Nearly sixty years ago, John Taylor (my grandfather), trimmed some large branches off a friend’s mature willow tree.  He placed the cut ends of the branches into a barrel, kept it filled with water, and watched patiently as roots began to sprout over the next several months. John was fresh out of law school, married…

“No” is a short and powerful word.  It’s easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and one of the first words a toddler learns to say.  But for parents and grandparents, “no” can be one of the most difficult words to utter—especially to adult children or grandchildren who want your help to solve their financial problems.…

It appears the stock market is experiencing a long-anticipated correction. In last month’s newsletter we noted, “…we can’t help but search the horizon for a cloud or two.  We know a correction would be healthy for the overall market.” What is a correction? Corrections are price declines of 10% or more that stop an upward…

We are glad 2017 is in the history books.  It’s been a very intense year with Washington turmoil, nuclear threats, and massive natural disasters.  But the good news is that the stock market paid little attention to tweets, polls or weather forecasts.  It not only gave us a stellar performance in 2017, but the final…

Last month, CNBC reported 63 percent of firms planned to give employees bonuses for 2017. If you work for one of those companies, it is wise to come up with a thoughtful plan for the extra cash. If you need more time to consider your options, deposit the money in a savings account. It will…

The Markets The three major indexes posted record gains Friday. Following the Monday holiday, the three benchmarks enjoyed their strongest first four trading days of a year for more than a decade. For the week, the Dow rose 2.37 percent to close at 25,295.87. The S&P gained 2.63 percent to finish at 2,743.15, and the…

The Markets The three major indexes posted record gains Friday. Following the Monday holiday, the three benchmarks enjoyed their strongest first four trading days of a year for more than a decade. For the week, the Dow rose 2.37 percent to close at 25,295.87. The S&P gained 2.63 percent to finish at 2,743.15, and the…

The Markets Last week, Wall Street closed a year that brought a series of record highs. The three major indexes achieved their best yearly performance since 2013. But there was little celebration Friday with stocks ending lower, thanks to losses in financial and technology stocks. For the week, the Dow fell 0.14 to close at…

You would think that snow-covered mountains, crisp cool air, and the smell of an open fire would signal that Christmas is close at hand.  But for Air Force Captain Doug Neil, home and family seem very distant in spite of the wintry terrain that now surrounds him in Kabul, Afghanistan. Unless you have a loved…

The Markets The three major indexes slipped Friday in light holiday trading, but they all ended the week higher. The S&P has increased around 20 percent this year. For the week, the Dow rose 0.42 percent to close at 24,754.06. The S&P gained 0.30 percent to finish at 2,683.34, and the NASDAQ rose 0.34 percent…