The Realist Idealists

The Mongols were one of history's most feared peoples. Conquering land from China to Eastern Europe and creating the worlds largest continuous land empire. All that being said, what many don't think about when it comes to the Mongols is their tolerance and stability as staples within the civil administration of their empire.

Is the stock market as transparent and legitimate as it claims to be? After discussing the basics of the stock market in part 1 of our episode on understanding of the stock market, we take a look at how a well intended system leaves massive holes for groups and individuals to exploit.

If you want to understand the stock market you need to understand why the stock market exists in the first place. Once you know that, how the stock market works and the rest of the tools and options, no pun in tended, you have at your disposal will give you the best understanding of the stock market.

House prices for many of us are at all time highs. Of course there are a number of different factors as to why homes where you live may be expensive, but in almost all cases, it is likely a combination of factors that determines the value of a house in the market. Understanding what makes up the housing market will give you an understanding of why house prices are so expensive in many places around the world.

The Black Death, or bubonic plague, remains one of the most devastating plagues in our history, eventually impacting our entire world. But if it wasn't for this decline in the human record, we would have a very different world today.

Taxes. The strongest tool in governments arsenal to get things done. If there's money involved there is a good chance that the government is going to want a piece of the action. So when it comes to our everyday commerce, we need to take the time to actually understand how our tax systems work. For as the saying goes, nothing is certain except death and taxes.

Why do we have taxes? Do we need taxes? Should we have to pay taxes? As a follow-up to our pervious episode on taxes, we discuss all these questions and more as we further our understanding of how taxes impact our lives.

What gives money its value? Should I be worried about inflation? What should you use a credit card for? How do banks make money?

How's the economy doing? Is it up? Is it in the toilet? Why is that? Does how our economic systems have anything to do with it? Does it even matter?