Tag: consumer

"Anythin fo' half-price is a bargain, irregardless o' what ya pay fo' it." ~ Mammy Yokum

A person's possessions speak volumes on what that individual regards as important. The advertising industry, devoted to identifying what the citizen considers significant, manipulates the market to create those choices. With massive sums to be spent, the competition is as fierce as it is grotesque.

The American Dream has evolved past the humble "white picket fence." Way past. We all strive for the "nice" home (as defined by HGTV and Pinterest) as opposed to the cozy one, keep a perpetual car payment instead of driving an older model, and chauffeur kids to an endless array of pricey activities rather than sending them outside. Call it creeping consumerism, entitlement, or plain old peer pressure. The point is, we see our hectic and expensive lifestyles as normal—and it’s time we realized that keeping up with the proverbial Joneses is actually extravagant and irresponsible.

"In the twentieth century, the United States endured two world wars and other traumatic and expensive military conflicts; the Depression; a dozen or so recessions and financial panics; oil shocks; a flu epidemic; and the resignation of a disgraced president. Yet the Dow rose from 66 to 11,497." ~Warren Buffett

Since the financial crisis hit back in 2007, many Americans have kept a wary eye on the stock market. After years of dismal prospects, they just can’t quite come around to the idea that the stock market is the best place to invest their money. And for good reason. After all, the past 10-13 years have been coined the "Lost Decade" and make up what has been one of the worst 10-year periods for the U.S. economy since the 1930s. However