Comments on Noise Free Investing's articles RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/author/noise-free-investing/articles http://seekingalpha.com/article/116676-burlington-northern-santa-fe-all-aboard-one-of-the-best-railroads?source=feed#comment-745782 745782 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:04:22 -0500 ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/141271-book-review-animal-spirits-by-george-akerlof-and-robert-shiller?source=feed#comment-568960 568960 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:20:16 -0400
Strangely, academic and institutional economists have shirked "microeconomics" from their treatment of so-called macro issues. It is as if supply and demand become quaint notions as soon as the institutional economist has access to a money printing central bank. What good does inflation do for a country's wealth? How can anyone seriously believe that printing money - that is, lowering the value of each dollar - will feed more, clothe more, or house more? It really is as silly as it sounds.

What does this sort of reckless economic policy accomplish? It distorts the price mechanism, it misguides investment, and, because the cash influx is accomplished through interest rate targeting (buying government debt), it erodes saving. Throw these ills on top of (Shiller and Akerlof recommended) massive government deficit spending, and you have a good shot at a currency collapse.

No, there is nothing profound in this book. It's not even written exceptionally well. 4/5 stars is generous. 2/5 would be, too. I would recommend the recent series of articles by George Reisman for a rectification.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-546654 546654 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:11:40 -0400
Sounds dirty. I'll get my copy sent in a brown paper wrapper.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-546430 546430 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:46:12 -0400 I sincerely believe that if drastic policy changes are not implemented to scale down the expenditures and drastically reduce defense spending and entilement programs, we will witness the end of an empire. We will survive, that is not in question, its the quality of life that will be decimated. Take a quick look at California, one of the top ten economies in the world compared to all countries including the USA. They are virtually bankrupt, and will declare force majeur in 50 days unless "terminator" decimates their budget, and I mean decimate!

The only difference between California and the USA as a country is the ability for the USA to PRINT MONEY! Does that make us any less bankrupt? I would argue no, the only difference is that we devalue our dollar and expect the rest of the worlds central banks to pick up the tab. They will not finance our debts forever, it is costing them too much money., they are seeking alternatives rather than be tied to our debt.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-546096 546096 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:12:49 -0400
It's a shame the book is subtitled "6 Ways to Profit in These Bad Times". The title makes it sound like a get-rich-quick book when there's much more to the book than investment advice.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-545703 545703 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:14:41 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-545606 545606 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:51:33 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-545326 545326 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:29:47 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-545246 545246 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:56:18 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/142655-book-review-more-mortgage-meltdown-by-whitney-tilson?source=feed#comment-545088 545088 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:09:04 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/141271-book-review-animal-spirits-by-george-akerlof-and-robert-shiller?source=feed#comment-533678 533678 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:30:17 -0400
"The first part of the book offers five examples of animal spirits: confidence; corruption; money illusion; stories; and fairness."

I can't believe greed isn't the first chapter.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/116676-burlington-northern-santa-fe-all-aboard-one-of-the-best-railroads?source=feed#comment-367479 367479 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:41:05 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/116676-burlington-northern-santa-fe-all-aboard-one-of-the-best-railroads?source=feed#comment-367278 367278 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:29:54 -0500
www.noisefreeinvesting...
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/91315-is-there-a-margin-of-safety-in-financials?source=feed#comment-257720 257720 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:05:13 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/92296-why-morningstar-doesn-t-understand-jpmorgan?source=feed#comment-238666 238666 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:09:46 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/92296-why-morningstar-doesn-t-understand-jpmorgan?source=feed#comment-238110 238110 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:01:58 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/92296-why-morningstar-doesn-t-understand-jpmorgan?source=feed#comment-238095 238095 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:32:58 -0400 Generally speaking, I am very satisfied with the quality of their work.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/92296-why-morningstar-doesn-t-understand-jpmorgan?source=feed#comment-237601 237601 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:20:21 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/92296-why-morningstar-doesn-t-understand-jpmorgan?source=feed#comment-237517 237517 Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:06:16 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-236976 236976 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:25:35 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-234410 234410 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:05:38 -0400
In addition to these super automated machines, there is ZERO consistency both within and between the different stores, they have forgotten there is a difference between cappucinnos and latte's - one is just milk foam and one is milk + foam, they have started over roasting their beans and all in all the experience is like drinking diluted dishwater. And worst of all the bathrooms reek - cardinal rule for QSR, clean bathrooms.

As a dissapointed shareholder - I hope Shultz wakes up and brings it back it the old days where it wasn't a commodity but the bright spot in my day]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-234369 234369 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:20:20 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-233668 233668 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:55:50 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-233337 233337 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:06:52 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-233310 233310 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:29:39 -0400
No: it's not high prices (Peet's charges about as much). It's not gas prices or food prices making people tighten their belts.

Starbucks, it's YOU.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-233236 233236 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:08:44 -0400
What I've seen from Starbucks leadership is a bunch of unfortunately typical business school nonsense applied to a business model despite the obvious detrimental effects. Starbucks is a ship without a captain and without a rudder; the company is reacting to its competitors and has totally lost its edge.

There are still many people who come to my store out of habit but to a person they lament the loss of the experience it used to be. There may be no going back.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/91315-is-there-a-margin-of-safety-in-financials?source=feed#comment-233158 233158 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:47:04 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-233139 233139 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:29:00 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-233060 233060 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:14:11 -0400
The biggest thing that I think took the romance out for me was the drive-thru. It took away Starbucks main commodity - the idea of it being a third place (home, work, Starbucks). When I first started, we were told that was more important than the coffee - how can you keep that atmosphere with a drive thru? Of course, the drive thru was too tempting on the business end - our weekly profits doubled! But, as I could no longer have a conversation with the customer up front because I was talking to someone coming up the drive, I knew that something had changed. In my mind - that was the main failure of Starbucks - it not being a third place anymore.

A second aspect of this was their attempt to charge for wireless service. Why pay for something that you can get at an independent store for free? And what would make a third place better, then it being a third place where you could hop on the internet? Next to the drive-thru, this was their second biggest mistake.

Now, I have moved to a small town, found an amazing local coffee shop and even met my wife there. Now, people may say that the coffee is not as good, but I argue - when was the last time that you had a coffee from Starbucks where the bean had been roasted 24 hours ago? At Starbucks, it is often six months or more - now I have beans no more than 2 or 3 days after roasting, usually within 24 hours - and there is nothing like it.

So, when Starbucks moved into town, i stuck with the local place - especially because they had a drive-thru! I will say, I do respect them as a company a lot - they treat their workers well, good benefits, and do a lot of charity work. But, when i worked for them, I never saw them as a company, now I definitely do... Which is where they went wrong.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/91355-where-starbucks-went-wrong?source=feed#comment-233025 233025 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:46:22 -0400