Are we in another housing bubble?
It’s amazing how quickly things can change. A little more than 5 years ago my wife and I were struggling to sell our home in a housing market that was in dire straits. At one point during the year long process, more than half of the homes in our cul-de-sac [...]
The current state of investments
What in the world is going on out there, and what should I do with my money? This topic is always on my mind, but I imagine lately it’s been heavy on yours too. The world looks upside down, and the stock market is no exception. Many can’t believe it’s [...]
Risk of dollar inflation higher than it was before.
In what can only be described as a major shift in US monetary policy, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announced late last week that the Fed will no longer attempt to keep inflation consistently at 2%. Instead they will attempt to hold inflation rates to an average of 2% over [...]
The Cost of a Cashless Society
If you have been to any retail store in the past few months you have probably noticed a sign on the cash register that says something like “due to coin shortage exact change required” or “cash not accepted due to coin shortage” When I first saw one of these signs [...]
Old Business Ideas Have Come Around Again
Amazon recently announced its plan to acquire many vacant Sears and J.C. Penney department stores in malls across America to use as distribution centers to assist in speeding up product deliveries to suburban customers. While not publicly announcing this, it would not surprise me if part of this strategy will [...]
Is Socialism a Good Investment?
One of the skills required to beating the stock market is having the vision to see what will likely happen next and not to focus on what already has. Generally, current market performance reflects what investors believe market conditions will look like six months from now. One of my favorite [...]
Steer Clear of Clever Scammers
This is unlike any other year in our lives. Even our local weather is now unusual, even though in a nice way—a truly cooler August. One thing has not changed though. Many people are trying to steal from you. Modern thieves are using a combination of mail, electronics, telephone, and [...]
Turning a tragedy into a teaching opportunity
In my columns I often advise people to take the time to plan for the unforeseen. This week I have a personal story about something that happened to me last week that will hopefully serve as motivation to some of you as well. One week ago Friday I took my [...]
Economics is at the root of current cultural divide
2020 has certainly been one for the history books. It seems like in all aspects of society we are more divided than ever before. Recently, this divide has manifested itself in silly debates about masks, garage pull-ropes, Russian Facebook ads, flag etiquette, and statues of Columbus. While many of these [...]
Enduring reasons for optimism
When discussing the first half of 2020, the description I hear most is Unbelievable! There are few still living who have any recollection of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. The other pandemics in the past 70 years were not met with the same hysteria. These included those of 1957 and 1968. [...]