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Outcomes Over Odds
At the beginning of this year, Lincoln, my 7-year-old, told me he wanted to be an author. A few months later, he became fascinated with engineering after watching videos from Mark Rober on YouTube. Then recently he watched the launch...
Read MoreManaging Risk
“Successful investing is about managing risk, not avoiding it.” — Benjamin GrahamHere’s an update on the current market environment and what it means for you.Market EnvironmentMarkets have been navigating a mix of geopolitical tension...
Read MoreDeath and Taxes
“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” — Benjamin FranklinGovernments have extracted tribute or taxes from their citizens since the dawn of civilization. Shepherds once owed rulers a portion of...
Read MoreA New Year’s Lesson from Psychology
The Danger of Being Certain: A New Year’s Lesson from PsychologyAs we turn the calendar to a new year, many of us feel a renewed sense of confidence. Fresh goals. Fresh plans. Fresh predictions about what lies ahead. Confidence, of...
Read MoreThanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself once again reflecting on the things that matter most: family, gratitude, and the chance to pause (if only for a few days) to appreciate all that we have.Every year, the boys and I make the trip...
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Don't fight the Fed.
“Don’t fight the Fed.” -Martin Zweig When you hear “Wall Street,” what comes to mind? The stock market? The New York Stock Exchange? Maybe Gordon Gekko growling “Greed is good”? It is easy to forget that it is a literal street. A...
Read MoreAugust Update
The last few days of July and the beginning of August brought a flurry of key economic data, central bank activity, company earnings results, and tariff news. Here are some takeaways from the week of July 28: Slowing U.S. economy....
Read MoreQuantum Mechanics
In October 1927, twenty-nine of the greatest scientific minds in history gathered in Brussels for the Solvay Conference, a meeting that would reshape our understanding of reality. Among them were Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner...
Read More2025 Mid Year Review
As we look back on the first half of the year, one thing is clear: it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the economy. In the first quarter (January through March), real GDP—a measure of our country’s total economic output—dropped...
Read MoreTariffs, Deficits, and China—Oh My!
It seems like just a few days ago we were skipping down the Yellow Brick Road singing, “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” but now we’re hearing continuous news and press conferences repeating a different chorus: “Tariffs, Deficits, and...
Read MoreDaisy Alexander
On June 20, 1937, standing on the banks of the Thames in London, Daisy Alexander carefully rolled a tiny slip of paper with a short message and placed it in an empty whiskey bottle, replaced the cork and tossed it into the slow-moving...
Read MorePolitics and Presidents
"Presidents don't cause recessions, and presidents don't cause recoveries. They can only hope to get out of the way and not hinder the economic forces at play." — Alan Greenspan Let us delve into some controversial discussion this...
Read MoreMid Year Outlook
As we reach the halfway point of 2024, a sense of persistence defines the economic and market landscape. Trends from late 2023 have continued, with surprisingly resilient economic growth mixed with stubborn but decelerating inflation....
Read MoreWhile the mind and body may be lost to dementia, the heart and soul are timeless and will carry on.
"While the mind and body may be lost to dementia, the heart and soul are timeless and will carry on.” - Ronald Reagan Karl Deter was a German railway worker in the late 1800s. His wife, Auguste, began to struggle with her memory and...
Read MoreKing of Clay
"Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” - Arthur Ashe Good tennis is one of the best spectator sports. This week marked the end of the French Open, one of the four major tennis...
Read MoreTeenage Money Matters
Teenage Money Matters A few years back, my nephew asked my son, Ollie, about my job. He was six at the time and said, "When you have some money, you should put it in a piggy bank. If you have too much money for the piggy bank, you put...
Read MoreIf it bleeds, it leads!
Family Out for an Evening Stroll. Menacing Man Wields a Baseball Bat! Imagine you’re out for an evening stroll after dinner, and you encounter two distinct groups. First, there’s a picturesque young family with their chocolate Lab and...
Read MoreA Good Caddie...
After a particularly bad round, a golfer proclaims, “I should just walk out into that water and drown myself.” The caddie responded, “With all due respect sir, you’d never keep your head down long enough.” -Unknown Player and Caddie...
Read MoreYouth is wasted on the young. No cap.
