The stock market is a huge store of wealth.  As of January 1, 2024, the U.S. stock market was valued at $50.8 trillion (combining the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, and Over The Counter U.S.).  That’s enough money to pay off the federal government’s massive debt burden and still leave...

What did your crystal ball say this time last year?  Transitory inflation was looking anything but transitory.  “Recession” was probably the only word thrown around more than “inflation”.  The Fed was still talking a tough game of not backing down from further rate hikes.  The S&P500 just finished the prior...

I often write about how nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm, that throughout our careers it is best to pursue that which excites us rather than bores us.  It may be best to discard this bit of life advice when it comes to investing.  While today’s 24/7 business news...

Know thyself, it is a universal pursuit.  In a noisy world that moves faster than ever with the promise of only picking up speed, the practices of meditation, breathing, yoga, reflection, introspection, and relaxation have become an industry.  That’s not even mentioning therapy, a complimentary industry for professionals to know...

Technology and innovation have always been intertwined.  But over time, tech became so innovative as to claim its own sector of the economy.  Its launch point may be best marked by the 1970’s, with the creation of the Nasdaq (a tech-heavy stock exchange) in 1971 perhaps serving as an omen. ...

With over $182 billion of new annuity sales in the first half of this year alone, annuities are more popular than ever.  Baby boomers may be drawing unprecedented attention to retirement planning, but annuities were first introduced to America in 1759 when Presbyterian ministers in Pennsylvania contributed to a fund...

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the price of oil soared, and inflation was officially introduced to the world for the first time in the 21st century.  While the price of gas actually plays a small role in sustained inflation, affecting just 3.1% of the Consumer Price Index...

Heading into 2023, most investors would have embraced any first-half report that didn’t bring more red, let alone double-digit positive returns.  As of June 30, the S&P500 was up 15.91% for its best first half since 2019, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq led the way with a 31.73% return, a rally...

Transportation Services Continue to Plague the Economy. Inflation has been the buzzword in economics over the past 18 months, but it’s slowly losing some of its pop.  Led downward by falling energy costs, particularly fuel declining 37% year-over-year, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was up just 4.0% year-over-year for May 2023. ...

People are tired of hearing about a recession and to be or not to be.  Like any headline the media grabs hold of, and then beats into submission, it loses its excitement and numbs the audience.  Inflation.  Debt ceilings.  Interest rates.  Bank turmoil.  Recession.   Recession.  Recession.  So, as I...