Microinvesting: An Antidote to U.S. Foreign Aid

I don’t know about you, but I feel my money should be working as hard as I do. Right now it’s not. I converted my investments into cash back in early 2008 when I saw the financial crisis coming.  It’s pretty much just sat there since then.

Microinvesting, the practice of supporting the businesses of small entrepreneurs in other countries, sure seems a lot more inviting than investing in anything in the U.S. securities markets these days.
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Walking on Air: Apple’s New Mac Laptop

Apple’s ads with Bill and Steve are cute, but oh, how they miss the point!
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Financial Derivatives – CDSs & CDOs: How Big Is the Financial Mess?

[NOTE: Today’s news:  bondholders with derivatives force GM towards bankruptcy. How many more companies might this happen to?]

According to Ira Glass’ “This American Life” program on NPR, the scope of the financial problem is as big as that huge 100 foot wave in the movie, “The Perfect Storm.” The title of the NPR show is “Another Frightening Show about the Economy.”  Included is a terrific section on derivatives, specifically the type of derivatives called credit default swaps (CDSs). [minutes 20-40 of Oct. 3-5 episode 365 on http://www.NPR.org]
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