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 [...]
Small businesses do better when we work together
It’s graduation season, probably many of you are have celebrated with friends and family, or are about to. This past Thursday I got to celebrate a friend graduating from the Independence LEAD program. The LEAD program stands for Leadership Education And Development. It is a nine-month program that the Independence [...]
The Importance of Being Active
If I’m honest, the past decade or so have not been great for investors who actively manage or diversify their accounts. Many like Warren Buffet who espouse the strategy of simply buying low-cost S&P index funds, have done very well especially since 2009. With the nearly unprecedented run our nations [...]
Bearing with Bonds
Road sign to bond market My goal today is to give you some remedies for the plummeting bond values from which most of you reading this are suffering. One oft distributed piece of radio wisdom these days is that, in retirement, it’s all about income. I respectfully disagree [...]
Finding value in what you buy
Before coming into work this morning I stopped to get gas. The price of super premium gas was a staggering $4.89 a gallon, I thought to myself I wonder if anyone is choosing to put premium gas in their car during this time of massive inflation. As I drove, I [...]
Is getting political bad business?
The last week has been a very interesting one for some well-known corporations. Particularly, companies with a left of center political perspective. After Disney came out in opposition to the “don’t say gay” bill a little over a month ago, this past Thursday amid growing calls by conservatives for action [...]
Could a 401(k) be a solution for your small business?
This past week is always a busy one for investment advisors. Despite the fact that Tax Day comes at the same time every year, many wait until this last week to make year-end contributions to their IRA accounts in an attempt to reduce their overall income tax liabilities. Unfortunately, for [...]
Independence Needs Modern Community Development
There is no such thing as a free lunch! Someone pays for everything. Beginning with that truth, today I will discuss the modern world of community growth and development. It applies to all of us whether we live in a major city, its suburbs, or in a rural county in [...]