Blog Profile / The Curious Capitalist

Sorry Paul Tudor Jones: It’s Male — Not Female — Traders We Should Be Worried About

Reading hedge fund giant Paul Tudor Jones’ recent comments that having babies makes women bad traders reminded me of a close friend of mine, a very senior investment banker at a major Wall Street firm, who once worked for someone she...Show More Summary

Drive for Free? Deals on Electric Cars Keep on Coming

For many consumers, electric vehicle ownership has been a nonstarter for purely financial reasons. The math indicated that the money one saved in gas from an EV was usually outweighed by the car’s high initial price. But the math has been changing. Show More Summary

U.S. Durable Goods Orders Rise 3.3 Percent in April

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rebounded in April, buoyed by more demand for military and civilian aircraft and an increase in business investment. The Commerce Department says durable goods orders rose 3.3 percent last month after a 5.9 decline in March. Show More Summary

Money Talking: Where’s the Economy Headed This Summer?

Is the U.S. back? That’s the big question in the global economy right now. Earlier this week, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke suggested that he’d be tiptoeing away from the Fed’s asset buying program, perhaps as early as the fall, since the U.S. Show More Summary

Google Faces Fresh U.S. Scrutiny Over Market Power

Google just can’t seem to keep “the man” off its back. It’s only been a few months since Google walked away from a multi-year federal antitrust investigation into its search practices, with the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrist. Show More Summary

Lyft Off: Car Sharing Startup Raises $60 Million Led by Andreessen Horowitz

Popular car-sharing startup Lyft has raised $60 million in a major new round of funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, the influential Silicon Valley venture capital firm started by Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen. The new funding comes...Show More Summary

Japan Market Crash: A Slow Leak in the “Central Bank Bubble”

There’s a truism in investing that the last one into a market is the first one out. And that certainly seems to be the case today, with Japan’s Nikkei index crashing off the back of two things: First, hints from the Federal Reserve that the U.S. Show More Summary

Get a Job Offer from a Stranger

A good network is important when searching for a job. But if you don’t already know the right people, you need to expand your reach. People you don’t know yet can be just as helpful as those you do. Here’s how: Define your professional...Show More Summary

Photo Shoot Your Way to Sales Growth

The way you visually represent your company can affect your sales growth. We look at how using original photography makes a big difference in your bottom line. If you want to differentiate your business from your competition, then look no further than the images on your company website. Show More Summary

The Next Real Estate Bubble Has Already Begun (But It’s Not What You Think)

The American public is, for obvious reasons, a bit gun-shy when it comes to asset bubbles. Ever since the financial crisis, market watchers have worried about bubbles in the stock market, in high yield debt, and even the reinflation of the real estate bubble. Show More Summary

How ‘Extreme Couponing’ Is Ruining Coupons

It always seemed mind-bogglingly difficult to achieve the kinds of savings portrayed on the TLC show “Extreme Couponing.” Thanks to tougher supermarket policies and the proliferation of less valuable coupons, extreme savings through coupons seems downright impossible. Show More Summary

Bernanke’s Dilemma: No Good Moves Left

There’s a term in chess called zugzwang, which describes the point in a game when it’s your turn to move but every move you could make would worsen your situation. That’s pretty much what the chessboard looked like for Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke when he testified before Congress this morning. Show More Summary

Theme Park Inflation: Universal Orlando Becomes First to Cross $90 Admission Mark

It’s become an annual springtime tradition. Each year around Memorial Day, some theme park—likely in central Florida—jacks up ticket prices by a few bucks, prompting the competition to follow suit with their own price hikes. This year, like last, it’s Universal Studios Orlando leading the charge. Show More Summary

JetBlue Proves There’s a Reasonable Way to Hit Us With Fees

You know the drill: An airline hikes its fees, and within seconds travelers vent their outrage in response. JetBlue shows that it doesn’t have to be this way. When United Airlines raised its ticket change fee to $200 (up from $150) a...Show More Summary

Oklahoma’s Dangerous Dearth of Storm Cellars

The deadly tornadoes that struck outside Oklahoma City on Monday have a lot of people asking why there aren’t more storm cellars in the area, which would have enabled more residents to shelter safely. To debunk one popular response: It’s not that they can’t build basements there. Show More Summary

Focus Your Business Pitch on Yourself, Not Your Plan

Potential investors and partners are often more interested in an entrepreneur as a person than in the business plan. That document is important, but be sure to also show these three characteristics: Passion and purpose. Investors want to know if you’re the right person for this idea. Show More Summary

It’s Official: Tech Has Replaced Banking as the New Corporate Bad Guy

U.S. senators have accused Apple, the world’s most profitable company, of also being the world’s biggest tax avoider, as congressional investors yesterday laid out how the technology giant has jumped through tax loophole after loophole in order to save some $44 billion of otherwise taxable income. Show More Summary

When Good Things Happen To Bad People: Disturbing News About Workplace Bullies

As if life isn’t unfair enough for the alarming number of people who are bullied at work—or otherwise adversely affected by such behavior—recent research suggests that a lot of workplace bullies achieve high levels of career success....Show More Summary

14 Simple Ways to Get Considerably More Done

Yahoo! Acquires Tumblr: Initial Reactions From Around the Web

Tumblr seemed to be playing hard-to-get for a little while, but no longer: Yahoo! has approved a $1.1 billion deal to purchase the hip social-blogging platform. According to AllThingsD, the tech giant’s board unanimously approved the all-cash deal on Sunday, although it won’t be officially announced until Monday. Show More Summary