Last night, my teenaged son asked me how often I calculate the volume and area of different shapes. Perhaps I should have questioned his question, but I suppose I wasn’t on top of my game or…
Thought Leadership
During the stock market crash in 2008, I couldn’t stand all the volatility, and moved my 401K all into the most conservative option we have. I had to admit it, but I sort of forgot about…
Recently, two quintessential American Brands, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, have made headlines with their struggles to turnaround sluggishness in the key US market. While McDonald’s has gotten most of the ink, the folks at Coke are facing…
This week, the Labor Department announced new consumer protection guidelines for retirement plans. Financial advisors will now have to sign a contract putting their client’s interests above their own. I have read Wall Street is expected to…
Expanding Social Security benefits will become a campaign issue for two simple reasons: older people tend to vote, and voters like politicians who are profligate with other peoples’ money. Now that Sen. Warren has opened the…
This week, Indiana made a lot of headlines with its religious freedom bill. The reaction was almost immediate, and the headlines were overwhelmingly negative. What economic impact would this have had on that state if Indiana…
This week, President Obama was in Birmingham, and had some words about payday loan places. This industry seems to be under attack, so why don’t they just reduce their rates to more reasonable levels? I don’t…
Based on an analysis of data from more than 6,500 banks across the country, Sageworks, a financial information company, identified the healthiest banks in the United States by their Texas Ratio. Only one Alabama bank made…
On Thursday afternoon, the President was in Birmingham, and outlined some of his Administration’s plans to impose greater regulatory oversight on what is known as the “payday loan” industry. Why Birmingham? Well, we have a lot…
The primary goal of any corporation is to turn a profit. It isn’t much more complicated than that. So, if being more socially vocal results in higher earnings, expect more corporations to be so. If it…