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September 2, 2025
Stock Market Wall Street ended August on a down note on concerning inflation data, but still managed to record its fourth winning month in a row. For the month, the stock market’s three major indices performed as follows: S&P 500 +1.9% The Dow +3.1% Nasdaq +1.6% While the S&P 500 did reach a new record high in August, September has historically been a losing month. In fact, according to The Stock Trader’s Almanac, September has seen the largest declines of any month for those three indices since 1950. Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/28/stock-market-today-live-updates-.html Jobs & Unemployment The U.S. economy added 73,000 jobs […]
August 29, 2025
My grandfather died at 62 of Parkinson’s disease. My father died at 62 of Parkinson’s Disease and Paranoid Schizophrenia. By the time my grandfather was 35, he was having trouble playing catch with his son. His body had already started to fail him. Focused on his business (and a whole lot of gambling), he never spent much time with his son. Instead, he chose to write letters to my father as his method of sharing his thoughts on life, academics, sports, or just the choices he made in general. When I was in my early twenties, before my father lost […]
August 22, 2025
Steve Jobs once said, “When fishermen cannot go out to sea, they repair their nets. In simple terms, even if you’re not doing your main thing, always do something that relates to your main thing.” Do the main thing. Or always work on something that supports and enhances that main thing. That’s true focus. Look, there are days I don’t feel like I’m very productive. There are even some days when I feel like I don’t want to do much of anything at all! I just am a little burnt out; I need to rest, I’ll tell myself. But all […]
August 15, 2025
My son and I have had a challenging relationship these last few months. We’re butting heads and just not really getting along, which totally bums me out. He’s now 10, and I know he is trying to figure out his way, gain his power, and be his own man. I never had a father around. I never even had much of a male role model until I was 18. So, this is all new for me. I was sitting with a friend and longtime client the other day at lunch, and decided to share what was going on with me […]
August 8, 2025
I heard a quote the other day that struck me. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” This really resonated with me. It is so easy sometimes to compare oneself to others. (Even if we’re just comparing our real lives to their “highlight reel” on social media.) They have this or that. This person had more success because he had this advantage or that. They had parents who helped or had a naturally better market. Taller than I am! Whatever. At the end of the day, you are good enough. Your expectations are what they are, and you are exactly where […]
August 4, 2025
Stock Market In what was an eventful month on Wall Street, revised tariff policies and lackluster Big Tech earnings saw the stock market edge lower in the last days of July, muting earlier gains. While there is further consternation about the latest jobs report, a bullish long-term forecast remains. Through the month of July, the stock market’s three major indices performed as follows: S&P 500 +2.2% DOW +0.1% Nasdaq +3.7% Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/31/stock-market-today-live-updates.html Inflation Inflation ticked up in June, with the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rising 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis, following a 0.1% increase […]
August 1, 2025
I was speaking with a friend and client of mine this week who is dying, suffering from a terminal disease. It was very interesting and insightful to hear about the things that matter most to him now near the end. I was shocked by some of what he shared, all that he told me. He’s been very successful in his life – a titan in business. But the feeling that he could have done more with his family, for his family, really haunts him. He cannot get that time back. It’s gone. And soon he will be, too. It’s sad […]
July 25, 2025
Just because you don’t agree with someone or something, it does not make you right and the other person wrong. Discourse and listening help perspective. That is where we begin to learn and grow. In today’s world, that has never been more important. Conflicting views are where we begin to learn. Different perspective is how we grow and begin to understand how others think and feel. Again, we do not have to agree. But we should respect how that person feels. A few nights ago, some friends and I got into a spirited discussion about all that is happening around us. […]
July 18, 2025
If you’re surrounded by the right people, you can’t help but feel supported, inspired, and motivated to be your best self. I was reminded of this again last night at dinner. My coach said something to me that has really helped me focus on the right stuff, “Do you ever feel like your head is getting in the way?” I know I do. Too often, I find myself focusing on the negative, really struggling to get back on track. So, I started using this little trick to get my thoughts back to the “sunny side of the street.” Whatever negative […]
July 11, 2025
Needs versus wants. Sometimes the line between the two can get blurry. For instance, I used to drink 10 or 12 shots of espresso a day. Every day! For those who know me, that probably makes no sense given how wired I am naturally. Funny story: Years ago, my assistant thought she would be slick by swapping out my espresso for decaf. It was a complete failure – I always knew it wasn’t the real thing (she still says I didn’t, but I did!). So, recently, I decided to stop all caffeine. I had some espresso on a Sunday morning […]