As I write today I am listening to Fed Chair Janet Yellen say the same things she has said for several years now: Economic conditions are fairly good although growth is very slow, we can’t determine why things are not better, and we are petrified to let the classical economic [...]
On June 16, 1916, a Bible study group of 22 women including Bess Wallace Truman established the Community Services League to help local citizens in need. They obviously knew that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Those needs are still here. But today the Community Services League [...]
Through Facebook, I enjoyed reading stories about military heroes this past week, particularly those who gave their last full measure of devotion for their friends, family, for us all. Many of us in the Midwest also use this weekend to reminisce and thank God for our family members who helped [...]
We are planning a vacation for later this summer in the Rockies. With the internet, there is too much information and too many choices. One could spend hours and days just trying to figure out what to do and see. The possibilities are all exciting and I’m looking forward to [...]
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” On April 6th, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) of the Department of Labor (DOL) stepped in to do its part to ensure retirement savers get investment advice to help them. The Department issued its final, long awaited regulations regarding fiduciaries [...]
My grandfather, Louis Finke, also the father of the normal columnist for this space, passed from this earth into eternity with God on Tuesday, April 19, at 100 years old. While it seems 100 is the new 80, most I talk to are still in awe of that lifespan so [...]
During the first quarter of 2016, stock ownership provided a roller coaster ride. Last week I railed against the Fed’s free money policy and its consequences. This week we examine whose ox was gored and whose geese were golden. In the short term, I think Mr. Market will continue to [...]
. One of the complaints I hear frequently from many quarters is that these United States do not make anything anymore. Today I intend to make short shrift of that myth. The truth? We are producing more goods than ever before in our history. In 2013, the US [...]
In spite of the fact that our national economy continues to chug at a painfully slow annual rate of plus or minus 2 percent, it thus far refuses to stall into recession. Even though the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has not fallen in a quarter since early 2014 with that [...]
I dislike complaining or whining. But if I were ever going to complain about something, it would be the lousy investing climate of 2015. On the whole, it was a great year for our family and it might still be finished fantastically with the birth of our seventh grandchild, our [...]
