The Signal Amidst the Noise

There's one significant concern for every Parent. That is ensuring Children progress to a stable adult future. That would include the ability to earn a living wage, being engaged in a stable career, and living within their means. For many years, the emphasis on rearing Children has been to encourage a College Education. It would be fool-minded for a parent to discourage College, even today. However, some E conomist are beginning to indicate  it is losing luster. Especially w hen comparing College to a Trade-Oriented Career and affordability. Millennial, a term touted quite often today, is an individual born between 1981 and 1996. They are currently aged between 23 and 38. Millennials, over that fifteen year range, are either completing College or fairly well established in their Career. It is dependent on the level or degree of Education they pursued. Now we are entering the Post Millennial generation. That includes Parent's of my generation (Gen-X). Business Insider, Published...

It's the middle of life, or at least I hope. I find myself reflecting on somethings my Dad had placed emphasis and shared. My Father, a man of few words, had some philosophical moments that, for much of my life. left me grasping to understand. They seemed silly or useless at times but through the progression of life I've come to understand they're important. He had five rules, expressed several times, and they were carefully ordered to emphasize their level of importance. The first was, "Take care of your health". It was always followed by silence and a stare that made it more impactful. Yes, my Dad in his later years thought the single most important rule of life was, "Take Care of Your Health". So, I've entered a point where health became a greater concern. As I deal with circumstances that could end my life early, I am no longer invincible and want to take care of my health. I have a cardiovascular condition called anti-phospholipid syndrome. In...

Nearly everyone in the States were touched by John. I use his first name as though he was a personal friend. I use his first name despite we never met. Most of my life I lived within 100 miles of John. He resided around Malvern PA. And... Because of my Career in Transportation, favorable odds say I crossed his path at some point. But I wouldn't have paid attention or noticed John. I've read about him, heard about him, and knew he created the Vanguard 500 Index Fund but I have no idea what John looked like.  I don't know how to describe John's success. Did he fall on something big, because he was lazy? Did he accidently notice something unbeatable in Wealth Building, because he was ambitious? By his own account (From my memory), he read a book about Investing. That book outlined the concept of an Investment based upon the Standard and Poor's 500 Index. John realized that such an Investment Index of Equities didn't exist. He saw the potential.  We must tak...

It was a weekend day. I know this because I wasn't traveling down a road during the early cold hours of a winter morning. As a matter of fact, I was calmly pacing back and forth in my living room and carefully weighing the latest earnings gyrations I've heard from various conference calls. I was wearing my favorite pajamas. Yesterday's denim and no top or socks. I was sipping a fresh cup of French Vanilla flavored Maxwell House Dark roast from my favorite, "I Love Dad," mug. Investing in a   saturated  consumer market has little volatility but sparse-volatility is easily seen, if we are mindful of competitive growth and retraction. It's the coveted, "End of Year," Earning Season. You are a foolish Investor, if you're not listening and mindful of what's happening. It's the most important Earning Release of the year! I thought to break the silence of my quiet home and turned on my television. I knew the morning News was airing. Although I...

Today I write wearing my Dad hat. It doesn't seem to fit to well anymore. The internal debate is deciding whether that hat has shrunk or my head grew! I've been dealing with Teen Ambivalence for a couple years now. I knew it would come. There are even age-old Biblical passages expressing the understanding that it will happen. Clearly, there are different degrees of Parent-Teen Ambivalence and I think many effected handle it in there own way. My experience is minor but harshly impactful. While I don't have the answers to overcome this dilemma, I have my reasoning and rationale.  My first thought, my Teenager is finding herself. Surely, to some degree I'm confident this is the case. We should try to teach them right from wrong. This I firmly believe is our goal as a Parent. I always tried to be Authoritative in that pursuit. By this I mean, I put a lot of thought into not using the phrase, "Because I said so". When I shared my views and insights, with the auth...

Life is full of changes and unexpected, but possible, surprises. This Sunday, I'm starting this write with a lot of excitement. I've learned there's one in the oven, a Stork on its way, and most importantly, a new obligation. I'm instinctively at Bat for Security, Providing, and Rearing. The test was positive, the mother is family oriented, and I'm excited looking over the horizon. Thereby increasing my motives for financial security, accepting of a supportive posture, and heavy emphasis on stable long term growth. I start this write with one of my favorite investments in mind. An entire BORING sector that possibly parallels the security of US Treasuries. Ah yes, the Utility Sector... Boring, Hidden, Demanded by All! The Utility Sector is primarily made up of three segments. Each offers a moat, in respect to consumer necessity. Human society is very dependent on Energy, Natural Gas, and Clean Water - Waste Water Treatment. My focus, starting 2019, is Electricity. ...

Sometimes, the wrong choices bring us to the right understanding. That mantra can loosely be applied to many endeavors in my life. It fits well with my theories and logic when buying and selling Stock. Equities to be more specific. Reflecting on that, I've had my share of wrong choices through my Self-Directed Investing career. I've learned to assess where my choices might have been misguided and how I could avoid them in the future. Moreover, it shaped a simple and concise algorithm to apply when choosing a company. But before explaining part of my current algorithm, a little dose of my logic. One of my favorite youth Sports was Baseball. My Coach once told me I was a rare catch for his team. Foremost, I was a decent Pitcher that could throw a moderate, "Sinker" and amazing, "Fast-Ball". I Pitched quite a few, "No hitters," and became a good friend with the one Catcher, "Pete," that seemed to know what I was throwing at him. I paid lit...