Why do Townhouses never have decks? (Upgrades)

A lot of new home construction is sold with no deck on the house, but rather a french door with a piece of fence across it, so the owner can "add" a deck as an upgrade.   In many developments, these decks never get built...

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Google Goes Evil (Ad Blocker Plus)

Google has gone Dr. Evil on us. By the way, I believe Dr. Evil was based on the real-world character of Fritz Haber.The other day I was using Firefox, and I got a notice that I should update to a newer version of Firefox.  ...

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Crocs goes private? (an IPO story)

A company that makes one kind of trendy shoe might not be a good company to invest in.When I was in Law School, we studied Economics and Corporate law, and I learned a little bit how Corporations work - or at least how they are supposed...

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Whole Life Insurance - After 20 years

This plot of cash value versus premiums paid illustrates that life-insurance is a long-term investment, with a payback measured in decades, not years.Life Insurance - it is a good deal?  I have written about it before, and it...

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Another Day, Another Self-Serving IPO

The Twitter IPO had the desired "pop" they wanted.  Who does this profit?  Not you.Another day, and another self-serving dot-com IPO hits Wall Street.  As I wrote before in The Nature of IPOs, particularly the dot-com...

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Satellite Radio

You can tell a lot about a company by how easy it is to contact them.A friend of mine recently signed up for Sirius Satellite Radio.  Why is this?  Well, his favorite radio station switched from "oldies" to "country" and...

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Dealer Installed Options and Adminstrative Fees - the latest gag.

New 2013 Nissan Frontier SV $26,750**  **Disclaimer: Prices plus tax, tag, dealer installed options and fees including $55 private tag agency fee and $599.00 pre-delivery service fee  Buying a brand-new car...

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