We are now finishing the 16th month of the recession, which began in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Not only is this a long recession, but it's also a severe one, marked by painfully high levels of job losses, a sharply reduced credit flow and a drop in the value of many investments. ...more

March 27, 2009

This is not only a new year. It also is the birth of the Union of the Socialist States of America (USSA). Reminds one of the failed union of socialist Soviet Republics (USSR), doesn't it? No, I'm not referring to an association of American states, such as Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia. I have in mind what was once the economically responsible and stable, capitalistic, free-enterprise, United States of America. ...more

January 11, 2009

The reorganization of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs marks a historic end to a period when investment banks drove Wall Street and leaves open what - if anything - will assume the role of taking big risks that have powered the market's booms and busts. ...more

September 23, 2008

When Bill Crews, the chairman of Wauchula State Bank, and Tom Trevino, a broker with Merrill Lynch's brokerage in Sebring, spoke to the Kiwanis in Hardee County on Tuesday, they faced a deluge of questions. ...more

September 18, 2008

It's time to devote another column to answering your e-mails, because I know the readers below aren't alone in worrying about their investments and wondering how to keep their credit reports clean. ...more

July 27, 2008

Next time you face sticker shock at the gas pump over a $4 gallon of gas, check out your pension fund's investments. They may explain much about the surge in oil prices. ...more

May 31, 2008

Investors may be weary of the market's recent ups and downs. But with big market swings likely to continue, they would do well to learn to live with the volatility. ...more

December 30, 2007

During the housing boom, prices in Miami and Tampa more than doubled, spurring builders and speculators to flock to the areas. Now, the two cities lead the nation in home price declines, and economists predict prices will continue falling through much of the new year. ...more

December 26, 2007