Author Archives: Marc Rittersporn

From tulips and scrips to bitcoin and meme stocks – how the act of speculating became a financial mania

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com In the late 1990s, America experienced a dot-com mania. In the 2000s, the housing market went wild. Today, there are manias in everything from bitcoin and nonfungible tokens to SPACs and meme stocks – obscure corners of the … Continue reading

12 Estate Planning Must-Dos

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com Many of you already have estate documents, probably executed many years ago. You need an estate attorney to look over your documents every 10 years or so. Here are a dozen points to review. 1. Do you have … Continue reading

The Special Purpose Acquisition Company

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com Thoughts for smaller investors to consider when evaluating SPACs A cynical investor might look at a Special Purpose Acquisition Company with disdain. Here is what a cynic might say: “So, you’re telling me a SPAC: • Makes no … Continue reading

American Education vs. the World

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com American Education vs. the World We don’t yet have a clear report card on how well-educated America’s students have been this school year, with so much remote learning during the pandemic. But there is a wealth of statistics … Continue reading

Gambling vs. Investing

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com The financial media took a brief break from predicting everything that will happen in 2021 (don’t laugh; it’s their yearly habit) to bring us the engaging story of how masses of small amateur investors managed to bid the … Continue reading

Five economic effects from the Democratic sweep in Washington

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com Joe Biden will inherit among the most challenging political and economic environments of any US president. With America reeling from the storming of the Capitol by pro-Trump insurrectionists, not to mention a raging pandemic, President Biden must heal … Continue reading

U.S. STOCK MARKETS SET NEW ALL-TIME HIGHS, DRIVEN BY POSITIVE COVID VACCINE NEWS AND HOPES FOR ANOTHER STIMULUS PACKAGE

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com • The four major U.S. stock market indices each set new historic highs, as more positive COVID-vaccine news was announced and a bi-partisan stimulus package was proposed • The tech-laden NASDAQ was the week’s leader, with a gain … Continue reading

Political Parties and Stock Markets since 1900

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com Should stock market investors hope for a unified or a divided Washington? Does the party occupying the White House affect the U.S. stock markets and other economic measurements? How does the party controlling Congress affect markets? While it’s … Continue reading

The Effect of the Supreme Court on Stock Markets

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com Research paints a fascinating picture that all investors should think about. President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill an open seat on the Supreme Court. And while the confirmation process has divided the country, there is … Continue reading

Will the Market Maintain its Buoyancy?

Marc Rittersporn/marc@integritt.com The U.S. stock market has risen for three straight days, settling at right about where it was before the COVID pandemic began to assert itself American shores, and the conventional reasons trotted out for these gains were relative. … Continue reading