For All Intensive Purposes

What is the Average Return Rate of the Stock Market?

2010-03-29T17:05:00.000-04:00

Much ado has been made about the prudence of long-term investing in the stock market. Mutual funds are often quoted as having 10%/year long-term growth. Burton G. Malkie (author of A Random Walk Down Wall Street) recommends the average investor would do better by purchasing an unmanaged index fund (specifically the Wilshire 5000 for the U.S. market) over a managed mutual fund. This post will

What is the U.S. Personal Savings Rate?

2010-02-28T12:36:00.003-05:00

Disposable personal income is the amount of income left over after taxes have been paid. Personal savings is the amount of income left over after personal consumption expenditures and debts have been paid. The personal savings rate is the ratio of personal savings to disposable personal income. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis has kept a record of the personal

What is the Average U.S. Inflation Rate?

2010-01-04T10:47:00.002-05:00

The consumer price index (CPI) is the best measurement of inflation experienced by consumers. The CPI is representative of the types of goods and services the average US consumer purchases. Since 1913, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has been recording the CPI-U (CPI for all urban consumers (a group that is representative of 87% of the US population)). This article will only consider the

Which DSLR Camera Should I Buy?

2009-12-07T20:46:00.004-05:00

Digital cameras (like computers, other electronics, and cars) are one of the worst financial investments you can make. Ken Rockwell even calls them disposable cameras. However, they're also really fun to use and if you're reading this, you probably want to buy a camera (and not be talked out of buying one). This post will attempt to explain which digital SLR I think you should buy (based on my

The Business of the College Sports

2009-11-03T14:55:00.000-05:00

Why Did UVa Fire Dave Leitao?On March 16, 2009, the head coach of the University of Virginia men's basketball team, Dave Leitao "resigned". As part of his severance package, Leitao was paid half of what he would have earned had he finished the 4 years left in his $1.05 million per year contract -- how would you like to get $2.1 million to quit your job? (The decision to fire Leitao came roughly

How Many Swine Flu Cases Are There?

2009-10-22T16:37:00.014-04:00

The CDC and WHO have been monitoring the Swine Flu pandemic since April 2009. This post will assimilate that data.The CDC estimates that the number of swine flu cases is significantly higher than the number of confirmed cases (UPDATE OCT 29: new estimate). In May 2009, the CDC estimated there were 100,000 cases of swine in the US; the number of confirmed cases was closer to 7,500. At the June

Should You Buy An American Car?

2009-09-26T16:08:00.007-04:00

There are many factors to consider when purchasing a car (budget, value, safety, reliability, etc.); to properly address the proposed question, I'd have to consider all of those factors. This post will consider the very specific question of which cars have the best resale value. Definitions For the purposes of this post, I'll define the Fractional Resale Value (F) as the 2009 Kelley Blue Book (

Will Microwave Radiation Give You Cancer?

2009-08-19T17:08:00.033-04:00

A direct comparison between Cell Phone and Microwave Oven Radiation. I don't know. And I'm not even going to try to answer that question (you can read what the FDA says); however, there are two statements that every scientist can agree upon. Microwave radiation is non-ionizing. (Both cell phones and microwave ovens emit microwaves). That means that the energy of a single microwave is far too

Are the Oil Companies Screwing Us Over?

2009-07-31T10:02:00.058-04:00

In January 2009, Exxon Mobil reported record annual profits for 2008 (incidentally, the previous record was for Exxon Mobil's 2007 profits). These record profits came during years that saw historically high oil and gasoline prices. The success of the big oil companies upset many people who were feeling the pressure of higher prices. In spring 2008 politicians contemplated imposing a windfall

About

2009-07-01T12:22:00.006-04:00

"For All Intensive Purposes" is an eggcorn for "For All Intents and Purposes." I chose it as a title because I thought this blog would investigate (and correct) common misconceptions. I'm not really sure what the blog has turned into, however. The content on this blog is all original & is written by me. Please don't steal it. I write this page for fun and appreciate any feedback. If you like