Vibrant Nation

Should Janet Yellin be confirmed as fed vice-chair?

Posted on Sunday, March 14, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Janet Yellin is Obama's nominee for Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank.  While I'd love to see a woman in this position, why this policy dove may be a perfect short-term answer, and a long term disaster.

Examining Tea Party allegations of higher taxes and increasing debt

Posted on Thursday, March 11, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

The "Tea Party" movement alleges that the USA is moving toward socialism with higher taxes and increasing levels of public debt. Let's take a look at where the country actually stands with its taxation.

A Party Invitation

Posted on Friday, March 05, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

As our nation grinds to a halt under the failure of statesmanship, I refuse to take a side.  You may not characterize me with a word, when doing so will only give me the opportunity to give countless examples of when that word does not accurately describe my position. 

The case for (and against) raising interest rates

Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

One of the Federal Reserve Bank's most powerful tools is raising short term interest rates. Why they should (and why they shouldn't) do just that now.

The most important financial news you haven't heard

Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

Health care costs are 17% of our Gross Domestic Product, and growing at 12% per year.  At this rate, in 10 years, health care will be 50% of our GDP.  No health care legislation on the horizon.  The biggest contraction of GDP since the Great Depression just took place, and caused a worldwide recession.  No financial reform legislation on the horizon.  This is the story that may be bigger than either of those.

The economics of what happened last year in plain English

Posted on Monday, February 08, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

Most economic news is reported by someone with a vested interest in what you think.  I don't care what you think, but I do care that you get all the information you need to draw your own conclusions.

Mad as Hell About Financial Bailouts? Here's Who Did What.

Posted on Friday, January 29, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

In the Catholic school I attended, nuns often kept an entire class after school for the behavior of a few.  In the current economic climate, We the People are likely to do the same for any public official who has responsibility for anything "financial."  In order to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater, here's a list of who is responsible for what, so we don't fire those who may not have misbehaved.

Corporate subsidies, anyone?

Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

Yesterday, the stock market slid precariously with dire warning about the impediments to profitability we can expect if Obama's limitations on risk-taking by "too big to fail" banks are enacted.  Let's take a look.

Farewell, banker welfare

Posted on Monday, January 18, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

A look at why so many women are furious at the amount of bonuses paid to bankers, and what to do about it.

Sizing up the competition

Posted on Tuesday, January 05, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

We're going head to head with stock market pros this year, by comparing the results of buying the S and P 500 Index with that of professional investment strategists. In order to compare track records, let's look at how the strategists did last year. All initial recommendations were taken from Barron's Magazine December 22, 2008 (and changes to portfolios were published as of September 7, 2009, and calculated as of September 30, 2009).

Who's a better investor, you or the pros?

Posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 by Kitty O'Keefe

Last September, I published the 2010 investment advice given by several market professionals and posed the question,"What would earn you the most money? Buying the entire S and P 500 Index or buying just the sectors of that Index that the market pros suggest?"

Four extraordinary financial predictions for the coming decade

Posted on Thursday, December 31, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

As we leave the year of the "Great Recession" behind, knowing four likely financial outcomes will show us how to position ourselves for financial prosperity in the coming decade.

A radical approach to personal net worth

Posted on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

This is a re-print of an article I originally published last February, when the markets were near their lows and sentiment was dismal.  Now that a recovery is beginning, we can again pause to reflect on the meaning of the season and revisit what is truly important.

Howard Dean says, "Kill Bill"

Posted on Thursday, December 17, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

You may love that health care reform in any form may emerging from the Senate.  You may want health care reform, but find so many flaws in this legislation that you hope it doesn't pass.  Why Dr. Dean wants the Bill to die.

Saying goodbye to the "Decade from Hell"

Posted on Sunday, December 13, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

2010 seems to be a nice place to start thinking more positively about our lives.  Let's clean up the last remnants from this decade, and start anew.  Let's control what we can.

Let's be more financially responsible.

Can the nation afford it? - part two

Posted on Monday, December 07, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

There are two sides to everything. Our previous discussion, that compared the US debtor status with a few less zeroes on the assumption that trillions are not numbers we throw around all that often. Our example showed a woman earning $134,540 per year, who owes $125,000 mortgage and $1871 on her car. Doesn't sound so bad, does it? Sadly, there is no perfect analogy.

Can our nation afford it?

Posted on Thursday, December 03, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

An enormous amount of discussion about health care, additional troop deployments, extension of unemployment benefits, etc., begins with opponents saying, "We can't afford it."  Let's take a look at our debt, how it compares with other countries, and weigh the pros and cons of policy decisions based on an educated look at our financial circumstances.

A kinder, gentler look at women and their money

Posted on Friday, November 27, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

I've edited a financial book for women eight or nine times now, and that process has taught me a few very important things.

Greed and fear

Posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

Buy low, sell high is an investing mantra we all know -- and rarely follow. Here's a simple and effective solution.

Straight talk about deficits and health care reform

Posted on Sunday, November 08, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

No issue is more politicized than deficit spending. Blame abounds, but little insight is given into the components of our deficit, and what reasonable action must be taken.

Economic Highs and Lows

Posted on Wednesday, November 04, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

After a third quarter that dazzled like a diamond in the pile of coal our economy had been for the prior year and a half, we seem to be standing at a crossroads.  The stock market seems economically cheery, but most of us are not.  What's the best action to take in times like these?

A woman's world economic view

Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

After having been told that finance books don't sell well with women, I point out that we are over 51% of the population and manage billions of dollars in household finance.

What we do matters.

The female retirement dilemma

Posted on Friday, October 23, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

Issues involved with planning for retirement are different for women than they are for men.  And understanding them can be the difference between comfort and poverty in our old age.

Why inflation is so much worse for women

Posted on Sunday, October 18, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

Poverty for older women is twice that for older men.  Here are the facts . . . and what we can do about them.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel

Posted on Friday, October 16, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

. . . and it isn't the train.

Who can you trust?

Posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

Bernard Madoff defied the odds by returning a consistent 12% annual return to his investors. Stanford Financial assured its clients that they were investing in safe, insured certificates of deposit. WorldCom's balance sheet was remarkable in its ability to grow profitably.

All were lies.

A grown-up woman's guide to the stock market

Posted on Friday, October 09, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe The business news is full of wildly varying opinions from market pundits. Here's some information you need to make the best decisions for you and your money.

What if we had a financial meltdown - and did nothing?

Posted on Wednesday, October 07, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

After the worst recession since the Great Depression, how do you feel about doing absolutely nothing to change the way financial institutions operate (except paying for a bailout)?

Important pricey handbag information

Posted on Monday, October 05, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

Gender marketers tell us that we face economic uncertainty by buying pricey leather handbags.  Perhaps they underestimate us.

Happiness is . . .

Posted on Friday, October 02, 2009 by Kitty O'Keefe

"Happiness is," said a song that was popular when I was a girl, "different things to different people."