Doug Hornig's Contributions

Developing nations are playing technological leapfrog. In the developed world, when we think of technology, the roots of much of what we do today were born decades, or even a century, ago. While the evolution has been fast paced, the progression from there through today is a straight line from the technologies that preceded them.

If you had a previously incurable genetic condition and scientists came up with a treatment for it, you’d jump at the chance to take advantage. That’s a no-brainer. But what if you had the opportunity to invest in a company deeply involved in just such cutting-edge research?

In today’s shaky economy and jittery investment markets, investors may well find that their best moves are not discovering the next big thing or a fantastic value, but simply avoiding serious, and costly, mistakes.

Media coverage of the oil spill’s effect on the Gulf focusing on tourist income lost by the waterfront towns – with footage of empty beaches, restaurants and T-shirt shops – dominates the news. Interviews with devastated business owners are heart rending. But they always end with references to somehow hanging on until “things get back to normal.”

The trillions in U.S. federal debt now exceed 85% of gross domestic product – and that’s not counting unfunded liabilities. Unemployment is breaking 20% as the government used to calculate it.