Growing up in a beach community, I could predict the weather by remembering: “Red sky in morning, sailor take warning.  Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.” Growing up in the economics community, I could predict the economy by remembering: “A steepening yield curve is bullish.  A flattening yield curve is bearish.” The yield curve is … Continue reading Sailor’s Advice

Financial planners are trained to help their clients in retirement planning, tax planning, education planning, and estate planning, but it is not enough to simply teach clients.  Sometimes, a planner should push a client to make a decision.  Funeral planning is a prime example.  It is hard enough to get a client to visit an estate … Continue reading Just Deal With It !!

Conservative media, like Fox, NewsMax, and OAN, were the among the first to identify the problem of the Cancel Culture.  Apparently, it grew out of college campuses where conservative speakers had been invited to campus.  Then, social media on campus became offended and angry, demanding the invitation be cancelled.  To the students, they viewed such … Continue reading The Cancel Culture

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is not my favorite former vice president, as I think he was a bad influence on a good man. Likewise, Congresswoman Liz Cheney is not my favorite congresswoman, as I think she is unfairly harsh on environmentalists. However, French philosopher Francois-Marie Voltaire (1694-1778) is one of my favorite philosophers. He … Continue reading Wasting Time ?

For many years, I have railed against Big Tech companies, like Google and Facebook, who spy on their customers, gathering ever-increasing amounts of data, and selling that data to whomever will pay the tech company for that data. Until now, we have lacked a name for this business model.  Thanks to Harvard Business School professor, … Continue reading Surveillance Industry

The “jobs report” issued by the Bureau of Labor Standards has always been the most watched economic report each month and has often moved the stock market, sometimes violently.  Naturally, I have monitored it closely for decades now, during both booms and busts.  However, Covid-19 has shattered both the labor force and the study of … Continue reading Covid and the Labor Force

Long-time readers know of my undying respect for the late Senator John McCain.  He was a genuine hero, who spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner-of-war.  I saluted him! Today, my respect is rapidly increasing . . . for a Russian, of all people . . . Alexei Navalny.  He is the charismatic 44-year-old opposition … Continue reading Putin’s Greatest Fear

Republicans and Democrats agree that wealth inequality, as well as income inequality, are very unhealthy for this country.  In fact, they have spent decades complaining about it.  However, while they were complaining, anger was building.  Millions of blue-collar workers were double-crossed by politicians who wouldn’t protect them from globalization.  Anger among those Americans still continues … Continue reading Reddit’s Raiders

Political science professionals chuckle that the majority of people hate Congress but like their local Congressman/woman. Journalists chuckle that the majority of people hate the national media but like their local media. Investment analysts chuckle that a normal behavioral bias is a strong preference to invest in locally-based stocks. We like local . . . … Continue reading Buy Local . . . ??

I have written a quarterly column for Inside Business for over fifteen years.  It is a sister-publication to The Virginian-Pilot.  The most recent column can be found here: A year like no other, indeed | Expert column – The Virginian-Pilot – Inside Business (pilotonline.com)