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Is the Fed’s monetary tightening about over? Maybe, maybe not but there does seem to be some disagreement between Jerome Powell and his Vice Chair, Richard Clarida. Powell said just a little over a month ago that the Fed Funds rate was still “a long way from neutral” and that...

I have been a fan of Japan as an investment for quite a while now. Shinzo Abe's economic reforms are, for now, paying large dividends. There are questions of course about monetary policy as implemented by the inventors of Quantitative Easing, taking monetary policy where it has rarely been....

Tuesday's election result was about as expected as you can get in markets. The accepted wisdom going into the election was that Democrats would take control of the House of Representatives and Republicans would retain control of the Senate. Sure, there were scattered articles by Democratic partisans predicting -...

Japan's stock market hasn't done much this year - the Nikkei is up about 4% YTD - but you can't blame that on poor corporate earnings growth. Earnings for the Nikkei are up about 30% year over year and profit margins are hitting new highs (from the FT): Shinzo Abe...

With the end of the year in sight, lots of plans are being made—what gifts to buy, what the menu will be, and how to shed the extra weight that will inevitably be acquired. But part of your holiday planning needs to include a year-end investment checkup so you...

It’s been pounded into children since World War II. If you want to get ahead you need a college education—nothing else will do. When “The Greatest Generation” returned from the War they came home with a new outlook. Many of our boys left the farm to fight the enemy. They...

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, health insurance has become a four-letter word. There is an unending search to find the best coverage with the most benefits at the best price. It’s hard to wade through the swamp of legitimate plans and protect yourself from the quickly morphing supply...

Estate planning. It’s not one of the most pleasant topics because you have to admit your own mortality. But, for people who want to take care of their loved ones, estate planning is essential. Without a plan, distribution of your estate will be determined by a court or a bureaucrat—probably not the way...

Father Time has closed the book on 2018. We’ve sung Auld Lang Syne. And now our focus is on all the things that have to be done this year, which includes filing your income tax return for 2018 using the new tax rules. Oh Joy! Staying in the good graces of the IRS has...

Among America’s older population there is a growing concern about the state of their retirement and many are choosing to stay in the workforce much longer. In a previous article I listed concerns of older workers about whether they will ever be able to retire; concerns that include whether...