The Flinchum File

Thoughtful Economic Analysis and Existential Opinions
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Welcome to The Flinchum File

I am an Accredited Investment Fiduciary at Bay Capital Advisors, an investment firm headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA. After retiring from Truist Bank, I started this firm to work more closely with a smaller number of clients, and it has been great! Our client load is about 25% of the national average.

Writing is not for the shy or the meek. It exposes a person’s mind and character. I hope you enjoy the view.

The opinions expressed in The Flinchum File are those of the writer, Jim Flinchum, and do not necessarily reflect those of Bay Capital Advisors, LLC

Gripping Reality

Like most people, I remember when President Kennedy was shot.  It was a terrible tragedy, indeed!  But, America grieved, pulled itself together, and continued to be America. I also remember when America cared about “who shot JR?”  It was a manufactured media event and made the word “media-hype” commonplace. Shooting the President was horrible, while shooting JR was a simple marketing ploy by advertisers of…

Economists on Sesame Street ??

In 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock published his classic book on child-rearing and raised my generation.  In 1969, Jim Henson came on the television with his classic show Sesame Street and raised my daughter’s generation.  One of the most annoying characters on that show was Count von Count, who insisted on counting everything and then telling everybody about it.  Examples would be bricks in a wall or…

WinterFest 2012

At the end of another long, exhausting year and facing yet another cold, dark winter, it is not surprising that the first type of clinical depression cataloged by psychologists was seasonal depression, occurring this time every year.  Different societies have long recognized the extra need for merriment at this time of year.  So . . .   To my Christian friends . . . .…

2013 Christmas Wish

What is the most powerful business or industry in this country?  No, it is not the defense industry, even though it can blow everything into tiny pieces whenever it likes.  No, it is not the political business, even though it can destroy everything we love and cherish.  No, it is not the religion business, even though it can send us on a lifetime of guilt…

Declinology

As a boy, I remember my parents fretting over whatever I was reading — fearful I suppose that I would read something that would send me careening down that “broad and well-traveled road.”  Yet, there was no shortage of reading materials that “all is lost,” and  America is lost!  There were relentless parallels between the fall of Rome and the fall of Washington. About twenty…

Choosing Greatness . . . I hope!

When he was running for the Democratic nomination in 2008, President Obama said he wanted to be a “transformational President” like Reagan, i.e., one who changes the trajectory of history.  I hope he still wants that, because he now has the opportunity. It is now clear that taxes will increase for both the successful and the lucky, but that is what is expected from Democrats.…

Favorite Professor

When I was studying at Wharton, my favorite professor was Dr. Jeremy Siegel, author of The Future for Investors, and I have followed him closely ever since. In his latest commentary, he thinks that, while there are problems with the latest Jobs Report, it is clear that the economy continues to improve. More interestingly, he believes the odds of resolving the Fiscal Cliff before December…

Kicking a Smaller Can . . . .

The public is focused on the unknown of whether we will or will not go over the Fiscal Cliff.  Of course, nobody knows the answer with certainty. What is known is this:  My taxes are increasing. What is NOT known is this:  What spending will decrease? The President has always advocated for a “balanced solution” to the deficit and national debt, which means BOTH tax…

Independent Thinking . . .

Kent Woodward is a good friend and a strong, independent thinker.  He was kind enough to write today’s blog!  It examines a simple but elegant way to enjoy the benefit of unionization, i.e., higher wages, without the inherent inefficiencies of union regulations.  It must be a good idea, because it would irritate both political parties!  Enjoy . . . “Yesterday’s New York Times carried an…

“Where’s the Beef” in the Tax Code

Like country music, I was Supply-side before Supply-side was cool! You’ll recall Supply-side economics argues that, at some point, income tax rates can become so high that it hurts the economy and actually reduces the revenue received by the government.  (Of course, there is plenty of argument about where that point is.) I taught the first class on Supply-side economics for the American Institute of…

“Being There” . . . How to?

Because so many decisions are made emotionally, true financial planning has to work with those emotions for clients.  Even as a male financial planner, it is often difficult to work with male clients during certain times. Despite an avalanche of books on the subject of the differences between men and women, I’m reading Resilient Widowers by Alinde Moore and Dorothy Stratton.  It argues that men and…

Digging Into the Details

I’ve believed the underlying U.S. economy is stronger than most people expect but is weighted down by our politicians.  Last Thursday, we learned that GDP growth in the third quarter of this year was revised higher from 2.0% to a surprisingly strong 2.7%.  In fact, it was double the growth rate in the second quarter, which was 1.3%. If growth had doubled, I would have…