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:

TheStreet: Why Charter Schools Don't Mean Much for Your Child's Earning Power

By SIMON CONSTABLE Is getting your kids out of public school worth the hassle or the expense?

In many cases, no, if you expect the move to boost their future earnings, according to two recent studies. What does make a difference is whether your kids graduate high school.

So maybe save the dollars and/or the headache for worrying about major moves in the S&P 500 and the exchange-traded fund that tracks it, the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) .

Charter schools, which are publicly funded, but operate independently of some regulations, providing no earnings boost for either boys or girls later in life, the first of the studies found. Read more here.

Forbes: Told Ya! You're Going To Pay for ObamaCare's Failures

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Last month, I forecast that one way or another U.S. residents would end up paying for the failures of the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.

Now we have the proof that it is already coming to pass. Thursday the Washington Post revealed what’s going on. Read more here.

Bullseye Brief Podcast:Fed Indecision, Florida Jobs & Why Washing Machines Matter

By SIMON COSNTABLE

With the great Adam Johnson and friends. Listen here.

No.3 Magazine: A Future that Never Came

By SIMON CONSTABLE

New York-artist David Kramer says he's always felt like an outsider.  Read more here.

No.3 Magazine: Defining Pintography with Marlene Luce Tremblay

By SIMON CONSTABLE

French Canadian artist Marlene Luce Tremblay didn’t always work with bright colors. She started off taking black and white photos. “That was back in the 1980s using film to make portraits,” she says. 

That's not so much the case lately. Read more here.

U.S. News: How to Profit From the British Pound's Slump

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Just because President Barack Obama's threat to put Britain at the back of the line for new trade deals is fast becoming reality, it doesn't mean the U.K. is finished economically. 

Better still, there are plenty of ways for investors to make some money out of the current situation. Read more here.

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash

Forbes: How Obama's Brexit Snub Hurts American Business

By SIMON CONSTABLE

President Obama’s pledge to kick Britain to the back of the line for new trade deals is quickly becoming a reality, according to recent reports.

That may, or may not, have been a gesture to hurt Britain’s economy. But never mind, the reality is that the move it will hurt American businesses. That’s because it has put Yankee companies at the back of queue for British consumers; people who have a very healthy appetite for consuming goods and services. Here’s what you need to know:

Forbes: Win By Cheating? Maybe So

By SIMON CONSTABLE

All through our early lives we are presented with a multitude of rules, most of which say the equivalent of “don’t do this,” or “don’t do that.” Sometimes we hear the command to “work long and hard,” and only then shall we see success. You get the idea.

The problem is that most of us hang on to these rules long after they should have been relegated to the same place as quaint mementos of childhood such as having our mittens physically tied to our winter clothing.

Technology entrepreneur Brian Wong has tapped into this problem with his new book The Cheat Code: Going Off Script to Get More, Go Faster, and Shortcut Your Way to Success. It was published earlier this month by Crown Business.

He attempts to dispel the idea that rule-following is the way to proceed for maximum career progress. Read more here.

TheStreet: How America Is Regaining its Startup Mojo -- And Why it Matters

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Here's some more good news for the U.S. economy: The entrepreneurial bug is back.

"For the second year in a row, key measures of new business creation in the United States point upward," according to The 2016 Kaufmann Index of Startup Activity, published in August by the Ewing Marion Kaufman Foundation. "Only two years ago, the Startup Activity Index was at its lowest point in the last 20 years." Read more here.

U.S. News: Today's Investors Are Somewhere Between Skeptical and Optimistic

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A cursory look across the financial news might convince all but the hardiest investors that a crash is imminent. 

Gurus earnestly warning investors to "ditch stocks now," or something similar, are daily fare across the business side of the media. So should you be frightened and follow suit?

No. In fact, quite the opposite. Read more here.

WOR Radio John Gambling Show: Talking Economics

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Talking economics with the awesome Frank Morano on the John Gambling Show

U.S. News: Brazil Set to Escape Its Economic Malaise

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Not all of the recent drama in Brazil was caused by U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, who got into trouble after claiming he was held up at gunpoint. Actually, for investors, the main spectacle in Latin America's largest economy was somewhere quite different: the government.

In late August, long after the athletes returned to their home countries, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff was impeached following a lengthy process.


The good news, unless you are Rouseff, is that the political commotion may augur in a period of economic reform that could move more rapidly than previously expected. Investors have already been betting on that, and there will likely be more gains ahead. Read more here.

Photo by Matheus Câmara da Silva on Unsplash

WSJ: Are Investors More or Less Willing to Take on Risk After a Big Money Loss?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

After a big financial loss, are people going to be more or less willing to take a big risk?


For years, two seemingly contradictory theories have come down on either side of that question. A new analysis, however, suggests that perhaps there is no contradiction after all. The right answer, this analysis suggests, is: It depends.


To back up, on one side of this debate has been the theory that a previous loss can lead to increased risk taking. “A person who hasn’t made peace with his losses is likely to accept gambles that would be unacceptable to him otherwise,” psychologist Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel laureate, and Amos Tversky wrote in a 1979 paper. Read more here.

John Batchelor Show: Peter Thiel, Economics

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Recent appearance on the John Batchelor Show discussing Peter Thiel, investing, economics.

TheStreet: How Wells Fargo Scam May Shake the Wheels Off the Banking Industry

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A spectacular scam in which employees of Wells Fargo  (WFC)  opened unauthorized customer accounts in order to earn bigger bonuses may shake the wheels off not only the bank's legendary stagecoach, but the entire industry.

The fate of the 160-year-old company itself is of only secondary interest to me, however. Many other businesses have weathered comparable scandals and bounced back relatively painlessly.

The real problem is that the malfeasance at the bank may lead to the entire industry being relegated further into a minor economic role. Read more here.

Forbes Video: Is A Market Crash Imminent?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When stocks fail to pull back in quite a while, then investors should start to get worried about whether the gains are sustainable.

In the rawest terms, the question is this: Are we headed for a crash? Will be see a repeat of 1987 when stocks plunged around the world in minutes? Will we see a slower slide like that after the tech bubble of the late 1990s? You get the idea.

Watch, listen, and learn in this video.