Money Talks
It is always interesting meeting with couples to discuss their financial situation. Often, it feels as if the conversation they are having in front of me is the first one they have had together about money in a long time. This is unfortunate because money conversations are not just mathematical [...]
The Biotech Boom: How Cutting-Edge Science Could Transform Healthcare and Extend Lives
We may be standing at the beginning of the biggest biotechnology shift any of us have ever seen. The pace of change coming over the next few years could surprise all of us. Thanks to our growing ability to map the human genome, edit genes, create personalized treatments using mRNA, [...]
Plenty of opportunities
As we know, some people see the risks and dangers everywhere while others see opportunities everywhere, perhaps because of the risks and dangers that exist. An entrepreneur is one who sees a problem and is foolish enough to think she or he can solve it or improve on existing solutions. [...]
The Spirit of Thanksgiving
Every November, we kick off the holiday season by celebrating Thanksgiving. It is an occasion rooted not only in gratitude but in the enduring human desire to build a better life. The very first Thanksgiving, which occurred in 1621, wasn’t simply a harvest festival; it was the culmination of a [...]
Insurance: Knowing what’s vital and what’s not
Being properly insured is one of the most important steps anyone can take toward financial security. Yet it is also one of the most confusing areas of personal finance. The combination of high stakes and high complexity often leads people to make poor decisions about how best to protect themselves [...]
America doesn’t need 50 year mortgages
I know it probably goes without saying, but most of the stuff we buy today costs way too much. It wasn’t that long ago that inflation was nearly non-existent. For the decade prior to Covid, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by an average of just 1.8% a year. Since [...]
Economic Realities
By the time you are able to read this, we will or should know voters’ choices in New Jersey, New York City, and Virginia. I assume most watchers will be surprised in one way or another. There have been notable ironies in the preparations for them. First, New York City [...]
Where’s the beef?
My family has started to complain about the amount of pork and chicken we’re eating. As the primary grocery shopper and cook in our home, I’ve made the decision to buy much less beef lately. Prices seem to climb higher every week, and it’s becoming harder to justify. These rising [...]
Rising healthcare prices costs us all
Last week, Kansas City officials announced a hiring freeze to address a projected $100 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2027. When asked about the decision, Mayor Quinton Lucas explained that there is a fundamental “mismatch between income and expenses.” He attributed much of the growing deficit to the rising [...]
When investing starts to look like gambling
As football season kicks into high gear, I know some of you here in Missouri may be chomping at the bit to place a wager on your favorite team, especially with sports betting set to become legal in our state on December 1. It’s been remarkable to watch how quickly [...]