August 2008

11:30am It's Sunday morning, and I just arrived in New Orleans. It's hard to properly describe what I am feeling. I have never been in a hurricane and I don't have a clue what to do. I bought a book in the airport before we left New York so that I could better understand the impact and ramifications of a hurricane. The book, Hurricane Force: In the Path of America's Deadliest Storms, is by ... read more

This morning on Money for Breakfast I interviewed Kirsten Kemp Becker, a real estate expert and host of a new show on TLC (The Learning Channel) called Hope For Your Home. It's a show that focuses on homeowners who have hit a financial rough patch. At a time when 1.3 million properties have entered into foreclosure in the first six months of this year, it couldn't come at a better time. The ... read more

Next week, U.S. regulators will begin doing on-site inspections of brokerage firms involved in the sale of auction-rate securities. So far, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has settled some high profile settlements with the likes of Citigroup, UBS, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wachovia. Last night, Cuomo reached a settlement with Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. The ... read more

This morning I interviewed two pretty well known brothers, the Trump brothers, Eric and Donald Trump Junior. It was my first time meeting Eric. I have known Donald Trump Junior and Ivanka after meeting Donald Trump Senior well over five years ago. They're a terrific family. I must admit, if my sons grow up with the work ethic that these two have, I would be thrilled. They are very down to ... read more

On today's show, two of my favorite vice chairmen joined me. Bob Doll, vice chairman and global CIO for Equities at Blackrock and Bob Hormats, the international vice chairman for Goldman Sachs. First up, Bob Doll, who had a lot to say about the increased fears surrounding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Bob believes a solution in the short term is necessary but may also be somewhat unrealistic. He ... read more

I.O.U.S.A., a new documentary that exposes the alarming amount of debt in this country, hits theaters tomorrow. Some critics have suggested it's the "An Inconvenient Truth" for the economy. It highlights the one fact that we cannot escape -- that the federal government's deficit has risen to a new high at $9.5 trillion dollars. The film's executive producer and co-writer Addison Wiggin's ... read more

Since 9/11 when we talk about security, for the most part, we focus our attention on our airplanes and airports but what about our ports? The port of Long Beach, Calif. the second busiest seaport in the Country is responsible for $100 billion in trade revenue and yet it’s top deputy, Commission President Jim Hankla, says he would give the Department of Homeland Security a “C-“or a “3 1/2 ... read more

The clock is ticking and the moment is almost here. Early reports this morning suggested Obama could announce his VP pick as early as tomorrow; now we hear Thursday or Friday. What about McCain? Word is he will announce his pick on August 29th in a rally in Ohio on his 72nd birthday. Not sure that’s the best decision, but maybe it suggests that he’ll pick a much younger VP candidate to offset ... read more

I have been meaning to do this story for weeks now... What is the state of the magazine industry? Are magazine publishers experiencing the same casualties that the newspaper industry is facing, or is it simply a case of the haves and have nots? Look at how much People magazine was willing to pay for the pictures to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s twins! Was that investment worth it? This ... read more

On this week's edition of America's Greatest Business Rivals, we threw a curve ball. We took a look at Electronic Arts versus Take-Two Interactive, despite Electronic Arts' offer to buy Take-Two for $25.74 per share or $2 billion. I know, I know... if you're a gamer, you think the real rivalry exists between Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts, but, if the deal doesn't go through, will they ... read more