Mad Money Machine

by Paul Douglas Boyer

MMM-125: The Market is Rigged

Cramer says the stock market is rigged. TJ says watch nothing. Philly. Yu Yongding: the collapse. Stanza, the iPhone ebook reader. NY Fed survey. Money in Motion. Why active managers under-perform. IPhone stories. Gary North predicted falling commodities. Do it Yourself portfolios.

I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com 

   MMM-125 Topics in this week’s show include:         

 

Music from music.podshow.com:
ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS
Money Control – Voide
Runaway Train – Under FeatherSkype Me™!

Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com or call the Mad Money Machine voicemail line 206-734-4763

Fri, August 29 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-125: The Market is Rigged

MMM-124: Better Late Than Never

Touring old houses. Gov’t paid for this year. InstaPaper. Baseball, Time Diversification of Risk. Nouriel Roubini. 

I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com 

   MMM-124Topics in this week’s show include:         

  • When the US Constitution was signed, there were 4 million in the US.
  • We took a day trip to Monticello and Montpelier. Better than expected and recommended to you.
  • Cost of Government Day is finally past.
  • Our Tool this week is InstaPaper. Save big web articles to read later on your iPhone.
  • Three Baseball stories
  • This week’s Learning Earning segment looks at the Time Diversification of Risk.
  • List of books and movies: Stephen King On Writing, James Kunstler World Made By Hand, Batman A Dark Knight, Juno, Kung Fu Panda, The Bank Job, Matilda.
  • US Constitution: Preamble.
  • How’s your predicting skills?
  • Our Guru is Nouriel Roubini. Here’s the article from NYTimes called Dr. Doom. Also check out his web site.

 

Music from music.podshow.com:
[ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS]
Money Control – Voide
Runaway Train – Under FeatherSkype Me™!

Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com or call the Mad Money Machine voicemail line 206-734-4763

Fri, August 22 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-124: Better Late Than Never

MMM-123: The Awakening

Wake up! Awakening poem, song, sculpture, and ideas. PricedInGold charts. Morpheus speaks.  Stocks vs. Index funds compared.

I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com

  MMM-123 Topics in this week’s show include:         

  • The Awakening: A Poem
  • Switchfoot: The Awakening
  • The Awakening sculpture now at the National Harbor. I’ve seen this and walked around in it.
  • The emperor has no clothes.
  • Pulled the wool over his eyes.
  • Wizard of Oz
  • Blue pill vs. red pill
  • Santa Claus
  • Samuel Huntington, the first President.
  • Index Funds vs stocks
  • Federal Reserve notes vs. gold
  • Democrat and Republican spenders vs libertarians
  • Blogs vs. mainstream media
  • freedom vs. security
  • Republic vs. Democracy
  • Risk vs. Return
  • Morpheus’ speech
  • Portfolio Smackdown thru 31 July
  • Guru: Walter Block on Lew Rockwell’s 11th show.
  • Tool: PricedInGold.com has lots of fun charts priced in, um, gold.
  • FDIC bank count is a 4.
  • Also on all coins: “United States of America”
  • Pay off your mortgage early?
  • Learning Earning sponsored by IFA.com. Observe how an individual stock exhibits higher risk at the same reward than index funds:

image

 

image

Compare the single, large cap stock of General Electric to Index Portfolio 100. Which one should you buy? Higher return at less risk, Index Portfolio 100.

image

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending – Tears for Fears

Music from music.podshow.com:
[ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS]
The Pop Culture – DJ Top Shelf
Money Control – Voide
Runaway Train – Under FeatherSkype Me™!

  • Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com, or comment, or Call me on the Mad Money Machine voicemail line at 206-734-4763

  • Fri, August 8 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-123: The Awakening

    MMM-122: Risk and Liberty (No Pain, No Gain)

    Investing is risky. Cramer calls this the bottom. Bogle’s take. What’s on every coin? The Philosophy of Liberty. Standard Deviation as a risk measurement. Return to Risk ratio. Watchless. Foliodex no workie. The Grossman – Stiglitz Paradox.

