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Marotta On Money - December 19 Newsletter

ChristmasCarol

Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"

What Was Wrong with Tiny Tim? (12-19-2011)

Other than Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens's story "A Christmas Carol," Tiny Tim is certainly the most memorable character. Dickens used the boy in the story to soften the hearts of both Scrooge and his readers toward the worthy poor. Although Victorian sentiments questioned the thrift or industry of the masses, a crippled, saintly child was obviously above reproach. In Dickens's day, the disabled were feared because people believed they could be contagious. In "A Christmas Carol" Dickens personified Tiny Tim as pure virtue and mildness to create an inspirational character in spite of his disability.
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In The News

Radio: The High Cost of Regulation

David John Marotta was featured on WINA 1070's Rob Schilling Show on December 14, 2011. The topic was the high cost of regulation, leaning libertarian, and the roots of David's leaning libertarian. David's interview portion begins at 13 minutes, 50 seconds on the recording.

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Video: Retirement Wisdom - Plan Ahead

The Two Portly Gentlemen Are Entrepreneurial Philanthropists (12-13-2010)

As I do every December, I have been enjoying rereading "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. This year I've been thinking about Scrooge's interaction with the two portly gentlemen who stop by to collect for the poor. These entrepreneurs represent one of my favorite financial personalities. In his book "Why Smart People Do Stupid Things with Money," Bert Whitehead describes different financial personalities. He depicts an "entrepreneur" as someone who tends toward greed rather than fear but is balanced between a propensity to save or spend. Whitehead maps financial personality on two different scales. The first measures people's tendency toward greed or fear.
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