The Labor Department announced earlier this month that the consumer-price index increased 8.6% in May from the same month a year ago, marking its fastest pace since December 1981. This was above analyst expectations of 8.3% and sent U.S. stocks down as consumer sentiment dropped along with them. With ongoing inflation and a lagging stock market, you […]
It has been said that it takes 21 days for a habit to be formed. For example, going to the gym for 21 consecutive days results in you not thinking twice about going to work out. Or taking a three week break from dessert after dinner each night will result in you saying “no, thank […]
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about I-Bonds after the Treasury announced in November that I-Bonds issued through April 2022 will earn an interest rate of 7.12%. So how do you get in on this historically high rate, and is it the right type of investment for you? As with most investment questions – […]
Will we ever one day become accustomed to stock market volatility? I often ask myself this question, especially following the prolonged rise in equity markets experienced over the past 18 months. The good news is that based on history, it will be only a matter of time before a market correction occurs. With that said, […]
When I began my career about 35 years ago, a contractor friend of mine gave me some very good advice that I instituted early on in my office, and it was this: If you want to develop trust, start by being trustworthy in the small things. He used the example of the use of postage […]
Often I am asked why I use the example of the flight path of a plane when speaking about someone’s financial plan. My finance professor in college would often say, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” That statement has stayed with me throughout my career advising our […]
So, what do the pandemic of 2020 and 9/11 have in common? Both were periods of time that I served as Chairman of Chesapeake Hospital Authority and President of The Rotary Club of Chesapeake, respectively. The video of two passenger planes flying into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center resulted in enormous fear […]
Travel, along with much of the rest of the economy is beginning to open back up. Recently United Airlines announced it will add 400 daily flights to July for European destinations and plans to fly 80% of its U.S. schedule compared with July 2019. The airline also said that summer travel bookings rose 214% from […]
As I drove home from work last Monday evening, I noticed cars backed up for two and a half blocks on Battlefield Boulevard. Performing a “rubberneck” routine, I saw they were all waiting to pull into the 711 to fill up their tanks with gas. It reminded me of the 70’s when I drove my […]
In the majority of our retirement planning meetings with financial planning services clients, we will refer to projecting one’s financial “flight path” as it pertains to developing a successful retirement plan. One of my college professors would often say to us, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” […]