I must thank Stephen Colbert (whose show I watch nightly) for coining the term “truthiness”. Wikipedia (besides having entries about elephants) also has an extensive section on the origin of “truthiness”. The expression is a reference to the quality by which a person claims to know something intuitively, instinctively, or “from the gut” without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or actual facts. The most famous proponent of this trait is the American president George W. Bush. Though Ann Coulter is closing in from second place in my opinion. (Don’t …

InvestorGeeks recently ran an analysis on the spread between credit card interest rates and the American prime lending rate. I feel dirty and used after reading the article. That’s not because of whatever Chris wrote, but because those numbers brought up deep-seated resentment about the Canadian financial services industry.
I’ve blogged critically about high Canadian brokerage commission fees. I can also look past our high tax rates for the reciprocated services. But when I hear complaints about how gas and oil companies are making record profits hand-over-fist, I wonder why Canadians …

When it comes to investing columns, thank goodness for the cynics! I’m not just saying that because I’m also a cynic, but along with positive news often comes a lot of hype and fluff. Cynics have the unenviable task of having to prove their negative assertions by rigorous research and logical explanations more so than their salesmen-like counterparts!
I’ve been looking for an opportunity to introduce Chuck Jaffe’s writing to my readers, and his recent article about fund manager cover-up phrases really enlightened me to the politically correct double-talk that fund …

After a satisfying dinner, some delicious desert would be nice. And if you’re Warren Buffett, you might be hoping for some Dairy Queen delights! As our series on Buffett’s tenets draws close to a conclusion, what can we do to leave you with a sweet remembrance? I hope you’re not too full after we’ve covered Buffett’s thoughts on the market, on selecting businesses, and on being an investor. We thought some thought-provoking contrary thoughts would be a thoughtful end! (sigh… I really need some writing lessons! Will somebody buy me …

Warren Buffett loves playing bridge. I dabble in a little poker from time to time. And as much as I’d like to delude myself into thinking I have more similarities with the “oracle”, it ends with a penchant for playing cards. But that doesn’t stop me from learning more about how Buffett thinks investors should approach the game. After reading this installment in our ongoing Investorial series on Buffett’s tenets, if you don’t feel you fit all of Warren’s requirements for being an investor, don’t worry! There’s always a table …