A Tale of Two Economies
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”. You might recognize that as the opening line in Charles Dicken’s classic A Tale of Two Cities. That phrase might well apply to the U.S. economy. Despite relatively…
Category Columns
How Now 40 Dow?
On Friday, May 17, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly above the 40,000 level for the first time ever. This no doubt generated mixed feelings among investors. Many were exuberant this huge milestone had been reached. But certainly, some…
Rolling the Clock Back
We recently adjusted our clocks by an hour to take advantage of longer daylight hours, a semi-annual ritual that many would like to eliminate. Let’s take a minute to roll the clock back on markets of the past few years.…
It’s a Coin Flip!
You may be familiar with the concept of a “fair” coin being used in a flip. If the coin is “fair,” there is an equal chance of a heads or tails outcome. If you flipped 100 times, you would expect…
Where Are All the Billionaires?
No doubt most of you reading this are in the non-billionaire club. Nevertheless, here’s an interesting paradox laid out in the book, The Missing Billionaires by Victor Haghani and James White. Permit me to lay out the puzzle here. The…
I’ll Be Back!
Even if you’ve never seen the movie Terminator, you may recognize that famous catch phrase from Arnold Schwarzenegger in his unmistakable Austrian accent. If markets could speak, they might have said the same thing a year ago, “I’ll Be Back!”.…
Tis the Season: How to Give Like the Big Boys Do
You’ve no doubt heard of family foundations before, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or the Walton Family Foundation. You’re probably under the impression that family foundations are reserved for wealthy families. Private foundations across the world contribute…
Here’s to Your Health and Wealth
A friend of mine tells the story of her uncle going in for his annual checkup. The doctor examines him closely, runs a few tests and tells him, “Billy, if you don’t quit drinking, you’re gonna go blind!” To that,…
Chasing Performance: Hazardous to Your Wealth
Are you tempted to buy that latest mutual fund you saw advertised on TV? Beware, it can be costly. And you probably don’t have a clue just how much! Ask the average person how to make money in stocks and…
The Stock Market and Jelly Beans
An experiment I’ve used in presenting to groups of people is to fill up a jar with jelly beans and pass it around the room. I ask each person to estimate the number of jelly beans in the jar, then…
Congressman Pat Fallon Addresses Constituents and Announces Town Halls
Members of Congress have more bosses than just about anybody else in the United States, over 750,000 to be exact! My bosses live in Rockwall, Texarkana, Sherman, and all across Northeast Texas. They are patriots, veterans, parents, teachers, healthcare workers,…
Congressman Pat Fallon Addresses Constituents
When Bill Clinton and Barak Obama were president, many members of Congress vehemently opposed their policies and politics. We truly believed they had bad ideas for America, but most of us did not question their mental acuity because we had…
Texarkana Native Received $150,000 From Unclaimed Funds | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Eighty-six-year-old James Murphy could not have been more pleased to get a phone call about three months ago from Assets International informing him that he and his two siblings were entitled to hundreds of thousands in mineral royalties that they…
Single Parishioners 50+ Find Home at St. Edward Church | Arkansas-Catholic.org
Arkansas-Catholic.org, October 20, 2014 | About eight years ago, St. Edward Church’s business manager Janet Daddato noticed several people at loose ends after they had lost their spouses. She sent out invitations by postcard, and the idea took off from…
Mental Health Professionals “Give an Hour” to Veterans
Just imagine a post-9/11 veteran who suffers from depression not having to wait for treatment at the Veteran’s Administration clinic. That’s actually a reality through the “Give an Hour” program. And better yet – it’s also free. Founded in 2005…