TheStreet: Don't Relax Yet-- Brexit Hasn't Finished Beating Up the British Pound

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Once it was the bedrock of the world's financial system. Now, it's the weakling. 

The big question is what's next for the British pound sterling, which has lost 17% of its value since the country voted to leave the European Union in June. It's now worth about $1.22. Read more here.

Photo by Edson Rosas on Unsplash

TheStreet: How a 'Bad Moon Rising' Could Break Gold's Breathtaking Fall

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Ouch! Gold prices hit the skids recently.

The question is simple: Is this a normal pullback, or is something bigger afoot?

The answer depends on how much global turmoil you see on the horizon, given Britain's decision to leave the European Union, slowing growth in China and Donald Trump's noncommittal stance on accepting the results of the U.S. presidential election. Read more here.

TheStreet: Did Government Dithering Cause Secular Stagnation?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The secular stagnation meme just got torpedoed.

Exceptionally high uncertainty over government policies around the globe is responsible for the period of sluggish growth we've seen since the financial crisis, according to new research which appears to refute the ideas of a former Treasury chief.

"The elevated levels of global policy uncertainty in the past five years compared even to the crisis years of 2008-09 is remarkable," states the October-dated paper titled "An Index of Global Economic Policy Uncertainty" by Steven Davis, professor of international business and economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Read more here.

U.S. News: Investors Have to Be Careful With Real Estate

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The housing market isn't getting red hot any time soon. So instead of just throwing money at anything related to real estate, investors wanting exposure to the housing sector will need to be careful how they put their cash to work.

The matter stems from a change in attitude from the largest generation of U.S. residents – those 75 million people born between 1981 and 1997, a.k.a. the millennials, according to the Pew Research Center.

Housing and economic growth were once synonymous. From the end of World War II up until the financial crisis of 2008-09 there wasn't a single recovery that didn't involve housing playing a major role. Then things changed, and how. Read more here.

Forbes: ObamaCare Just Made My Eyes Water

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Thanks ObamaCare! You just made my eyes water.

The same is probably true for many other people.

Bad News

In an economy where inflation is said to be subdued, premiums for The Affordable Care Act are set to jump by an average of 25% next year, according to new government figures. That’s the just the average. It means some people will see increases of even more than that.

My eyes are still watering. Read more here.

Outside On The Street: Why Restaurant Wine Is A Ripoff

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Wine connoisseur Mark Oldman explains how to make the best use of your money when buying wine at dinner.

WSJ: Is Longevity Insurance Too Risky?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The chance of a guaranteed lifetime income in old age seems like something risk-averse people would jump at.

Yet many of them are shunning a product—a type of annuity known as longevity insurance—designed to provide just that.

The problem, a recent study found, may stem from the need to make a large single payment to buy the insurance when people don’t know how long they are going to live. Such insurance typically starts paying a fixed monthly sum to beneficiaries when they reach age 80 or 85. But the payments stop when the policyholder dies. Read more here.

Outside On The Street: What Are The Biggest Wine Investing Mistakes

By SIMON CONSTABLE


What Are the Biggest Wine Investing Mistakes? from Constable Confidential on Vimeo.

Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash

Outside On The Street: What Is The 2 AM Principle?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Jon Levy explains why it's sometimes better to stay up late and have a special experience. He is the author of The 2 AM Principle, and explains his ideas in this video.

U.S. News: 5 Reasons to Bet on a Consumer Rebound

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Is it time to bet on a consumer rebound? Historically, it's never been wise for investors to underestimate the willingness of Americans to spend.

But so far in this recovery we haven't reached the "spending-like-drunken-sailors" stage. 

The good news is that we may soon see the beginnings of a splurge, because although the economic recovery has been limp these past few years, there seems to be an important turning point. Read more here.

Forbes Video: How Restaurant Wine Is A Rip-off

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There are ways to get better value for money when you order wine at dinner. Sure, you already know that the restaurant has to mark up the price it charges you — there are lots of people who need to be paid.

But there are ways you could easily do better or worse, if only you knew what code words to use, or to avoid. For instance, which phrase is better: good value, or good price?

Plus there are actions you can take, which might seem subtle, but actually communicate directly with the sommelier in a way that they are unlikely to miss.

To find out what you need to know, I asked Mark Oldman, author of ‘How to Drink Like a Billionaire,‘ who explains the intricacies of restaurant wine in this video.

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

Forbes Video: Is The Fed Politicized?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The Federal Reserve prides itself on being independent. The idea is that the policy makers of the Federal Open Market Committee should make decisions to further the twin goals of stable prices and full employment. And they should do so without regard to what the different political parties want. That's the idea anyway.

The question on the mind of many is whether those very important policy makers are actually now being swayed. After all, Fed Chair Janet Yellen get grilled with some frequency in Congress, and there are powers that stand to make a ton of money if they could persuade the country's central bank to move interest rates in one direction or another.