“Youth is wasted on the young.” -George Bernard Shaw Maybe, over the holidays, you were around some young people. Perhaps you even heard them speak out loud to each other (rather than communicating via text or Snapchat). You might have...
Read MoreIt's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.
“It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.” -Tom Brokaw In 1998, Tom Brokaw introduced the world to the term, “The Greatest Generation.” Brokaw’s book, by the same name, is a tribute to the generation of...
Read MoreJimmy Buffett
“The people who are most successful are those who are doing what they love.” - Warren BuffettBuffett has been a dominant force in the industry for decades. When he speaks on camera or appears on a stage, we listen intently for some...
Read MoreWhat gorilla?
Have you ever watched a selective attention test video? The instructions: watch this 30-second video of this group of six people standing in a small space and count how many times the people wearing white shirts pass the basketball....
Read MoreDon't Sweat It
“It ain't the heat, it's the humility.” - Yogi Berra I was recently watching national news, specifically the weather. The meteorologist was carrying on about a heat wave sweeping across the south and up the east coast. Several spots...
Read MoreFather's Day
“Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.” - Dad [joke] My boys and I were recently at a little breakfast spot on Father’s Day. By the way, did you know that Father’s Day is ranked as the 14th U.S....
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence
“The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” — John Connor - The Terminator Over the last few weeks, the news cycles have been oscillating between two topics that may lead to the end of...
Read MoreDon’t put all your eggs in one basket!
“Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.” Ecclesiastes 11:2 ˗ King Solomon Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Over the Easter holiday I was reminded of this...
Read MoreSilicon Valley Bank
Financial markets were shaken last week as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (SIVB), fell into FDIC receivership. SVB is the first FDIC-insured institution to fail since 2020 and the...
Read MoreConsistency
“Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.” -Paul Samuelson Born in Washington, D.C. on December 21, 1948, Leroy was an early Christmas gift for his...
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Eps 2: Pay Yourself Not the Bank
"The size of a home is a better predictor of the size of one's mortgage than the size of one's net worth." -Dr. Stanley
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2020 Midyear Outlook
Click Here for Full 2020 Outlook We are at the midpoint of 2020, and it would be an understatement to say it’s been a challenging year so far in the United States and around the world. We’ve faced health, social, and...
Read MoreA Test of Our Resolve
The world continues its battle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, which now has likely impacted, either directly or indirectly, nearly every person on Earth. This is far more than just a health crisis—this is a human crisis. Its...
Read MoreThe Road to Recovery
We know that these can be frightening times, but we want to assure you that the one thing you don’t need to worry about is us supporting you through them. No one knows what the next days, weeks, or even months might bring, but we...
Read MoreCOVID-19 Affects on the Economy
Our everyday lives have changed dramatically over the last few weeks as we work together to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know these efforts are necessary, but they also have come at a cost. Global economic growth...
Read MoreOil War and COVID-19
The tough times that global markets were experiencing due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) worsened this past weekend as a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia resulted in sharply declining oil prices. This combination of...
Read MoreFighting and Planning
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson Love him or hate him, Mike Tyson was a force to be reckoned with in his prime. For me, he always played the villain. Here is the entirety of the...
Read MoreAvoid Buyer's Remorse with 5 Car Buying Tips
Whether new or used - buying a car may be one of the largest purchases you will make in your lifetime. It is important choose a vehicle that matches your lifestyle as well as your budget. Web-based dealerships and third-party sites...
Read MoreSector Rotation Strategies
As an independent financial advisor, I believe in building portfolios based on evidence, not emotion, and on current information rather than historic. While many investors remain stuck in the past, I seek out what lies ahead in the...
Read MoreA Case Against the Modern Portfolio Theory - 3 Reasons Why It Will Fail You
Modern Portfolio Theory. A 66-year-old investment strategy that contradicts itself in both name and execution. Harry Markowitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, introduced the Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) all the way back in 1952....
Read More4 Reasons Why the 4% Rule Doesn't Work
You work hard your entire life to build a nest egg that will eventually fund your retirement. Establishing, growing and securing your wealth hasn’t been easy - and it hasn’t been without sacrifice. But as you look toward...
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