Was Gamestop a game changer for the market?
Unless you have been in a jungle somewhere, without a smart phone, for the past week, you have heard of the youthful group of stock trading investors acting like a flash mob. I cannot pretend to understand all of the communication technology that enables the group to coordinate. But I [...]
Don’t guess about your future, have a plan.
There is an African proverb that says, “Tomorrow belongs to those who plan for it today” If there is one topic I write about more than any other it is planning. It is a passion of mine. However, I realized recently I have never written a formal article on the [...]
Buy, hold, or sell? That is the question.
While the best principles concerning investing are probably first, to begin early and second, to invest often and regularly, selling is a whole different proposition. Will Rogers, American humorist of a century ago, wrapped up the whole process like this with a bow: Don’t gamble; take all your savings and [...]
A system failure is at the root of our chaos
This past week has been a rather dark one for our nation. Watching as our capital was stormed by radical extremists who didn’t agree with the results of our election was something I never believed I would personally witness. Since that day, I have been equally disturbed by the attacks [...]
Obamacare might make retiring earlier possible
If there is one thing we learned from 2020 it’s that having adequate health insurance is not a luxury but a necessity. A close friend of mine who was in otherwise good health found himself hospitalized for several months this fall with Covid. Without health insurance this type of hospital [...]
Optimism lies at the core of success
Most people would seem to be eagerly anticipating the end of 2020. Many of us have lost beloved family members or friends to the Virus. Perhaps a billion or more have had their financial health severely damaged or ruined. Experts called for the initial economic shutdown in late winter in [...]
My Hope for the Season
The holidays are my very favorite time of year. From the moment I wake up Thanksgiving morning and start preparing that afternoon’s feast, to the stroke of midnight on Dec 31st when we welcome a new year, the entire season is filled with excitement, tradition and fun. Like everything else [...]
Many may be caught off guard by unexpected taxes in 2021
How would you feel if two weeks before the end of the year you still didn’t know how much of your personal income would be taxable, or what rate you would be expected to pay? That is the challenge thousands of businesses are facing as we speak. On March 27th [...]
Markets always have the last word.
If you needed any further proof about the difficulty in predicting stock market results, you should have it now. Before election day in 2016, you were told that electing Donald Trump would kill the stock market. This year, you were told that just the threat of a Democratic $4Trillion tax [...]
For Brick & Mortars, Black Friday Was Especially Dark.
Anyone who knows me knows I love a deal. For that reason, “Black Friday” is one of my favorite days of the year. For over twenty years I have been out before dawn the day after Thanksgiving, shivering in the cold waiting to be one of thousands of people flooding [...]