March 3, 2020 A Black Swan Named COVID-19 A few hundred years ago, Europeans could not imagine a swan being any other color than white, because they had never seen a black swan until explorers returned from Australia with one.  A black swan event is something no one can envision until it happens, sort of like the Fukushima nuclear accident, the 9/11 attacks on the World

February 4, 2020 Coronavirus and Your Investments If you are like me, you are thinking that it would be optimal if the Coronavirus stayed contained over in China and didn’t bother us over here in the US. The virus may not become a health issue here as it is in China since we have a well-developed public health system. But it may become a financial issue

January 2, 2020 The Cannabis Bust of 2019 What We Were Saying Back Then In 2018, Cannabis investing was a hot topic. Canada had just legalized pot, as well as a growing number of states and many investors were expecting a gold rush into the market for pot. But cannabis investments, typified by Exchanged Traded Funds, MJ and Yolo, have been some of the worst performing

November 26, 2019 Uncharitable Giving Tax reform, with an unintended consequence of larger standard deductions we each now enjoy, has put a dent in philanthropy. Under the 2017 tax law changes, fewer people get a financial benefit from itemizing deductions on their tax returns — meaning fewer people get a tax break from their donations to charity. The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimated 21 million taxpayers

November 5, 2019 This Space Stuff is Getting Serious   Two pieces crossed my desk last week from Peter Diamandis’ Abundance Insider that may change the way I look at space projects. Once relegated to the “no immediate benefit” cubby in my mind, these space projects are happening now, with commercial implications:   NASA’s Collaborating with Caterpillar on Moon Mining Machines What it is: NASA has