What should we do with this stock market that lately seems to be more down than up? The answer to that question I have found in the least likely of places, far from any talk of stocks and bonds. Our daughter owns a small family farm in Enterprise, Utah. For the purposes of this column,…
DetailsIf you’ve ever driven a car in Italy you will know that the landscape can be breathtaking, but as the driver you need to be aware of the fairly common potholes along the way. When there is a pothole or some other road damage, the road crews will put up a pretty good-sized barricade that…
DetailsDuring my time as a financial advisor and a father of a large family, I have learned a thing or two about managing money. I’m not talking about the technical things you learn in school. I’m talking about the real practical learning that comes from doing and observing. I have been blessed to learn from…
DetailsTen years ago, a normally cheerful couple came to my office in an unusually solemn mood. After some prodding they confided that they feared their only son may one day try to take their assets while they were still living, and asked if there was anything I could do to help. The conversation was difficult…
DetailsIt’s a new year and it feels like a great time to think about the future. There is often no better way to plan our future than to begin with a lesson or two from the past. I remember in Elementary school how excited we all were when the teacher showed up with a projector.…
DetailsThis year’s new college football playoff schedule is certain to bring some exciting games. We’ve already seen several great games during the regular season with the Miami/Cal game standing out as one of them. Trailing badly in the third quarter 35-10, Miami seemed to be on the ropes and heading towards a disappointing loss, but…
DetailsOn January 15, 2009, US Airways 1549 departing LaGuardia airport hit a flock of geese, causing the extremely rare loss of both engines. What followed became known as the Miracle on the Hudson in which all 155 people on board miraculously survived, although the geese didn’t fare quite so well. The recent movie “Sully” has…
DetailsWhile going through some old boxes I stumbled across my investment research records going back to the 80’s. I found dozens of notebooks on which I had written down my daily market trades. Every page was filled with stock ticker symbols and pricing, as well as the financial results of each transaction. A flood of…
DetailsWhile hiking in Switzerland years ago, Launa and I were surprised to see someone jump from a nearby cliff wearing what we later learned was called a wing-suit. Just before hitting the ground, the jumper pulled a small parachute and landed on his feet to great excitement from a nearby crowd. This was followed by…
DetailsAmericans have always had a soft spot for the underdog. Our natural compassion leads us to cheer for those who face great adversity and yet are still willing to put everything on the line, even when they know their chances of success are low. This may be partly due to our own historical underdog status…
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