“I Have A Dream”

As someone who was born in 1961, I was too young to understand Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech”.  Since that time however, I have come to understand the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960’s and the positive impact it has had on so many people, not the least of which is our current President of  Read more ➝

Germany Loves Merkel

For those who have studied European history, you know that the region has had its fair share of turmoil and discord over the centuries.  This is why when the formation of the European Union was first being contemplated, the primary goal was not economic in nature but instead political.  Those leaders understood that if the states could  Read more ➝

As Finances Mend, Will Consumers Spend?

The Fed recently released first quarter data on household finances.  Stronger balance sheets reflect improved real estate prices, rising stock prices, and continued higher rates of household saving.  Household finances still lack the strength they exhibited in the early 1990s, but they have improved enough to offer a firm basis for future consumer spending and,  Read more ➝

The Talk You Didn’t Have With Your Parents Could Cost You

If you haven’t had a conversation with your parents about handling their financial affairs after they die, this article is required reading.  Finances tend to be one of the trickiest topics because people do have traditional ideas about what you should and shouldn’t talk about.  Before you broach the topic, adult children should think about  Read more ➝

New Normal … Morphing

PIMCO’s investment professionals gatherd for three days to discuss the three-to-five year outlook for the global economy and markets.  Needless to say the role and actions of central banks across the globe was a recurring theme over the “Secular Forum.”  Specifically, that in the process of buying time for economies to heal, they have inserted a  Read more ➝

Fed’s Mixed Messages Roil Markets

The Federal Reserve’s unprecedented stimulus efforts are starting to box in the nation’s central banker. Its bond purchases have helped fuel economic growth since the financial crisis.  But Fed policymakers now must figure out how and when to start dialing back the support – and signal that to nervous investors – without derailing the recovery.  Read more ➝

Stocks Drop with Industrial Metals, Euro; Treasuries Rise

U.S. equities began short-term declines in April during each of the last three years.  The market may be due for a similar pullback this year because its advance since mid-November has been out of sync with weak earnings and slower economic growth.  Stocks need to pause as investors recognize that forward-looking estimates are too high  Read more ➝

Simpson-Bowles Blues Brothers Tour Going Who Knows Where

 Simpson, 81, and Bowles, 67, became unlikely celebrities after failing to carry off one of President Obama’s more abitious first term endeavors.  In 2009 he appointed them to lead his National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, a bipartisan group that was supposed to produce a “grand bargain” both parties could endorse to bring the  Read more ➝