Magnifying the Trivial

Hussman continues to be bearish or, at the least, hes not convinced there is any compelling reason to have market risk in is holdings.

Hussman Funds - Weekly Market Comment: September 10, 2006 - Magnifying the Trivial: "Think of it this way. Suppose that there was a high 80% chance that the market will rise 10% over the coming year, and just a small 20% chance that it will decline 15% over the coming year. Sound like good odds? Well, given those odds, the expected return would be [.80(10%) + .20(-15%) = ] 5%, which is the same as you'd get in risk-free T-bills. A risk-averse investor wouldn't take the bet. "

Time to check your credit... for free

The three big credit reporting agencies are required by law to let you see your credit report once every 12 months for no charge. You can turn this law into a free credit monitoring service by spacing-out your requests on a schedule. Since I'm married, I alternately check my wife's and my credit every two months.

This morning, I checked my Equifax report. Here's the remainder of the schedule...

11/1 - check wife's TransUnion
1/1 - check my Experian
3/1 - check wife's Equifax
5/1 - check my TransUnion
7/1 - check my wife's Experian

This schedule allows me to stay on-top of the three credit agencies and each of our credit histories. Here's the link to the free on-line service: AnnualCreditReport.com