This is it. With bittersweet emotions, we have come to the final edition of Notes from the Investment Underground. Although without the burdens of daily writing chores I will be free to pursue some exciting trading endeavors, I will most certainly miss having a captive audience for my research and opinions.

While my time at the helm of Notes resembles Jay Leno’s shortened primetime tenure, the last three months have been quite fun. I have written for several daily newsletters in my career; none of them have been as outspoken and responsive.

Every day, my inbox was filled with the well-informed opinions of readers from across the globe. Without a doubt I will miss your additions to my inbox, even the…

Today is a huge day for this country. Not only did the GOP take back a pivotal seat, but the markets are reacting fiercely and appropriately to a horde of economic data. The possibilities from here are unlimited.

Oddly, the action reminds me of my first few days as a fishing guide. There I was, a typical East Coast grad student with a vision and not much of a plan.

As I dropped my bags on the dock outside the state’s southernmost airport, I used the change in my pocket to dial my only contact in the 49th state. She did not answer. In fact her phone was disconnected.

Great… 4,000 miles from home and stranded in the rain.

I must have looked…

It’s a huge day in the nation’s history. As with a couple of other great revolutions, America’s latest smack to the face of an overpowering government comes from Massachusetts.

Six months ago, few would have guessed one of the most left leaning of states would hold the fate of the nation’s healthcare and a super-majority in its hands. But disappointingly, I am far from convinced a GOP win means the end of Obamacare.

I take Pelosi and her cronies at face value when they say they will cram this legislation down our throats at any cost. (I’m paraphrasing her actual words, but we all know that’s what she meant).

I can picture her and Barney Frank feverishly pouring through 234 years of laws,…

The world remains shocked over the tragic events unfolding in Haiti. While every life saved is worth celebrating, for every success story, there are tens, if not hundreds, of tales with horrific endings. A country that many thought could get no poorer was dealt a knockout blow.

As much as we complain about the problems in our own country – political, economic and social – the tragedy has done a terrific job showing the rest of the world, that even though we are in a rough patch, America is still the world’s go-to force.

No other country has mobilized quite like we have. From the outpouring of cash to a massive military effort that proves we can fight two wars and still…

Some stories just have to be repeated. Like the one from Sweden that tells of a collapsing floor during a Weight Watchers weigh-in. As twenty or so dieters filled the room to measure the fruits of their effort, the floor beneath them rumbled then failed.

Priceless irony.

It proves Americans, especially us East Coasters, aren’t the only ones with size-management issues.

As the markets sink under their own weight today, I cannot help but think much the same is taking place on Wall Street. The equities market can only hold so much fat before it gives up support and comes crashing down.

I rarely use technical analysis as a primary analytical tool, but I will use the help of charts and lines to…

There is a time for making money and there is a time for giving money. Now is the time to reach into your heart and help your global neighbors.

As rumors of a death toll in Haiti that could stretch into the hundreds of thousands slowly become reality, we need to spend a moment or two wondering why we do what we do.

As investors, we risk our hard-earned money so we can obtain the freedom and enjoyment of spending that money how and when we want it.

We can buy a boat. We can buy a pile of gold. Or we could fulfill our human obligation of helping those in need.

Now, I’m not going to tell you to cut a massive…

What’s worse than having Wall Street kingpins like Bernanke and Geithner in charge of America’s economic future? China taking the reins, that’s what.

While Washington’s all-powerful ego may have our leaders believe they still control our fiscal fate, they lost that power long ago. Now, the Fed and the Treasury may dictate who gets what, but China decides how much and when.

That’s scary.

After yesterday’s unnerving trade-deficit report, Americans are waking up to Beijing’s power and its dangerous shenanigans. If it continues unabated, this nation’s role as a supreme power is over.

It is absolutely no coincidence China unveiled new banking reserve requirements on the very same day the Commerce Department reveals the largest trade gap in ten months. With a seriously…

Baltimore — The radio is a fantastic mirror of the economy. Advertisements, radio personalities and even the tunes themselves, do a fine job of illustrating the highs and lows of a region’s fiscal situation.

I spent the past weekend knocking a few items of my honey-do list. Living in a 110-year old farmhouse, however, it’s more of an ever-expanding notebook than a measly list. This time, I was charged with ripping out half-inch thick wood paneling and replacing it with modern drywall.

Like any self-respecting handyman, I cranked up the radio to help lull me into a sawing and hammering stupor – anything to break the monotony of measuring twice and cutting once.

What I heard was a lesson in local economics…

Baltimore — It is too late to debate. A debt-fueled crash is imminent.

I made a promise to my wife late last fall. Once the holidays were over and she was well on her way to recovery after a recent surgery, we would hit the local furniture stores and redecorate our living room.

Next time I make such a promise, I’ll research current furniture prices first. With four-digit price tags for a simple sofa, it is no wonder just about every furniture pusher is hocking no-payment, no-interest plans to unload their stock.

As a cash-only kind of guy, I didn’t fall for the gimmicks. But judging by the looks on the salesman’s face when I handed him a pile of crisp bills,…

Baltimore — I admit that I probably spend more time discussing the realm of politics than I should in a contrarian investing newsletter. But in my defense, politics play a larger role in our personal wealth now than they ever have before.

But while I so stubbornly poke holes in the political machine in Washington, I must avoid being hypocritical. If I shame our legislators for disregarding the democratic keystone principals of checks and balances, I must be careful to avoid the same pitfalls.

That means it is critical for you to hear voices other than my own. I do not want to become a scribe who dictates through his pen. I want this to be a democratic forum.

That’s why I am…