Changing the definitions of words doesn’t change reality
Last week it was announced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis that U.S. real gross domestic product had dropped in the second quarter by .9%. This report, combined with the previous quarter GDP drop of 1.6% began a long debate from economists and political pundits about the definition of the [...]
Amid trouble and worry, step up and do your part
While the stock and bond markets likely await their next downward legs and we are beset by political ads, I would like to talk about the state of citizenship in these United States. As a student of history, I remind myself regularly that our nation has suffered through presidents even [...]
Truth’s can still be learned from ancient philosophers
Over 2,500 years ago Aristotle developed a philosophical principle he called the “Golden Mean.” He argued choosing moderation between two extremes is often the most moral and desirable of all actions. For example, he argued that while courage is a virtue, too much courage can turn into recklessness and not [...]
Scarcity Spells Opportunity
Some folks talk about the good old days and seem to wish they could return to a younger period in their lives. I do not wish to return to any previous time—I would just make different and perhaps worse mistakes! But it seems to be an especially perilous world right [...]
Down markets can provide new opportunity
As any of you who have looked at your retirement accounts recently are well aware, the first half of 2022 has been very bad for market performance. In fact, 2022 is the third worst first half of any year in US stock market history. (Only 1932 and 1940 were worse) [...]
The Rules of Economics Cannot be Broken
In our modern world, technology has found ways around many scientific laws, for example Newton’s law of gravity was defied when Orville and Wilbert Wright first took to the air at Kitty Hawk. However, while man has found ways to bend some of these laws, they have not actually broken [...]
Mathematics of Bear Markets
When I came into the financial services industry 40 years ago, the industry preached to everyone to Buy and Hold investments for the long term. There were several reasons behind this. Before the rate of trade charges collapsed through competition, it cost as much as $300 just to buy or [...]
Having “the talk” with your teen
I know it may be awkward, but it may be time to have “the talk” with your teenage child or grandchild. No, not the sex talk. In this digital age, that is a subject they probably know far too much about already. The talk you may need to have with [...]
Are Americans tough enough for tough times?
A week ago today, I was sitting in a lounge chair, soaking up the sun somewhere between Miami Beach and the Bahamas. As a celebration of school being out and summer arriving, my family embarked on a week-long cruise of the Caribbean. The level of professionalism, and customer service employees [...]
Will the recent market relief continue?
Last week we finally saw quite positive results for the major US stock indexes. Those most beaten down rose the highest: Nasdaq 100 by 7 percent, S&P 500 by 6.5 percent and the Dow Jones 30 by 6.2 percent respectively. Even the long dated Treasuries took a breather and their [...]