Americans, as a group, are generous—especially during this wonderful holiday season. But they can also become cynical if they feel they have been duped.  A recent example is the New Jersey couple who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for a homeless man on GoFundMe.  The feel-good story turned sour when New Jersey prosecutors announced…

For the Week of November 12, 2018 The Markets The three major indexes fell Friday as oil prices dropped 1.0 percent amid a rising global supply and the Federal Reserve appeared on track to raise interest rates next month. Reports from China indicating falling domestic demand and manufacturing activity increased downward pressure. For the week,…

For the Week of November 5, 2018 The Markets Following three mid-week stock market rallies, stocks fell Friday. Trade concerns weighed on stocks after a White House official suggested no deal with China was at hand. On a positive note, the Labor Department’s October jobs report was well above expectations. For the week, the Dow…

For the Week of October 29, 2018 The Markets U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday. Amid disappointing corporate results, continued concerns over trade tariffs and rising wages and borrowing costs, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones turned red for the year. For the week, the Dow fell 2.97 percent to close at 24,688.31. The S&P…

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…