I sat on my porch and looked over at the lights and noticed they were covered in spider webs. I grumbled to myself about those dumb spiders and how I would need to clean those webs off yet again. A few nights later I was sitting on my porch looking out at the beautiful city…
DetailsSummer must be near because I keep hearing that annual question? “Should I sell in May and go away?” This Wall Street adage actually comes from old England and referred to Londoners leaving town for the summer and coming back to work only after the last horse race of the season. With London’s financial markets…
DetailsLet me share a very simplified description of the players in the US Stock Market. As I see it, there are basically two types; Investors and Traders. To keep it simple, an investor seeks to make money by owning a piece of a publicly traded company and profiting by its growth. An investor looks at…
DetailsIn the famous Christmas movie, “It’s a wonderful life,” the evil land baron Mr. Potter seeks to further enrich himself by monopolizing the real estate market in Bedford Falls. He does this by sowing seeds of fear about the stability of the local Savings and Loan, while planting ideas that home ownership is too risky…
DetailsI do not drink but I have probably watched every episode of Cheers. I did some research and found that the legendary “bartender therapist” is actually very common. Recently, I read a report on these newer “soda bars” that have become so popular in my state. These establishments, designed like a traditional bar, offer non-alcoholic,…
DetailsWhat 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.…
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