Independence Day week is halfway through the year and a good time to see how the markets are faring for the year. A MegaCorp colleague posted this chart showing just how strong the S&P 500 has been year-to-date … An old boss used to say, “the best way to have a good year is to anniversary a bad one” – and that might be the … Continue reading Strong First Half …
It’s been quite a few years since I commented on Independence Day. If you value the freedom and autonomy that come from reaching FIRE (financially independent & retired early), you probably have an American flag flying in front of your house this holiday weekend. Related: Freedom For Our Nation & For Ourselves Unfortunately, our government representatives are letting our economic freedoms slip. The Heritage Foundation … Continue reading Our Economic Freedom
If you follow the financial headlines, you’ll see that ESG practices are shaking up the realm of investing. ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance, and it’s all about considering sustainability and ethical factors when making investment decisions. Of course, someone has to determine what is sustainable and ethical. That’s where the rub is. Recently, three tobacco companies were judged much higher than EV darling … Continue reading ESG & Index Funds
My good friend & longtime MegaCorp accomplice, Dawn, and I had lunch recently and she shared with me the details of her recent car purchase. She went to Gothenburg, Sweden and picked up her new Volvo under their ‘European Delivery Service’. I’ve had some friends that have done this in the past, but I wasn’t aware of how it actually works. It’s cool! Working with … Continue reading European Car Delivery
Summer is still a fortnight away, but I’m not ready for it. I’m a bit beat up. Spring sports – tennis & softball – have me nursing a painful Achilles tendinitis injury. I’ve been doing everything I can to get it back in shape. Stretching exercises, lifts in my shoes, and wearing Skechers in the house. Still, it’s been a slow road. In the last … Continue reading Stretching Into Summer
Some friends and I were trying to solve the world’s problems over a beer this weekend. Someone asked if we are going to go into a recession or not over the next year. I replied that the economy just seems really “wobbly” right now … I don’t know if it will tip,over or not. Another guy said he read that there was a 99% chance … Continue reading Is The Economy More Than Just ‘Wobbly’?
My son and I went on an epic road trip last weekend, crossing 4 states with 75 sports cars in a charity rally. We were in the car about 16 hours / 1,000 miles through the Midwest – navigating through 20 checkpoints & activities. That’s our car in the picture above! The rally is like ‘The Amazing Race’ show on wheels. Great father-son activity. We … Continue reading Road Trips Midwest
On a long road trip this weekend, my son, and I listened to the latest Apple developers conference presentation. CEO Tim Cook and his staff introduced new laptops, new software, and their new AR headset. It was all very impressive, and made me think about how far computing technology and software have come since I bought my first Apple product in 1984. I have my … Continue reading Who Will Organize Our Digital Life?
With the start of June, we’ve arrived into Glorious Summer in Minnesota- and peak lawn mowing season. At the FIRE Station, we’ve also made the full jump to an electric lawn mower. When my folks moved to a senior apartment a few years ago, I bought my Dad’s Snapper Electric Mower. I used it now and then, but mostly relied on my trusty, gas-powered Toro. … Continue reading Quietly Moving To Electric
It seems every generation wants to dump on the next one. Or, the one before it. Boomers complain about Millennials and Millennials say, “OK, Boomer”. Millennials say Boomers left the world a mess and Boomers say Millennials are ruining the world with their decisions. The irony of the situation is that the Boomers parented the Millennials themselves. (I’m a Gen X’er and our son’s a … Continue reading Gen Z Growing Wealth: The Kids Are Alright
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