Author Archives: Tim Kochis

DUBAI, April 2012

Las Vegas on the Gulf…in Arabic. As part of a series of meetings with the Financial Planning Standards Board, I visited Dubai for a week in April, 2012.  Penelope was able to join me for a part of that time.  … Continue reading

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India Revisited

Just returned from my second visit to India, the first was in 2005. In the meantime, it has become hard to recognize. Before, as well-travelled as I am, I found it too chaotic, too poor, too squalid thus outweighing it’s … Continue reading

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Optimism Inspires Optimism

2011 involved quite a bit of overseas travel for us, some for pleasure and some for business…usually both. Madrid was a wonderful experience for the art, the food, the architecture and the weather (very warm and sunny and very long … Continue reading

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Solving the Healthcare Mess

Anyone who has had even passing experience, recently, with the delivery of health care and the insurance financing arrangements that attend it comes away yearning for improvement; there must be something that can be done. The current political debate about … Continue reading

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Removal of Stimulus should be GOOD News

After the close of US markets today, the Federal Reserve raised it’s discount rate (the rate at which it lends to eligible institutions, generally commercial banks) to 75 basis points. This was the first increase in three years and is … Continue reading

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When does History Begin?

Just returned from a week in Cambodia. Traveling with The Asia Foundation gave the visit an especially insightful focus on the country’s economic, social, and governmental development. What a story !…though only vaguely in mind to Americans, despite the fact … Continue reading

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Thoughts from Vietnam

Mid-way through a visit to Hanoi and eager to share some “first” impressions. I say “first” with qualification because I was in Vietnam before, in Dec ’69-Jan ’70, in the US Army during what people here call The American War. … Continue reading

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We need tax policy, not tax opportunism

Sadly, today’s news contained two examples of how we should not be approaching generating government revenue: a special tax or fee on (unspecified) banks which had received TARP money and application of an increased Medicare tax on “investment” income. One hopes for … Continue reading

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