“In 1883, Monet and his family settled at Giverny, northwest of Paris. Three years later he acquired an adjacent piece of land and applied for permission to dig a pond, which he hoped would be a source of artistic inspiration,” writes Rebecca Wei, President of Christie’s Asia. “In his petition to the local authorities, Monet specified that the pond would serve ‘for the pleasure of the eyes and also for the purpose of having subjects to paint.” One of Claude Monet’s (1840-1926) “Water Lilies” or Nympheas en fleur, painted circa 1914-1917 will be offered to bidders in “The Collection of David … [Read more...]
Your Retirement: The Van Life
Is living in a van and travelling the country for you? For some baby boomers it’s the only way to travel. “‘The thing I like so much about van life is the simplicity,’ says 55-year-old John Kennedy, now on his first big road trip, to California, in his $75,000 revamped Ram ProMaster,” reports Anne Marie Chaker in the WSJ. It may not be for everyone but it sure sounds like a wonderful retirement solution for some as one commenter notes: Different people have different tastes and interests. When traveling by airline, we only fly first class and stay in the finest hotels. Or I fly my personal … [Read more...]
$50 Lobster Roll?
A $50 lobster roll? Talk about sticker shock. But that’s the reality in Boston. “A combination of lousy weather, international demand, and iced-over Canadian fisheries has created a shortage that has driven whole hard-shell lobster prices to as high as $15 a pound this spring, up from about $8 a pound last year,” reports Janelle Nanos in the Boston Globe. “For chefs buying pre-shucked lobster meat for their rolls, the price has been hovering at $40 a pound, or about $8 more than a year ago, several said.” Nanos continues: Typical pricing for a lobster roll at North Square Oyster in the … [Read more...]
The Good News Continues for Dividend-Centric Investors
There’s a certain discipline required of the stock investor whom adheres to a dividend-centric investment strategy. It’s not for the FOMO (fear of missing out) crowd that talks up their latest stock heroics at cocktail parties—a never in doubt but often wrong crowd if I’ve ever seen one. At the end of the day, it’s the dividend investor whom usually has the last laugh. Looks like a truckload of cash from the recent tax cut will be paid out in the form of dividends. Young Research's Retirement CompoundersSM Portfolio, a dividend-centric stock portfolio, has outperformed the DJIA and the … [Read more...]
O Canada: “Sports Bind Us Together in our Pain and Heartache”
In his wonderful tribute to the 16 members of Canada’s hockey community killed in a tragic bus crash—10 were players of the Humboldt Broncos heading to a playoff game in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Playoffs—Aaron Gleason of The Federalist, writes “Canada is hockey and hockey is Canada.” Think of the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, explains Gleason, “Now Imagine that there was one team that embodied all this money, fame, scrutiny, hate and love. That is what the Toronto Maple Leafs are to Canada.” On Monday night, my household … [Read more...]
Syria’s Four Fronts and a Perfect Storm of Chaos
As you can see in the map above, the Syrian civil war has many fronts and many players. Those fronts are increasingly more complicated as outside forces are getting increasingly involved. As Haaretz explains in “Syrias Four-Front War and the Unprecedented Chaos It Has Created,” the recent chaos has seen al-Qaida rebels shooting down a Russian jet, Kurdish fighters downing a Turkish helicopter, Israel downing a Iranian drone, and the Syrian army shooting down an Israeli F-16, all within a week. Below, Haaretz breaks down these Syrian Fronts. 1) Turkey's war on the Kurds Turkey opened a new … [Read more...]
Make Your Bed: Advice for SEALs and Investors
Originally posted May 18, 2017. Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy Retired) is a little blue-book about little things that can change your life…and maybe the world. It was inspired by the commencement speech McRaven gave on May 21, 2014. Start your day with a task completed. Make your bed. And, as he explains in Chapter Ten: Never Quit. McRaven told Business Insider in an interview: Admiral McRaven: We used to have a saying in SEAL training, "Take it one evolution at a time." Meaning don't look six months down the road. Don't ask yourself or don't look and say, "My … [Read more...]
How Would You Evacuate? Could You?
Originally posted September 22, 2017. After the triple shot of devastation served up by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, it's worth a few minutes of your time to reassess your level of preparedness. Even if you live far away from the Atlantic or Pacific, you're not immune. There are natural disasters that can touch down anywhere. Take a minute to consider a few questions about your preparedness to evacuate the area. Do you have transportation? This seems like a silly question in a nation as infatuated with the automobile as America, but there are millions of people who live in … [Read more...]
Blackout: The Lights are Out in Puerto Rico
Hurricane Maria’s devastation is still front and center in Puerto Rico where an island-wide blackout triggered a power line failure in the south yesterday, reports the WSJ. “It is the latest in a string of blackouts that have plagued Puerto Rico in the wake of last year’s hurricanes, which wiped out power to the entire island and severely damaged the antiquated power grid.” Remember when Puerto Rico’s municipal bonds were being sold by hucksters as a “fail safe” investment? I do. That’s why it’s crucial for anyone who thinks this could never happen to them to remember that there’s trillions … [Read more...]
Your Pre-Retirement Years: A Straightforward Way to Earn Over 9% with Vanguard Wellesley
Over the past year, the total return for Vanguard Wellesley has been just over five and half percent. “Five and a half percent? What’s so great about that,” you might think. Well, it can be great if you’re a patient investor and you allow the miracle of compound interest, what Albert Einstein is said to have referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, to work its magic for you. Father Time can be your friend, as I will explain in a moment. Yesterday, I was speaking with a client whom I’ve been working with since his mid-50s. He’s in his early 70s now but it hardly feels like close to … [Read more...]