On an April 12 podcast by Goldman Sachs called “Rising Stagflation Risks Are Changing the Investment Climate’’ their global head of asset solution stated, “I would say that the playbook for investments and portfolio construction, of the period since the financial crisis, may not be relevant anymore. We have entered a period of higher inflation, higher volatility, and more uncertainty.” To say that the first quarter of the year was challenging for investors would be a massive understatement! At the time of this writing, the NASDAQ Index is -14.66%* the S&P 500 is -7.84% and if you think that is bad, the Russian index is -36% followed by China’s Shanghai index slightly better at -11.77%.**
After such a long winter, we are all looking to enjoy spring flowers in every way possible! This includes incorporating the edible varieties into recipes to make them extra special.
One of the best things about living in Houston, TX is being within driving distance of New Orleans. And one of the worst things is being within driving distance from New Orleans. It’s just close enough to drive to, but far enough that the drive is tedious and taxing.
When my daughter Melissa found out her son (my grandson) Mack had decided to join the United States Marine Corps, her life was forever changed. He had just turned 18 and hadn’t yet graduated from high school when he made the commitment. The two have always shared a special bond but no matter what Melissa said or did, Mack’s mind was made up. He told her it was his calling and something he felt compelled to do. His desire was to serve his country and in his words, is “an honorable thing to do.”
Mother’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays, when my sons show their love and appreciation for me in special ways. It’s a day when I know how truly blessed I am.
Spring is in the air. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, people are venturing outdoors and flowers are blooming. For humans, it’s easy to know when spring has arrived. We feel the warm temperatures, we hear the birds, smell the flowers and see the changes all around us and it must be much the same for most animals. But, what of the plants? How do they know when it is time to emerge from the earth and bloom? What external or internal cues let them know when spring has arrived?
I’ve lived in Texas for about ten years – first in Austin and then, in and around Houston. And during the decade, I’ve only been to Dallas three times. Texas is a big place, after all, and traveling the distance between cities is daunting, especially considering it can take three hours to just get from one end of Houston to the other.
In December, I wrote about the ratcheting-up of our inflationary numbers. We had recently heard from our Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, that we need not worry because the inflation created through our government’s money printing policies and its COVID restriction-induced supply chain debacle was going to be “transitory.” I assumed that “transitory” must be related to something close to having an enema, because in my opinion, that’s exactly what this inflation situation has felt like. Much to my surprise after looking up the definition, the word transitory meant that this inflationary spike was going to be temporary. I then started reviewing some of the past Federal Reserve meeting minutes and realized that this transitory inflation has now lasted for over nine months! *
Growing up in Illinois, I was blessed to have many educational opportunities outside of the classroom. You might say I was a nerd, but I absolutely devoured the big activity books my mom and dad bought for me and my sisters. I spent hours plowing through them, doing the word search, word scramble, crossword, connect-the-dot puzzles and more. I also loved coloring books of every description and my big box of Crayola Crayons.
Hopefully by the time this is published, the war will be over and peace will prevail in Eastern Europe. At the time of this column’s writing, the conflict is escalating. In addition to the horrific humanitarian crisis, the war threatens substantial harm to the U.S. economy.