    I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

    But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

    The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com

      MMM-122 Topics in this week’s show include:         

    • Investing is risky. Don’t invest unless you are prepared to lose money. Of course  if you don’t take risk you’ll be stuck with low returns.
    • We begin our study of Riskese.
    • Last Wednesday, Jim Cramer called the bottom in the market. Dmcmahon, Xenogear3, and MTWC all respond at Bogleheads.org.
    • John Bogle says this is his 10th bear market. And although it would be great to be able to jump out of stocks at the high and get back in at the low, but in his 55 years in the business he doesn’t have any idea how to do it.
    • What’s on every one of your U.S. coins? One of at least 4 things is “Liberty.”
    • I read Ken Schoolland’s “Philosophy of Liberty” but I ENCOURAGE YOU TO WATCH THE VIDEO ALSO.
    • This week’s Learning Earning segment looks at Standard Deviation as the way we measure an asset’s risk. How much return did an asset have per unit of risk?
    • Which stock was the better investment, Disney or Hewlett Packard? Don’t forget to look at the risk. But hey, neither stock is a good choice because the S&P 500 index had an even better return to risk ratio. And look, the IFA Index Portfolio 100 had an even better return to risk ratio than the S&P 500.
    • Risk is coming up on its 50th anniversary.
    • I’ve worn a watch every day for 40 years. I’ve tried stopping recently and instead relying on my iPhone. Its a weird feeling!
    • Will they every make a watch tatoo? Or even better, an iPhone tatoo!
    • What’s the deal with Foliodex.com? No workie very well recently.
    • Next week I’ll review the Lazy Portfolio Smackdown results thru July.
    • Two more banks were added to the FDIC Is My Account Fully Insured list.
    • The Grossman – Stiglitz Paradox.

    Music from music.podshow.com:
    ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS
    Money Control – Voide
    Runaway Train – Under FeatherSkype Me™!

  • Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com, or comment, or Call me on the Mad Money Machine voicemail line at 206-734-4763

  • Fri, August 1 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-122: Risk and Liberty (No Pain, No Gain)

    MMM-121: Everything Is Fine

    Quotes from the Depression. Dollar coin? More IRS snooping. Rothbard. Rockwell. 4th branch of government? iPhone waste. Gold standard? Total World Stock Index Fund. Check your bank. Walker: Everything is not fine.

    I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

    But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

    The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com

      MMM-121 Topics in this week’s show include:         

    • Quotes from the Depression
    • It would be tough being a financial advisor these days, wouldn’t it?
    • Dallas News says Americans won’t give up their paper dollar in favor of a dollar coin.
    • Wall St. Journal says we need to get more Vitamin D and the sun is a good place to get it.
    • Housing relief bill passed. Included deep in it is a provision to have the IRS snoop into credit card transactions.
    • Scott emails to say the best paper he’s read on banking is “The Mystery of Banking” by Rothbard. Google for it.
    • Please subscribe to Lew Rockwell’s podcast. Collect ’em all!
    • How about a 4th branch of government? This one simply a up or down vote over the Internet of “Is It Constitutional?”
    • Michael emails about the waste of lining up to buy an iPhone. He also wonders what a “Cramer Contrarian Fund” might look like.
    • Richard emails about The Fed and a gold standard.
    • Learning Earning: A Silent Partners Quiz.
    • Chip emails to say WSJ print is only $10 more if you subscribe to the online.
    • Frank emails to ask how much international exposure we should have. I suggest looking at Vanguard’s Total World Stock Index (VTWSX) or the equivalent ETF (VT).
    • Tools for checking up on your bank:
  • Pandora for the iPhone is amazing.
  • Our Guru is David M. Walker. Watch one his videos! Also be on the lookout for the movie and book I.O.U.S.A. I say, “Who cares? The Chinese are paying for it all anyway!”
  •  

    Music from music.podshow.com:
    ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS
    Money Control – Voide
    Runaway Train – Under Feather

    Skype Me™!

    Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com, or comment, or Call me on the Mad Money Machine voicemail line at 206-734-4763

    Fri, July 25 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-121: Everything Is Fine

    MMM-120: iShadenfreude

    iShadenfreude defined. Cramer makes money from charity?  Warren Buffet Rap. Investing in taxable accounts. XBOX 360 gets Netflix movies. Lew Rockwell laughs at Bernanke. Frontier Market ETFs. Mark Hulbert looks at stock pickers. Zweig vs. Cramer in guru smackdown. 

    I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

    But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

    The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com

      Topics in this week’s show include:         

    • An MMM-120 iShadenfreude story about waiting in an iLine for my iPhone.
    • Are you having fun watching Bill Miller shadenfreude?
    • Gold bugs relish the dollar’s pain.
    • Michael emails to say that Cramer has other flip-flops such as the one on Amazon last fall. He reaffirmed his love for the stock one day then decapitated a hobby horse to signify his rejection of Amazon the next day.
    • Also, Michael exposes Cramer’s exploitation of his charitable fund to make money on subscriptions.
    • How do I inform newcomers of the basics while not boring the old-timers? 
    • Warren Buffet rap.
    • Warren Buffet answers a Girl Scout’s question about new investors. (hat tip CrossingWallStreet.com)
    • The Learning Earning segment sponsored by Index Funds Advisors explores the silent partners in mutual funds. Be careful when investing in your taxable account to choose a tax-efficient fund.
    • Philip emails to say that the Dave Ramsey course was helpful.
    • My XBOX 360 is going to get more valuable this fall. The are going to redo the dashboard to look more Wii-like and Apple coverflow. Also, it will be able to play Netflix streaming movies. Need to be a Netflix subscriber and XBOX Live Gold subscriber to get it.
    • Lew Rockwell laughs at Ben Bernanke.
    • Frontier Markets ETFs are appearing.
    • Mark Hulbert points to a study showing that stock picking ain’t possible.
    • Guru Smackdown! Our Guru is Jason Zweig who writes in a recent article, “TV pundits [e.g. Cramer] who shriek out trading advice as if their underpants were on fire.” Here is Cramer’s response.

     

    Music from music.podshow.com:
    ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS
    Money Control – Voide
    Runaway Train – Under Feather
    Who Are You – Ola Onabule

    Skype Me™!

    Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com, or comment, or Call me on the Mad Money Machine voicemail line at 206-734-4763

    Fri, July 18 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-120: iShadenfreude

    MMM-119: Learning Earning

    Bank failures. iPhone Day. New Learning Earning segment sponsored by IFA.com. SplashID password locker for iPhone. My theory of death. Teaching money in school. Tool is Deluxe Fund Screener. Your feedback. 

    I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

    But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

    The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com

      Topics in this week’s show include:         

    • MMM-119Does this sound familiar:
      Starting in July …, the government and the [banks] began to see what dire straits they were in; the enormous inflation of money and credit…, had put the [banks] in danger of going under and illegally failing to maintain… payments.  Over the next year, the [banks] began a series of enormous contractions, forced curtailment of loans, contractions of credit… The contraction of money and credit swiftly bought the United States [a] widespread economic and financial depression. The… Nationwide “boom-bust” cycle had arrived…
      The result of this contraction was a rash of defaults, bankruptcies of business and manufacturers, and a liquidation of unsound investments during the boom. [Rothbard – The Mystery of Banking, pp 204. He’s talking about 1818 not 2007.]
    • Today is iPhone day. ITunes 7.7 upgrade is released, giving the ability to download software applications to the iPhone.
    • I’m eager to install SplashID to keep my web logins.
    • Had any Jalapeno peppers recently. Uhhhh, I don’t feel so good.
    • My theory of death: as we baby boomers get older, we are going to recognize a lot more names in the obituaries every week, not just local folks, but people all over the media. (And now, sadly, Tony Snow.)
    • Frank in Vancouver says money should be taught in high school.
    • Brian says he had a pretty good course about money in college. Here’s the textbook he used.
    • Learning Earning: Silent Partners.
    • A USL team is guaranteed to make the finals of the US Open Cup.
    • WALL-E is worth seeing multiple times.
    • Adam Curry has theories on oil and the dollar.
    • EconTalk where Russ Roberts talks with Michael Munger about public transportation in Chile is worth a listen.
    • Our Tool helps you find mutual funds. It is the MSN Deluxe Screener for Mutual Funds.
    • I go through some of your suggestions about how I should change the MMM. Thanks for taking the MMM Survey.

