Isn't summer great? No school buses and soccer practices to disrupt your commute, a lack of pollen, and great reading on Don't Quit Your Day Job?

That happens all year, you say? Thanks for the compliment!

If there is anything in politics sillier than Congressional Job Approval polls, I've yet to find it - yet here I am writing about it. Ostensibly, these polls are set up to gauge the public's trust in Congress - to get an idea about the public mood regarding our elected leaders.

In reality, the entire setup of the poll is a sham. Here's the thing - unlike the President, the average voter cannot vote out the average Congressman (or woman). The truth is, Congress is set up in the way that it is strictly to avoid the public's mood from tearing the House and Senate apart.

Remember a few weeks back when we discussed stock market investing using the Kelly Criterion to determine asset allocations? Today we're going to go in a different direction and use Kelly for what it was intended - betting!

The Kelly Criterion is a formula you can use to determine the proper size of a bet when there are known odds and a definite payout. With a little hand waving and some basic math (as I proved a few weeks back), you can also use it to help guide your investment decisions - namely when determining the size of a position you should take. Let's hop into some calculators.

Happy summer folks! It's time to avoid basking in the harsh light of your computer monitor and absorb some vitamin D... at least part of the day! Thanks for spending your morning reading another edition of the Weekender!