Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair. --Sam Ewing, former professional baseball player and All-American at The University of Tennessee On Wednesday, November 9, Janet Yellen gave...
November 2017 Monthly Insight: Thoughts on Tax Reform and Stock Market Highs
“Don't tax you, don’t tax me, tax that man behind the tree.” —Louisiana Senator Russell Long; former chair of the Senate Finance Committee (1966 to 1981) Tax reform The House Ways and Means Committee released H. R. 1, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, on Thursday, November...
October 2017 Monthly Insight: Thoughts on a Potential Market Correction
"I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men." --Sir Isaac Newton The Wright brothers successfully conducted the first manned flight at Kill Devil Hills, NC, on December 17, 1903. However, an aircraft's movement through the air can be...
September 2017 Monthly Insight: Five Financial Tips for Women
You may wonder at the title of this section. Why are financial tips for women different from financial tips for men? Don’t we all need the same information? The answer is no. Women are different from men in many ways, including the ways in which they manage money and...
Some Thoughts on Charlottesville, White Supremacy, and Race in America
As many of you know, I am a graduate of the University of Virginia. I applied to UVA because I am an ardent fan of Thomas Jefferson (or Mr. Jefferson, as we say at the University) and his philosophy of government. I also fervently believe in the American Creed as...
August 2017 Monthly Insight: Social Security Trust Funds: Financial Trouble Ahead…Maybe
"We put those payroll contributions there so as to give the contributors a legal, moral, and political right to collect their pensions… With those taxes there, no damn politician can ever scrap my social security program." -President Franklin Roosevelt, as quoted by...
July 2017 Monthly Insight: On the Importance of Ignoring Distractions and Financial Literacy
Ignore the Distractions Beyond last month’s synopsis regarding how the markets are reacting to Washington, we’ll stay out of the political weeds and let you form your own opinions. The current environment in Washington is generating an enormous amount of political...
June 2017 Monthly Insight: Uncertainty, the Trump Agenda, and Stocks
Only a strong economy can create higher asset values and sustainably good returns for savers. — Ben Bernanke, former two-term Chair of the Federal Reserve Uncertainty, the Trump agenda, and stocks There was no shortage of angst in the investment community that a...
May 2017 Monthly Insight – Creating a Legacy Plan for Your Social Media Accounts
“Your story is the greatest legacy that you will leave to your friends. It’s the longest-lasting legacy you will leave to your heirs.” —Steve Saint Maybe you’ve seen a lighthearted infographic, widely circulated on the internet, which attempts to explain social media...
April 2017 Monthly Insight: Fear, Greed, and Four Behavioral Biases
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. -Sir Winston Churchill Greed and fear are the two dominant forces that move markets on a daily basis. When stocks are going up, an investor might feel greedy and rush to buy more shares at increasing values,...