Thought Leadership Archive
Although I have been gray for years, I have been telling people I had chestnut brown hair at the start of 2022. That is how bizarre this year has been in the both the markets and…
There is simply no way to sugar coat the first 293 days of 2022 for investors. The S&P 500 is currently down just over 23% year-to-date. The major international stock index, the MSCI EAFE, is down…
Perhaps surprisingly, this week’s Common Cents isn’t about the awful behavior in the markets over the last couple of days. Frankly, it has been so bizarre as to make a simple explanation virtually impossible. Let’s just…
Many are probably familiar with the following riddle: “When is a door not a door? When it is ajar.” That is some tired stuff, isn’t it? So, let me give you a new one: “When is…
This past week was another one for the books, that is if your book is the “Doomsday Book.” Before anyone corrects me, I know what the purpose of the latter was. However, the name is just…
The best thing I can say about this week is the weather is absolutely beautiful here in Birmingham as I type this on Friday morning. Other than that, if it could go wrong this week, it…
What a difference a week and one economic report make! Things HAD been going somewhat swimmingly in September. Unfortunately, on Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) drained the pool with a disappointing Consumer Price Index…
Last Wednesday, August 31st, I officially joined the pandemic club by testing positive for COVID-19 for the first time. I had hoped to never become a member of this particular group. However, the virus had other…
In March 2020, my wife, Margaret, and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and we had planned to celebrate with a vacation to Italy. Needless to say, that trip was postponed – several times. The trip finally…
This past Saturday, I made a presentation at a convention in Las Vegas. There were probably 300 people in the room, which was a little surprising. I said to the group, “Take a look to your…