My Comments: With deal with Iran now in play, the focus is increasingly on the choice between war and peace. We either come to terms with some kind of negotiated settlement, or we accept the idea of sending young men and women off to die once again. I read recently that of the 239 years …
Continue reading A Century of Defense Spending In The United States
My Comments: I’ve mentioned before that as an immigrant myself, I have a strong interest in this issue. I find it distasteful that children brought here by their parents are forced to leave because their parents arrived here without proper papers. Mindful there is no best solution, I welcome a dialog and changes to the …
Continue reading Polls Show Most Americans Favor Pathway To Citizenship
My Comments: I’ve talked before about immigration issues. As an immigrant myself, I’m perhaps more sensitive to these issues, even though I arrived as a child from Europe. My father was looking for a better way to provide for his family and since he had lived here as a child and had a degree from …
Continue reading Republicans Dismiss Latino Concerns At Their Peril
My Comments: Recently I was reminded that I appear to have strong opinions. This is usually accompanied by a rolling of the eyes, and to which I now hang my head, but without shame. On this topic, I’ve not had an opinion worth talking about until now. I hate it when people bitch and moan …
Continue reading US Should Not Negotiate Free Trade Behind Closed Doors
My Comments: In my capacity as a financial planner and investment advisor, I’ve long embraced a fiduciary standard. This means I’m bound morally, ethically and legally to do what, in my professional opinion, is in my client’s best interests. Corporate financial America (Wall Street in general, the insurance industry, money managers, et al) and their …
Continue reading Like It Or Not, All Advisors Are Now Fiduciaries
My Comments: I no longer make any apologies for being liberal. It does not mean I cannot embrace positions held by conservatives, but on balance, I see myself as being a liberal. As much as anything, I identify this way as I refuse to live in the past. As I age, I have a longer …
My Comments: OK, that's too simplistic, but there is a point to be made here. Back in 2007, with the presidential election cycle in full swing, I recall seeing an old, bent and rusty pickup truck. In the front was mom, dad and 2 kids. The truck bed was full of odds and ends that …
My Comments: If I had to personally make definitive decisons about the US role in the middle east, I have absolutely no idea what would be in our best interest. That’s why they don’t pay ME the big bucks. But history has made us the world’s only policeman. Since I have no idea about what …
Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember and honor those who have served our country. That so many came home wounded, and so many did not come home at all, more than justifies our reverence for their contributions to our society. Born in England in 1941, I also extend my thanks to my mother, …
My Comments: I probably live in a bubble. I say this as much of what I allow to cross my desk daily already conforms to what I believe and therefore serves to confirm my present thinking. It happens to most of us; I had an exchange with someone the other day who tried to persuade …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 