     

    Music from music.podshow.com:
    ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS
    Money Control – Voide
    Runaway Train – Under Feathers

    Skype Me™!

    Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com, or comment, or Call me on the Mad Money Machine voicemail line at 206-734-4763

    Fri, July 11 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-119: Learning Earning

    MMM-118: Where Does Money Come From?

    Avoid non-systematic risk. Where money comes from… you will be surprised. Inflation… then deflation. Lunch with Warren. Online outline tool. Stocks are on sale.

    I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

    But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

    The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com

     MMM-118 Topics in this week’s show include:

    • Mark Hebner explains William Sharpe’s definitions of systematic and non-systematic risk. The difference is that the risks inherent in owning individual stocks are not rewarded to investors.
    • Where does money come from? Simply, it is created when someone takes out a loan. It did not exist prior to that event. And when the loan is paid back, the money disappears.
    • So, because of fractional reserve banking, when money is created, what is it that you are paying interest upon anyway? And why are the banks so sad when loans go into default?
    • With all of the credit expansion of recent years due to low interest rates, lots and lots of money was created. More money means inflation. Inflation results in higher prices. But now that money is being destroyed through tightening credit, will we experience the effects of deflation? Lower prices. Maybe a few years down the road. Maybe stocks are being deflated currently while other things take longer to feel the effects.
    • Lunch with Warren Buffet. Cheaper to read his annual report.
    • Our Tool this week is LooseStitch.com an online outliner. Something I’ve been seeking for years now. Would be great to merge Natara Bonsai with LooseStitch and have them sync with each other.
    • Are you glad June is over? 10.2% loss for the DJIA. Congratulations to those of you who are still in the accumulation phase of investing!
    • WSJ: How to Buy and Hold (And Sleep at Night)
    • WSJ: Five Lessons from a Wild First Half
    • A review of the Lazy Portfolio Smackdown
    • The Investing sub-category is back at iTunes!
    • Richard writes to say he is going to try the Couch to 5K running plan.
    • Please visit IFA.com and take their Risk Capacity Survey.

    Music from music.podshow.com:
    ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS
    Crazy on You – Heart
    Dead Not Quick – XRAY DOGS
    Runaway Train – Under Feathers

    Skype Me™!

    Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com, or comment, or Call me on the Mad Money Machine voicemail line at 206-734-4763

    Fri, July 4 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-118: Where Does Money Come From?

    MMM-117: Run to the Hills

    Yikes! Where do we put our money? Warren Buffet says inflation is bad. Myrtle Beach stories. Survey results. Tool: Google Spreadsheet stock quotes. Suze Orman says get active. Russ Roberts buys a new car. Style Drifters.

    I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!Subscribe with iTunes!

    But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now

    The Mad Money Machine is proud to be sponsored by Index Funds Advisors at ifa.com

    MMM-117 Topics in this week’s show include:

