Rules of Thumb

Here are some rules of thumb that I find useful.  I don't claim them to be absolute truths.  Rather, they are high on a probability scale.

• Just about anything you read in a chain email is not true.
• If a reporter or commentator on TV is trying to make you angry or scared, you should be very suspicious.
• If Larry Kudlow thinks something is a bad idea, then it's probably a good idea (and vice versa, of course).
• If you need to resort to a conspiracy theory to explain something, then it's probably not true.
• If there's a merger or acquisition, it's gonna be bad for your pocketbook.