The Monthly Investor

House Denies $700B Bailout

Aaron Graves — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:36:50 +0000

The House of Representatives today narrowly defeated the $700B bailout plan by a vote of 205-228-1 (Yea, Nay, No Vote). Bravo. (Read more at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122270285663785991.html).

House Republicans blamed Nancy Pelosi’s partisan speech given before the vote for the failure for the measure to pass (read more at http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/09/29/house-republicans-blame-pelosis-speech/).

While I believe that something needs to be done, I don’t necessarily agree that the proper way to go about this is to have American taxpayers save the companies that got us in to this mess from bankruptcy. Did they share their windfall profits with American taxpayers? No. But they sure do wish they could push off their losses on us.

And while I don’t really want to turn this political, those of you who know me know that I’m for smaller government, not sociallizing our “free market” economy.

I’m interested in your thoughts. Please discuss this in the comments section below.

Why The Bail-Out Is Bad

Aaron Graves — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:24:47 +0000

Actually, it should be called the Fail-Out.

There was a rather good article on the Asia Times Online that sums it up much better than I can. So without further ado, here’s the link for the article: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/JI23Dj06.html

Comments, as always, are welcome below.

$700B Taxpayer-Backed Bailout?

Aaron Graves — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:54:21 +0000

The Bush Administration has pushed forward a plan for a $700 Billion bailout plan that would allow the Federal Reserve to buy bad mortgage debt from US-based banks and Wall Street firms. And while many may think this is a good thing, I find myself on the fence - and here’s why: I’m afraid that if the government takes all this bad debt away, then the financiers will be too quick to forget what got them in this position, and 10 or maybe 15 years down the road we’ll be facing yet another financial crisis of an even greater magnitude. I understand what the Administration is saying inaction would cause for the worldwide financial markets, and I know that many Americans are struggling, but really - If the banks and brokerages can simply shed their bad debt and know that the Government is picking up the tab, what’s to stop them from doing the same later on?

Your thoughts are welcome below.

US Provides $85B Loan To AIG

Aaron Graves — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:32:35 +0000

The Federal Reserve has provided an $85 Billion, 2-year loan to American International Group to prevent its collapse. While this may sound good in principle, what does it say about our “free market” society? I’m interested to read your thoughts in this discussion.

Sound off below.

Fannie, Freddie Seized; Socialist America?

Aaron Graves — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:10:24 +0000

I know I’m a bit late to the ballgame on writing about this, but hear me out anyways.

Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, quite possibly bordering on insolvency, have been seized by the US government. And it’s prompted thoughts from some that America is now more “socialist” than China, which has a completely free market housing system.

Sound off with your thoughts on the Fannie/Freddie rescue. Is this a good thing, or will it wind up costing already hurting American taxpayers even more come end of the year?

The Economics of the Presidency

Aaron Graves — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:59:58 +0000

So who do you think would make a better Presidential team, from the standpoint of the economy of course. We’re looking at McCain/Palin on the Republican ticket, and Obama/Biden on the Democratic side. Sound of on this discussion board about which duo will help the fledgling economy.

Site Migration Successful; More Changes Coming

Aaron Graves — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:54:38 +0000

Over this past weekend, The Monthly Investor was successfully migrated to a new server. This is in preparation of changes that are currently in a testing phase. So be on the lookout - the changes are coming!

Among the many benefits of the site move, you should notice that it’s a bit more responsive. Enjoy the new speed!

Washingtonpost.com News Feed Added To Lineup

Aaron Graves — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:29:09 +0000

We have added a new feed to our News Feeds section: The “Week in Stocks” from The Washington Post. This brings a short commentary updated daily to our lineup of quality news feeds. Be sure to check it out!

UBS sells new shares at 31% discount

Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:03:34 +0000

Long Awaited Updates

Aaron Graves — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:28:01 +0000

Faithful readers, yes it’s been a long time since The Monthly Investor was last updated. But don’t despair!

I recently returned home from serving in Afghanistan, and lost a lot of time in transition. However, now that I’m home I can re-focus my energy into The Monthly Investor.

Steady updates are coming soon. Also, we’re looking for people to volunteer to write for us. If you’re interested, then create an account on the website and contact me by emailing aaron themonthlyinvestor com.

And don’t forget, our News Feeds section is updated automatically every hour with the latest business and financial news headlines from around the internet. Make sure you take a look!