When I was 15, I spent a summer living at my cousin’s house working for a local farmer. Farm work is hard but the task that was particularly difficult for me, on an emotional level, was when he sent us out to thin the peach trees. We climbed ladders up into the trees loaded with…
In the Bible a conflicted Pontius Pilate posed the question, “What is Truth?” Those three words sum up much of the human experience. The year 2020 will be remembered as an often-heated battle to find truth. The virus response, racial tension and numerous areas of political debate deeply divided our nation. With each declaring the…
In the mid 1950’s a mutual fund family was approached by a convent of nuns who had a couple million dollars to invest. Because of their religious beliefs, they didn’t want any of their money supporting businesses involved in the sale of alcohol, tobacco, or gambling. The fund family had no existing offerings that qualified…
As we move further into 2021 and see the policies of the new administration unfold, it will be good for investors to keep a close eye on the intended, and perhaps more importantly, the unintended consequences of the various actions. One of the Biden administration’s stated policy goals is to revoke the Trump tax cuts and…
It has been said that boats are safe in the harbor, but boats weren’t made for the harbor. I love sailing and I recently read a book by Jessica Watson, the 16-year-old Australian who sailed her 34-foot yacht nonstop and single-handedly around the world. Her story is one of amazing preparation and courage. Though I…
My Dad had a traditional activity at family reunions he called a “scrambles.” He first gathered all the children in a semi-circle in front of him. In his arms was a huge box filled with candy which he would toss into the screaming crowd while yelling, “Scrambles.” This wild event was always very popular with…
Ronald Reagan warned us to fear the words, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” With congress obsessed over trillion-dollar stimulus packages to “help” struggling Americans, let me share an analogy from college football. Imagine for a moment that the Rose Bowl game will be played this year with 100,000 fans in attendance.…
In 1897 the New York Sun responded to young Virginia O’Hanlon’s simple question about Santa Claus. She had heard conflicting opinions on the issue of Santa Claus but her Papa had assured her that she could find the truth by asking the paper because, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ The response to…
When I renew the company airplane insurance, I have to fill out a questionnaire that lists how many hours I have flown in my lifetime, in the prior year, and during the last 90 days. Pilots love to brag about their total hours, with the commercial guys routinely claiming 30,000 or more. That’s an impressive…
As a young boy living in beautiful Yorba Linda, California, I felt like I had it all. A treehouse, swimming pool, horses and miles of open land surrounding our property on which to carry out endless childhood adventures. One such adventure was a lemonade stand my brother and I setup one day on the road…