Atlanta, GA September 7, 2022 September, as Mark Twain noted, is the most dangerous month to speculate in stocks…”along with July, January, April, November, May, March, October, June, December, August – and February.” Since the Second World War, September is the only month with negative average market returns. But as we wade into dangerous seasonal […]
Atlanta, GA September 5, 2022 I started to write this Thursday night, on the heels of a speech I couldn’t believe I’d just heard. But because that address was so ominous and outrageous, I decided to put down my pen, and take time to reflect. Having done so, I’ve decided that the conclusion to be […]
Atlanta, GA August 29, 2022 Rahm Emmanuel famously advised governments to “never let a serious crisis go to waste.” He needn’t have worried. They rarely do, even if they create the “crisis” to take the advantage. Which they usually do. It’s one of the few things the State does well. And it’s gotten better at […]
Atlanta, GA August 14, 2022 Today is my maternal grandparents’ eightieth anniversary. I wish they were here to celebrate their marriage. But I’m relieved they’re not around to mourn their country. A couple years ago we imagined what one of their contemporaries might’ve thought of how their descendants have treated their bountiful inheritance. Today I’m […]
Auburn, AL July 12, 2022 “The level of spending and income in America may be increasing according to government statistics, but if Americans work longer hours than they ever did and their basic nutrition is deteriorating, there must be something seriously wrong with the money they’re using, both as a store and measure of value.” […]
July 4, 2022 “Americans are getting stronger. Twenty years ago, it took two people to carry ten dollars’ worth of groceries. Today, a five-year-old can do it.” – Henny Youngman The chickens are coming home to roost. But when they arrive, they’re bringing fewer eggs. Independence Day is here, but the shackles seem to be […]
Atlanta, GA June 15, 2022 Trapped by our political pilots on what appears to be a cultural kamikaze mission, let’s sample their potpourri of disaster as we hurtle helplessly toward the ground. Up the aisle, a stewardess stumbles toward us amid the incessant turbulence of accelerating societal decay. Her dilapidated cart is laden with assorted […]
Atlanta, GA June 8, 2022 “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that is the Stuff Life is made of.” – Benjamin Franklin The last couple years made it easy to feel sorry for ourselves. A select few of us have the fortitude to resist the temptation. Most of us don’t. I […]
Atlanta, GA May 28, 2022 We recently learned that Trader Joe’s is discontinuing a highly-desired cat food despite its enormous popularity. Stores can’t keep the shelves stocked. They’re being stripped from both sides of the demand-supply equation. Customers love the product, and clean it out whenever it arrives. But labor, material, and shipping constraints leave […]
Jekyll Island, GA May 14, 2022 In 1804, on the right bank of the Hudson in Weehauken, New Jersey, a duel took place. The sitting Vice President of the United States shot and killed the first Secretary of the Treasury. Aside from becoming increasingly uncouth, dueling was illegal in New Jersey. So with Alexander Hamilton […]