    • Our Guru is Iron Maiden. They suggest running to the hills.
    • Fama and French say the best time to invest is when economic conditions are worse.
    • Warren Buffet says inflation and stagflation are getting bad. And if he were Fed Chairman, he’d resign.
    • The DJI is back to where it was in September 2006.
    • DOW Chemical to raise prices again by 25%.
    • Myrtle Beach stories. On the Wealth of Nations by P.J.O’Rourke. The Singularity by Ray Kurzweil. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. Lights out. Get some sun.
    • Chick-Fil-A had individually wrapped coffee stirrers!
    • What happened to the iTunes Investing category?
    • I toned down the colors. Less orange.
    • Survey results: you guys are old.
    • Cramer’s flip-flopping
    • PTO has had a tough few weeks.
    • Tool: Google Spreadsheets and the =GoogleFinance() function to get stock quotes.
    • Happiness = Reality / Expectations
    • Passengers leave $1 million in change to the TSA.
    • Russ Roberts buys a new car.
    • Suze Orman says do active investing. hahaha
    • Step 6: Style Drifters

    Music from music.podshow.com:
    ALTA PLAZA – XRAY DOGS
    Runaway Train – Under Feathers

    Skype Me™!

    Email me: feedback at Mad Money Machine dot com, or comment, or Call me on the Mad Money Machine voicemail line at 206-734-4763

    Fri, June 27 2008 » Podcasts » Comments Off on MMM-117: Run to the Hills

    Cramer the Chameleon

    image Like a weathervane, Cramer points toward where the winds are blowing.

    image Like a chameleon, Cramer adapts to the current environment.

    Likeimage a stock picker, Cramer follows today’s trend and picks what worked.

    image Like a cheetah, you should turn and run from his advice as fast as possible.

    Here’s why…

     

    I’ve witnessed this flip-flopping so many times, I’m just tired and weary of it. Please just take the Risk Capacity Survey, select an appropriate portfolio of Index Funds, buy and hold them, and then invest and relax.

    (via The Kirk Report via Crossing Wall Street via Felix via Don Harrold – can you believe that chain?)

    Wed, June 25 2008 » Blog, Predictions » Comments Off on Cramer the Chameleon

    MMM Survey Results (So Far…)

    133 People have taken the MMM Survey so far. If you haven’t taken it, please do so now.

    But here are results at this point:

    So nobody’s interested in soccer? C’mon dudes, it is the one true international sport. Get globalized (before it is too late). Anyway, you guys (and I do mean guys… see next chart) liked talk about money, inflation, index funds, ETFs, lazy portfolios, and Warren Buffet but sadly not Paul Boyer, XBOX, Libertarianism, iPhone, or Ron Paul. I guess this is an investing show after all.

     

    When I say “dude” I really mean DUDE.

    Folks generally aren’t interested in DEFINITELY subscribing to another podcast, but a daily, news-oriented one would be most considered.

    Again, you listen for investing tips, economic insights (and a little humor thrown in). Mostly nobody is just listening to check out the competition (or will admit to it).

     

    Hey, this isn’t a music show, so Paul please don’t play full songs.

     

    Almost everybody makes over $50K a year.

    The average age is 40. Wow, I had no idea you guys were so old. (Hahaha, me too.) But obviously these surveys are what they call “self-selecting” meaning that the results of the survey are skewed toward those who are willing to volunteer to take the survey. Maybe young people aren’t willing to volunteer to take it? Maybe really old folks aren’t willing to volunteer to take it? Maybe women don’t like to volunteer? Yeah, that’s it. And where are all the teenagers? Oh, playing DS.

    But I like that Age vs. Index Portfolio chart. It kinda shows the general tendency to take less risk as one gets older, doesn’t it? The chosen Index Portfolio is on the left axis with Portfolio 100 at the top. Age gets higher going from left to right. Nobody will admit to a less than 25 index portfolio.

     

    Well, do it then! And tell them Paul Douglas Boyer from the Mad Money Machine sent you!

    I have more results from the survey that aren’t as easily shown on a graph, such as what you are doing while listening and the general comments question. I’ll try to cover some of these on upcoming shows. I do want to thank you for all the kind words and even for the critical words. Doing this show is great fun for me. If you want to see everyone else’s entries, click on the survey link again and they are at the bottom of the page.

    Thank you for taking the survey!

    Wed, June 25 2008 » Announcements » Comments Off on MMM Survey Results (So Far…)