what does an economic ‘boom’ look like and are we really living through one?

What About All The Other Stats?

Second, what about other measurements like employment, government spending, consumer spending and productivity?

Concentrate On Outcomes

I have often described my mission with these podcasts as a quest to concentrate on outcomes and relatively objective analysis of those outcomes.

No Predictions

Above all I avoid predictions. I won’t use superlatives to describe how great or bad things are. I do not want tell listeners what they’re supposed to think or advocate for.

More Questions

In conclusion, these new numbers raise more questions than answers.

In addition, what about inflation, business investment and growth in the future.

Moreover what about intervention by central banks?

I wonder, if there’s an economic boom why do we need so much government spending and interventions to keep it going? What about the enormous spending deficits and public debt?

Meeting Challenges

Finally what are the biggest economic and therefore social challenges ahead. Are we on path to address those challenges?

I don’t hear too much talk about that on the campaign trail, in government and in the media.

Sponsored by John D. Scott Personal Injury Lawyer and Hoffman Hamer and Associates

Economic-Boom-Smoke-And-Mirrors?-Bob Davis Podcast 872

 

 

 

Ending Personal Finance Delusions-Road To Recovery-Todd Rooker-Podcast 719

These days there’s a great deal of positive talk about ‘the economy’. Moreover, the focus is on government and big companies. Not a lot of realistic talk about our ‘personal economy’. We’ll talk about it in Ending Personal Finance Delusions-Road To Recovery-Todd Rooker-Podcast 719.

Unvarnished Observations Of Someone Who Knows

In Ending Personal Finance Delusions-Road To Recovery-Todd Rooker-Podcast 719 we hear the unvarnished observations of an experienced corporate and personal financial advisor.

Forget Wall Street. How Is Our Personal Economy?

What are the pitfalls for small business owners? How are families and individuals doing when it comes to personal finance? How is our personal economy these days?

Living The Dream. I Mean Delusion

When it comes to day to day financial management, it’s especially relevant to learn it’s pretty easy to live in a delusion, apparently. That goes for personal finance and business finance. Especially small businesses. This is just one of the key takeaways from our talk about why small businesses fail.

Spartan Lifestyle

To be sure financial advisors love to talk about retirement and living your dreams and passions. Thing is, living the dream requires a spartan lifestyle. When you’re living high on the hog, spartan is not something you want to do. So, business owners sometimes find it easier to avoid accounting for all expenses.

Todd Rooker’s observations are important for younger adults and small businesses. One of the most useful is a detailed explanation of how to account for all spending. I was surprised to learn some of the most knowledgeable and self aware see only what they want to see, when it comes to expenses. Delusions. There’s that word again!

Psychology 101. Our Own Worst Enemy

Human psychology determines what we’ll admit when we start totaling up the monthly budgets. Effective planning means short circuiting our own biases.

Following Our Passion

People want to follow their passion. How do you do that? Why doesn’t it always work out? Lots of great suggestions in Ending Personal Finance Delusions-Road To Recovery-Todd Rooker-Podcast 719 along these lines.

Day To Day

Truth is, most people are living day to day. Businesses started to serve a passion can fail. The root cause may be a surprise. Most noteworthy, is the idea it may be all about accounting for all the details and potential pitfalls when you first start out.

How do we plan and prevail?

Surviving and prospering is what it’s all about!

Sponsored by Reliafund Payment Processors and Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

Ending Personal Finance Delusions-Road To Recovery-Todd Rooker-Podcast 719

 

 

Storm Clouds Gather Over The Bull Market-Podcast 665

We don’t see the storm building over the markets. Distractions. Shiny things that draw the eye and ear. A war of words between a North Korean dictator and the president. Kneeling football players and the Tweeter In Chief. Meanwhile, the long expansion in the markets may be about to end. A heads up for you on how and why in Storm Clouds Gather Over The Bull Market-Podcast 665.

Watch The Shiny Thing

We don’t look beyond the distractions in the media to see what they conceal. No amount of pointing and saying ‘look’ is going to change it. We have not had a serious market or financial crisis since 2008. Our economy has been on life support ever since. Now the DNR order has been signed. Find out why in Storm Clouds Gather Over The Bull Market-Podcast 665.

Market Shocks Have Political Consequences

Remember 2008? The market crashed. The banking system was going to seize up, they said. A republican administration suddenly bailed out the banks, insurance companies and big car companies. The shock changed politics. A new administration came in, in 2009. New banking regulations, more government spending and a very large stimulus package was passed by congress.

Hey! What Happened To The Punch Bowl?

The Federal Reserve, bank of last resort, began a program called Quantitative Easing in 2009. Over the next eight years the FED added trillions of dollars to its balance sheet as it ‘injected’ money into the US economy. QE one, two three and four indirectly supported the stock market through the purchase of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of securities. What happens when they take that away?

Pay Attention

So this is a simple heads up that it might be time to start paying attention. While we’re talking about things that don’t matter they are doing things that do. That storm roiling to the west, might be rolling in anytime. In Storm Clouds Gather Over The Bull Market-Podcast 665.

Sponsored by Brush Studio In The West End Saint Louis Park, and by Ryan Plumbing and Heating in Saint Paul.

Storm Clouds Gather Over The Bull Market-Podcast 665