Comments for Whatever Happened to Thrift http://usthrift.wordpress.com Just another WordPress.com weblog Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:32:08 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Q2 by Julie http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/q2/#comment-324 Julie Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:32:08 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=594#comment-324 It isn't adrenalin that most first years are drunk on... It isn’t adrenalin that most first years are drunk on…

]]> Comment on Men are Better Savers, Women are Better Investors by cheap merchant account http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2008/07/12/men-are-better-savers-women-are-better-investors/#comment-321 cheap merchant account Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:34:35 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=53#comment-321 I cannot argue with women being the "worse" spenders. I am guilty of spending almost as quickly as I earn it. Although I would like to think that most of my spending these days has to do with putting my earnings back into my business. Great post! I cannot argue with women being the “worse” spenders. I am guilty of spending almost as quickly as I earn it. Although I would like to think that most of my spending these days has to do with putting my earnings back into my business. Great post!

]]> Comment on I Hate Marketing by Larry Becker http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/i-hate-marketing/#comment-320 Larry Becker Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:29:28 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=565#comment-320 Great post, Ron. Thanks for teasing out some distinctions between excessive consumerism (easy to judge as a negative) and marketing (a force that's neutral until its applied somehow to something). Like all superheros, perhaps marketers need to begin with an oath to use their powers for good and not evil. :-) And as a marketer today, how can one not feel some of the ambivalence you describe? There are more tools than ever to develop, convey, and test ideas...but even as one ogles the latest nifty app and whatever new medium carried its message, it's hard to be consistently confident that one is correctly parsing signal and noise. Great post, Ron. Thanks for teasing out some distinctions between excessive consumerism (easy to judge as a negative) and marketing (a force that’s neutral until its applied somehow to something). Like all superheros, perhaps marketers need to begin with an oath to use their powers for good and not evil. :-)

And as a marketer today, how can one not feel some of the ambivalence you describe? There are more tools than ever to develop, convey, and test ideas…but even as one ogles the latest nifty app and whatever new medium carried its message, it’s hard to be consistently confident that one is correctly parsing signal and noise.

]]> Comment on Reaction to the Wall Street Journal Review by sandrar http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/reaction-to-the-wall-street-journal-review/#comment-314 sandrar Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:16:14 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=27#comment-314 Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post... nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R. Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.

]]> Comment on Management by Muddling Through by stu http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/management-by-muddling-through/#comment-313 stu Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:17:09 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=563#comment-313 “My people are smart. If the problem has a solution they will find it. If the problem does not have a solution they are a disaster….and it is killing us.” This is a great quote, Ron. Any sense of whether the issue is one of inability to make a decision when there is no clear "answer", or whether, when faced with ambiguous choices they choose poorly? Good to see your posts again! “My people are smart. If the problem has a solution they will find it. If the problem does not have a solution they are a disaster….and it is killing us.”

This is a great quote, Ron. Any sense of whether the issue is one of inability to make a decision when there is no clear “answer”, or whether, when faced with ambiguous choices they choose poorly?

Good to see your posts again!

]]> Comment on I Hate Marketing by Julie http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/i-hate-marketing/#comment-312 Julie Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:54:56 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=565#comment-312 Takeaway from this blog: My marketing prof hates marketing. Check! I appreciate the in-depth analysis of marketing. As we get into the ethics later in the year, I am sure all of these options will be explored! Takeaway from this blog: My marketing prof hates marketing. Check!

I appreciate the in-depth analysis of marketing. As we get into the ethics later in the year, I am sure all of these options will be explored!

]]> Comment on Control Yourself by stu http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/control-yourself/#comment-281 stu Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:41:52 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=551#comment-281 The website link didn't seem to work... so here's the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124458888993599879.html The website link didn’t seem to work… so here’s the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124458888993599879.html

]]> Comment on Control Yourself by stu http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/control-yourself/#comment-280 stu Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:40:23 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=551#comment-280 Speaking of controlling one's self, what do you think about the WSJ article linked above; specifically how the money supply relates to savings strategies? PS. Nice to see you active again :-) Speaking of controlling one’s self, what do you think about the WSJ article linked above; specifically how the money supply relates to savings strategies?

PS. Nice to see you active again :-)

]]> Comment on Shrinking General Motors by Leslie http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/shrinking-general-motors/#comment-268 Leslie Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:05:45 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=542#comment-268 I agree with you that GM should focus on their unique reputation for producing well made trucks. They can't complete in the sedan hybrid market because Toyota and Honda are already lowering the prices on their respective hybrids and GM is too late to the party. The Volt (a plug in hybrid) costs 40k compared with the Prius costs 22K. Many consumers feel even that is too expensive given the lower price of fuel now. I agree with you that GM should focus on their unique reputation for producing well made trucks. They can’t complete in the sedan hybrid market because Toyota and Honda are already lowering the prices on their respective hybrids and GM is too late to the party. The Volt (a plug in hybrid) costs 40k compared with the Prius costs 22K. Many consumers feel even that is too expensive given the lower price of fuel now.

]]> Comment on The SEC Should Act on Fee Disclosure Regulations for Financial Services by Reforming the Mutual Fund Tax Loophole « Whatever Happened to Thrift http://usthrift.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/the-sec-should-act-on-price-disclosure-regulations-for-financial-services/#comment-257 Reforming the Mutual Fund Tax Loophole « Whatever Happened to Thrift Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:10:58 +0000 http://usthrift.wordpress.com/?p=7#comment-257 [...] By deducting fees from fund assets mutual funds essentially disguise the fees that individual invest...  If you hire a money manager, or a financial planner, you cannot deduct the fees that this professional charges you from your investment returns. If you get a 10% return on your money and the money manager charges you a 1% annual management fee you pay taxes on the entire 10%. Because mutual funds deduct fees from assets before calculating return the tax situation is different. If your gross return from a mutual fund is 10% and the mutual fund charges you 1%  annual management fee you pay taxes on the net return — that is 9%. [...] [...] By deducting fees from fund assets mutual funds essentially disguise the fees that individual invest…  If you hire a money manager, or a financial planner, you cannot deduct the fees that this professional charges you from your investment returns. If you get a 10% return on your money and the money manager charges you a 1% annual management fee you pay taxes on the entire 10%. Because mutual funds deduct fees from assets before calculating return the tax situation is different. If your gross return from a mutual fund is 10% and the mutual fund charges you 1%  annual management fee you pay taxes on the net return — that is 9%. [...]

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