Author Archives: jim_roberts

Amusing/Sad Bumper Sticker

As I was driving my daughters to school a few weeks ago we were stopped at a red light behind an old beat-up car that had a bumper sticker that said: “My Daughter’s Pageant Dress Costs More Than Your Car” … Continue reading

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Financial Infidelity

     Honest and open communications are the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. So, it should come as no surprise that withholding details of your financial shenanigans from your spouse is a financial recipe for disaster.      You are a financial … Continue reading

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Brother, Can You Spare $75,000.00?

     A 2010 study by economist Angus Deaton of Princeton and Nobel Prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that happiness increases along with income – but only to a point. The two authors analyzed survey results from 450,000 Americans participating … Continue reading

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“I do”, now, “I don’t”

At least most Americans were married longer than the 72 days it took Kim Kardashian to call it quits. To provide some perspective, Kim’s marriage to NBA basketball player Kris Humphries lasted 33 days less than the movie Titanic was … Continue reading

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Capuchin Commerce

This may all be just a bunch of monkey business, but Saturday’s Wall Street Journal (4-1-2012, C11) had a great article about the consumer behavior of monkeys (Capuchins to be more precise).1 Laurie Santos, a young scientist at Yale University, … Continue reading

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God’s Financial Plan

These are tough economic times where the little guy can’t seem to catch a break. Well, why not team up with The Big Guy? With televangelist Don Stewart’s “Green Prosperity Prayer Cloth” you will receive and I quote “abundant blessings … Continue reading

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“i Want An Ethical Apple”

UPDATE (MARCH 6TH): APPLE’S CEO, TIM COOK, WILL EARN $378 MILLION IN 2012. YES, THAT’S MILLIONS (BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK, 2/20 – 2/26/2012) Wouldn’t you just kill for a new Apple iPad? Apparently, workers in China who assemble iPads will and do. … Continue reading

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Food For Thought

Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, BK, Schlotzsky’s, Red Lobster, Chili’s, Panda Express, Olive Garden, Dairy Queen, Denny’s, KFC, and even Long John Silver’s, are all like members of the family to many of us. As Americans, we love to eat out. … Continue reading

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The Real St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

     Do you feel, like the graphic poster above suggests, that you must spend your hard-earned money on Valentine’s Day to show others how much you care? Apparently, many of us do. The National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts that Americans … Continue reading

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Lakshmi: The Prosperity Gospel Revisited

     In chapter ten of my book, Shiny Objects, I talk about the Prosperity Gospel (PG). In its simplest form, the PG argues that tithes and donations given to a church will result in a financial windfall for the giver. … Continue reading

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