Month: October 2025

“I was gambling in Las Vegas; I took a little risk. Send lawyers, guns, and money , Dad, get me out of this!” Hopefully, no one heading to LV tomorrow or this weekend runs into that kind of trouble. Did you know… The difference between an American roulette wheel and a European wheel? The American version has “00.” Fans of Lucifer, and numerology, know that, for both, the numbers add up to 666! Homeowners in Las Vegas are not typically big gamblers, unless you consider their housing values…

While the debate rages on about whether the three colors of candy corn taste different, at the other end of the tech spectrum, lenders are weeding out unused or out-of-date technology, reviewing new tools, all the while looking at bad developments in the IT world. (Speaking of tools, Ben Teerlink, Founder/CEO, MMI, will be interviewed today at 11AM PT on the L1 show.) AI companies are paying people to fold laundry in front of robots so they can learn to do household chores . It’s…

“Where do amputees get prosthetics on a budget? The secondhand store.” Budget, stalemate, and shutdown news continues in Washington DC. The sun still comes up in the morning, and there is news on related issues. For example, thank you to Sean S. who told me that HUD opened the suggestions window for improving the HECM (reverse mortgage) product. The reasons why Treasury and mortgage rates remain elevated despite the shutdown and Fed’s rate cuts will be discussed in the Capital Markets Wrap …

“Rob, do you think that people spend more time at conferences talking about what they do rather than actually doing it at work ?” Perhaps. It’s hard for me to answer a question from someone who really doesn’t care about the answer, and besides, for many people going to many conferences is part of their job, right? There are a handful of important events to attend every year, and several state and local events that have merit. Roughly 3,000 are bound for Las Vegas this weekend to attend the…

The stalemate & shutdown continue, all but eliminating the government release of economic news. Recall that the U.S. Treasury posted a $345 billion budget deficit in August, the largest monthly deficit of 2025 and the 2nd-worst August on record but helped by tariff revenue. This is up from July’s $291 billion deficit and has only been surpassed by last year’s $380 billion deficit. Government spending surged to $689 billion for the month. Through the first 11 months of FY2025, the U.S….

“Two lawyers walk into a pub. They order a couple of drinks and take subs out of their brief cases. They begin to eat. Seeing this, the…