hot investment tip

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Dec 21, 2005

In the Boston archdiocese, once again this year, the collection at Christmas Mass will be designated for the priests' retirement fund. A typical parish-bulletin announcement reads:

We encourage you to give generously to this collection, due to the financial difficulties involved in providing for the care of priests, as rising health-care costs and less-than-expected investment returns have increased the levels needed for funding.

Rising health-care costs, yes; we've all felt that pinch.

But if the investment returns on the retirement fund have been disappointing, there is a pretty obvious explanation. If you don't make any investment, you shouldn't expect any return. Go ahead: ask your stockbroker. He'll agree with me.

Anyway, this year the collection really will go into the pension fund. Or so we're told.