Charlie Bilello, Director of Research at Pension Partners addresses the question in this video. Curiously enough, Bilello and I are about two blocks away from the New York Fed as we film this interview.

Outside On The Street: What Are The Best Bets For Investors Now?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Pension Partner's Charlie Bilello weighs in with his picks. He speaks with Simon Constable.

Forbes: 'Mantra' Your Way To Success

By SIMON CONSTABLE

 was once asked to consult to a large hospital where the head of nursing wanted to shake things up. Or at least that’s what she said. It quickly became clear that she wanted change, but didn’t want to do anything different. Whenever I suggested something different, it was immediately shot down, with “that’s not how we do things.” Needless to say the project didn’t go well for me.

Doing something different is hard for most people because it makes them uncomfortable. The same is true for me. That’s why it’s so hard, which bring me to a new book that may help some of us change our lives: Habit Changers: 81 Game-Changing Mantras to Mindfully Realize Your Goals by M.J. Ryan. It was published last month by Crown Business. Read more here.

Forbes Video: What Are the Biggest Wine Investing Mistakes?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If you are tired of investing in the same old standard of stocks and bonds, then you need to get educated.

For instance, should you buy cases of rare wine? It might be worth considering. But if you do so then you should avoid some of the more common missteps.

For instance, where should you store your wine? Or what happens when there is a natural disaster?

To get the skinny on the matter I spoke with wine expert and author of “How to Drink Like a Billionaire,” Mark Oldman, who elaborates on some of the things he maybe should have thought twice about. He talks with me in this video.

Photo by photo nic on Unsplash

Forbes Video: Is It Over For Gold?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Gold prices have been sliding recently, partially reversing the gains made over the last year.

The big question for many investors is whether the move means that the bull run is over? This is not a trivial question. Gold suffered a two-decade bear market from 1980 through 2000 where prices sank from $850 a troy ounce to a low of less than $300. The decade before that, 1970 to 1980 saw tremendous gains, from a low of $35 up to the then all-time high of $850.

So there it is; is the recent pullback a blip, or is it the harbinger of something bigger. Charlie Bilello, Director of Research at Pension Partners, explains his thoughts in this video.

U.S. News: 6 Ways Anyone Can Save Money

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Some people will tell you that saving money is just a waste of time, and that you'd be better off just earning more cash. But the truth for many is that pennies saved are worth far more than pennies earned.

For instance, in New York City, figure on your earned dollar being worth as little as 60 cents once you've paid city, state and federal taxes.

With that in mind here are some ways to put money back in your pocket, gathered from some of the world's top financial markets experts. Read more here.

Outside On The Street: Does More Money Mean More Adventure?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Jon Levy, author of The 2 AM Principal explains why traveling while strapped for cash might be just the thing that the doctor ordered.

Outside On The Street: Has the Fed Checked Into a Roach Motel?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Charlie Bilello, Director of Research at Pension Partners, explains his thoughts 

By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Outside On The Street: Would You Drink Like A Billionaire If You Could?

BY SIMON CONSTABLE

How do the rich choose their wine? It's a great question, even if neither wine expert Mark Oldman, nor I, would dare to ask billionaire Peter Thiel.

Still, Oldman has lots to say about the matter of wine. And despite the open bottle down on Wall Street, we didn't get arrested.

Photo by Terry Vlisidis on Unsplash

WSJ: How a Blogger Started His Own ETF

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Like a Broadway critic deciding to write a play, a blogger who complained about fund fees decided to start an exchange-traded fund. He discovered that keeping expenses low isn’t as easy as it seems.

Eddy Elfenbein decided last year to launch a fund based on the stock picks from his more than decade-old Crossing Wall Street blog, written from Washington, D.C. Mr. Elfenbein recommends 20 stocks on his buy list and then sticks with them through the next 12 months. Each year, he changes just five of the holdings for the next year. Read more here.

WSJ: What Is ‘Tracking Error’ in Oil Funds?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Fund investors wanting to bet on a rebound in the oil market need to watch out for something called “tracking error.”

The issue is simple: Do the price changes in the fund you purchase closely track the changes in the commodity you are betting on? In the case of oil, those two things aren’t in sync, at least for two of the biggest exchange-traded products that offer exposure to the oil market. Read more here.

Oil Rig

Photo by Josh Redd on Unsplash

U.S. News: 7 Ways to Avoid Financial Stress Over the Holidays

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The holiday season will be upon us before we know it. With it will come the anxieties of a period that is typically associated with excess. When it gets to January you don’t want to be burdened with debts. And while you might not be able to remove all the stresses, you can do something about money worries. Here are some tips on how you can stay solvent and still enjoy the season: