Keep it Simple…2 + 2 = 4

Plan for tomorrow, yet live for today

This is the 1st installment in our “front porch” or “real” conversation series. Cathy Quinn started in this industry in 1982 and will officially be retiring after the 1st quarter of 2023. She has been at “the tip of the spear” of financial planning when the investment industry wasn’t really sure why it was even needed while navigating in a male dominated industry. We thought it would be a good idea for our own Kim Penzone to sit down and talk with Cathy about why planning is so important even to those that don’t think it’s necessary and how it has changed and evolved over the years. With 4 decades of real life experience, Cathy and Kim share stories about best practices, most common mistakes and why everything should start “with a plan.” This is truly an easy flowing conversation that will make you think that you are sitting on a front porch listening to two industry veterans share decades of wisdom and stories in a fun and comfortable setting with lots of real life examples with a dog or two hanging out with you. This is a longer form podcast and we believe it is very much worth the time because it gets to the core of how our team approaches financial planning and why it is so important to success in the investment world.

Maginot Line, Blitzkrieg, Fighting the Last War and Leon Levy’s Wisdom

How could the Germans invade Belgium and France to truly start World War II when the French built the Maginot line and prepared for an attack in vulnerable areas ? Blitzkrieg radically changed all war strategy and tactics from the previous wars. In investing, as in war…either you adapt and change…or you lose. Markets in the next decade are likely to look a lot different than the last 14 years. Leon Levy’s writings from the 1960’s are as true today as then.

Brake & Gas, QE & QT and Druck’s View

Stanley Druckenmiller is an investing legend whose work focuses on overall market liquidity and flow. In a recent symposium he highlighted and anomaly where one part of our government is stomping on the brake to cool inflation while the other is jamming the gas even harder. Why and what does it mean for markets in 2023?

History Doesn’t Repeat, but It Often Rhymes

Nature and markets tend to have repeatable cycles. In both, however, it is almost never exactly the same. If history is a guide and Mark Twain’s quote is right, the next 10+ years will look very different than the last 14 or so. Typically what led in the prior cycle, tends to underperform in the next…and vice versa. If this next cycle rhymes with 1968 - 1982 or 2000 - 2009, where should investors focus to prepare for this?

The Trolley Problem and Sophie’s Choice

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you only had 2 seemingly “BAD” choices? Either choice has sacrifices that no one finds palatable…but, unfortunately a choice must be made and “none of the above” is not an option. Welcome to The Trolley Problem or Sophie’s Choice that the FED and Washington, DC have earned. Their answer to this will drive markets and the economy for the foreseeable future.