System of Disaster Relief
From tornados in spring to hurricanes in late summer, we are accustomed to weather caused disasters in these United States. Environmental disasters have obviously occurred for millennia, but our societal responses have improved a great deal in recent years. My perspective comes from 20 years of personal involvement which began [...]
Facing the Facts: Student Loan debt needs real reform
This past week, the Trump Administration announced it would resume collections on defaulted student loan debt. In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared, “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies.” Starting May 5, the Treasury Department began the process of [...]
Hooked on the High
It starts innocently enough, you’re just browsing. Maybe you’re killing time at the store or scrolling through your favorite online retailer while watching TV. No harm in looking, right? But before you know it, you’ve made a purchase and may not even fully understand why you did it. Marketers know [...]
The Road Ahead: The Economic Impact of Self-Driving Cars
As a child, shows like The Jetsons and movies like Back to the Future II sparked my imagination about what the future might hold. Live video calls, virtual reality, and machines powered by artificial intelligence once seemed like science fiction. Yet today, they’ve become remarkably common. Now, another dream is [...]
Life in a Bear Market
Today I want to provide perspective I hope will help those of you frightened to death about the financial future. For me, perspective is found by looking at circumstances from a 35,000’ elevation viewpoint. The precise details of what ifs are scary, but general principles much more positive. I am [...]
A spending budget without income is no budget at all
Budgeting is more than spreadsheets and numbers; it’s the art of aligning your goals with your financial reality. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping many individuals and organizations create budgets that don’t just look good on paper, but actually work in practice. What I’ve learned is this: [...]
Tariffied
Last week, President Trump did what he does best—he created a storm. He now has under his belt two of the fastest market swoons most of us have ever seen. Unlike the COVID-induced crash, this one was self-inflicted—and in my opinion could have been avoided. While there are rational reasons [...]
Investments Rising
Recently I wrote about the difference between two major groups of stocks in the US stock market. The total of technology companies—1,055 by one measure—have dropped by a composite of 10.4 percent year to date through Monday afternoon. That is the worst sector thus far. On the other hand, the [...]
More competition is needed to bring housing prices down, not less
I have written extensively on the subject of housing prices over the past few years. Without a doubt, it’s one of the most pressing issues threatening the economic success of the American people, particularly younger Americans. Perhaps that is why a recent poll revealed that 91% of adult Gen Zers [...]
Is the US Debt as Dangerous as Some Believe?
Believe it or not, I was not a typical kid. Case in point: as an 11-year-old boy, I became obsessed with the 1992 election, and Ross Perot was my guy. I vividly remember watching him hold up his charts as he warned of the dangers of our national debt. In [...]