Visiting Equine Escape, a horse farm and equine therapy facility in Goodrich, brought back fond memories of my childhood growing up with horses in rural Maryland. We lived in a beautiful farmhouse that was built in the 1800s, located on 14 pristine acres of land surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains. There was an old barn on the property, a summer kitchen, chicken coop and a stream-fed pond in the back near the woods.
The time this goes to print, the first round of the Democratic debates will have just concluded. I’m hopeful that a few leaders with great ideas and strategies have risen to the top of the list. Infrastructure, healthcare, Welfare reform, all need to be addressed and I’m excited for solutions to be presented. I’m also hopeful that a candidate emerges who isn’t focused on disincentivizing those who have made the American Dream a reality.
The idea that the U.S. is currently in a trade war with China and Mexico is attracting a lot of attention. A Google search for “trade war” yields 1 billion results. Google trends show that the phrase “trade war” has seen several spikes in search activity during the Trump Administration, despite essentially no search activity prior to it. The latest spike occurred in May 2019. This followed the collapse of U.S.-Chinese trade negotiations and the threat of imposing tariffs on Mexico to punish the Mexican government for not doing more to stem the tide of illegal immigration at our Southern Border.
On a rare, warm, dry day this spring, I ventured out onto the Shiawassee River in my kayak to take in the fresh air, the sunshine, you know – Mother Nature in all her glory.
One of my fondest memories is a hot air balloon ride I took on a calm, summer evening a few years ago. The first time I took to the skies, I was more than a little nervous. I have a fear of heights and wasn’t sure how I would react once the balloon was high in the sky. I mean, there are so many unanswered questions: Where will it go? Where will it land? What if I want to bail out? But it was a beautiful, balmy day at Seven Lakes Park in Holly – perfect conditions for a balloon ride, according to the captain who assured me there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
I love a good Awareness Month. There is a month for everything.
Since the first observance in the State of Washington on June 19, 1910 (it wasn’t made official in the U.S. until 1972), Father’s Day has honored dads in various ways. Here in the U.S., we spend the day with Dad fishing, enjoying barbecues and ball games, and giving him special gifts. America is not the only country to honor the family patriarch, however. Father’s Day is celebrated around the world with many unique traditions. Here is a sample:
A comeback for Aretha Franklin? The singing great from Detroit died in August 2018, but the movie about her that she did not want you to see is new in theaters – including one in Flint.
When it comes to stock market volatility, risk seems to start very slowly and then happen all at once. I’m sure you’ve heard friends talk about their investment accounts “taking the stairs up and the elevator down.” The decline we saw in the S&P 500 index* from October 1 – December 24, 2018 was fast and furious. The market was able to wipe out almost two years-worth of gains when it fell approximately 20% from peak to trough in just over nine weeks. If you’ve been investing over the past 20 years, you’ve been able to see two of the largest declines in stock market history. This leaves investors questioning, “when will the next big crash come?”
The “College Admissions Scandal,” which broke in March 2019, galvanized the nation’s interest. The scandal involved parents paying illegal bribes to gain admission for their children to prestigious universities. The fact that some well-known celebrities were arrested in the FBI investigation, code-named “Operation Varsity Blues,” attracted widespread attention. What has attracted less attention is that the scandal offers evidence that college rankings are grossly overrated in importance.
