With smoke still rising from the ruins of the recent silver crash, I thought I’d touch base with a wizened and grizzled old veteran who still remembered the last time a bubble popped for the white metal. That would be Mike Robertson, who runs Robertson Wealth Management, one of the largest and most successful registered [...]

I spent a sad and depressing, but highly instructional evening with Dr. Stephen Greenspan, who lost most of his personal fortune with Bernie Madoff. The University of Connecticut psychology professor poured the bulk of his savings into Sandra Mansky’s Tremont feeder fund; receiving convincing trade confirms and rock solid custody statements from the Bank of [...]

Since I am an avid collector of investment scam stories, I’ve got to update you on what’s been coming out of Switzerland. Two Japanese nationals were caught smuggling $134 billion in US Treasury bonds from Switzerland to Italy in a false bottom suitcase. No, that is not a typo, that is “b” for billion. The [...]

I had a chat with Bill Gates, Sr. last night, co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private philanthropic organization. There, a staff of 800 help him manage $30 billion. The foundation will give away $3.1 billion this year, a 10% increase over last year. Some $1.5 billion will go to [...]

After my regular dump on residential real estate, I feel obliged to reveal one corner of this beleaguered market that might actually make sense. By 2050 the population of California will soar from 37 million to 50 million, and that of the US from 300 million to 400 million, according to data released by the [...]

I am constantly barraged with emails from gold bugs who passionately argue that their beloved metal is trading at a tiny fraction of its true value, and that the barbaric relic is really worth $5,000, $10,000, or even $50,000 an ounce (GLD). They claim the move in the yellow metal we saw in recent years [...]

When Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton passed through San Francisco last week I jumped at the chance to get an up to date overview on American foreign policy. The former first lady was making a brief San Francisco stop on her way to meet leaders on an extended Asian tour. She showed up wearing [...]