Chris Christie is a Hero and Teachers’ Union Should Be Ashamed

September 14, 2010

My wife’s a teacher (In Defense of Teachers) and I respect teachers immensely. Most of them are great and work selflessly for less than they could make in private industry. Like any profession, there are bad apples and unfortunately, like most organized unions, their leadership acts as though they live in a vacuum and would […]

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Tipping Gone Wild – Is It Just Me?

September 12, 2010

I picked up dinner at a SaladWorks tonight and was annoyed by an obnoxious tip jar on the counter.  I don’t mind tipping for good service, even mediocre service actually.  It’s always been a standard at restaurants, barbers, bars and other establishments that have for decades relied on a model whereby the employees are paid […]

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Energy Companies PAYING YOU To Conserve Energy? Here’s How

September 8, 2010

Out of the blue, a buddy of mine forwarded me a link I wasn’t even aware of from our local energy company, PECO.  I was elated to see that there are several different rebate programs (here) that don’t require massive new HVAC units and solar upgrades, etc. like the widely publicized tax rebate programs.  No, […]

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Dividends = 43% of Total Stock Market Returns [Graphic]

September 6, 2010

Dividends accounted for 43% of the total return in the stock market over the past 20 years.  With the S&P500 as a proxy, almost half of the total return of 394% was due to these dividend payouts.  I’d heard anecdotally over the years that dividends accounted for various portions of total return, but this is […]

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Weekend Reading – Stock Market/Economy Disconnect Edition

September 3, 2010

Apparently, the market actually thinks a 9.6% unemployment rate is just swell, sending the S&P500 up 3.5% for the week.  This is a major move up for a 5 day period, and a reversal in a recent market downturn from prior weeks.  While the unemployment numbers were better than “expected”, they’re still not rosy by […]

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This Nasty-Gram Got Me a New $2800 Fridge ASAP

September 1, 2010

I had posted recently on how I got a new $2800 Stainless Fridge for $1100.  I’d been on the lookout since our old fridge was wretched, we’d redone the kitchen and all our other appliances were stainless.  Well, it was a great deal – until we realized the ice maker wasn’t working and it was […]

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