Free Republic

The buzz surrounding Donald Trump's presidential campaign has boiled over and escalated to the level of outright phenomenon. With unprecedented rapidity, Trump has watched his public perception evolve from novelty to establishment annoyance to undisputed frontrunner. ... For months now he's maintained double-digit leads in each of the major polls. Debates regarding the legitimacy of his candidacy have ceased. Seasoned political "experts" have learned to stop publicly writing him off. The notion that he would eventually flame out or collapse under the weight of his perceived verbal faux pas has dissipated. As the dust settles and the smoke clears, an...

If you’re moved to click one or both of the following to read the complaint (they’re both the same text) and send an e-mail via that page by clicking where indicated on the red text, I give you my thanks in advance.Mona Gambetta Refuses to Replace Inadvertently Discarded PaymentComplaint 1Rich Dad Poor Dad Owes Me Payment for Copyediting Book Complaint 2

Are you familiar with Robert Kiyosaki? He is best known for the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" series of books. Over 26 million books authored by Kiyosaki have been sold and he is recognized as a financial expert by millions of people across the globe. Well, guess what? Even Robert Kiyosaki is warning that an economic collapse is coming. In fact, Kiyosaki and his team of financial experts are encouraging Americans to stock up on food, guns and precious metals. This is yet another sign of just how close we are to the total collapse of the U.S. Economy. Kiyosaki,...

Many of Wall Street's elite firms were being required to pay tens of millions of dollars in fines to investors, according to media reports. The penalties are for alleged bad investment advice, courtesy of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. This brings me to one of my favorite quotes from famed investor Warren Buffett goes: "Wall Street is the only place that people ride to work in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway." I have been highly critical of the standard financial planning advice -- "work hard, save money, get out of debt,...

During the height of the real estate bubble, I wrote a column saying that the crash was coming and suggested selling any piece of real estate that was overpriced, questionable, or non-performing. As expected, I received angry replies. Today, I'm predicting the next crash, what I believe will cause it, and why it'll be a severe blow to the global economy. The signs are already here. Busts Beat Booms First of all, it's no big deal to predict booms and busts. All markets boom and bust. It's just easier to predict a bust because the signs are so obvious --...

Allow me to be politically incorrect: The No. 1 reason people aren't rich is because they're lazy. This is purely my opinion and no one else's, and I have no scientific proof to back it up. Why the sudden honesty? I'll tell you. The Best Policy? One of the things I loved most about the Marine Corps was that I never had to worry about what anyone was thinking. When I was preparing to be an officer, there was no sensitivity training. When superior officers spoke to you, they didn't have to wrap their words in ribbons and bows, and...

I'm very bearish on the U.S. dollar and have been for years. That's why I have so many of them. This sounds like a contradiction, but let me explain. The reason I have so many dollars, even though I think they're worth less and less, is because I don't hang on to them. In my mind, cash is trash. One of the reasons why we have this enormous gap between the world's haves and have-nots is because the have-nots value money -- they work for it, save it, cling to it, and lose it.A friend just bought a new SUV....

American workers have been getting the short end of the stick since 1943. That's when the United States Congress, in response to the costs of World War II, passed the Current Tax Payment Act. The act requires employers to withhold taxes from their employees' paychecks, overturning the previous system in which workers were paid first and settled their tab with the government later. The Current Tax Payment Act is why so many people look at their paychecks and wonder where all their money has gone. My poor dad -- who also happened to be my real dad -- often said...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — At prestigious universities around the country, from flagship state colleges to the Ivy League, more and more students from upper-income families are edging out those from the middle class, according to university data. The change is fast becoming one of the biggest issues in higher education. More members of this year's freshman class at the University of Michigan have parents making at least $200,000 a year than have parents making less than the national median of about $53,000, according to a survey of Michigan students. At the most selective private universities across the country, more...