Watching the inauguration in D.C. earlier this month reminded me of the many years I spent living in the D.C. area. Much of that time was spent during my tenure at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD (located about 30 miles outside of D.C.) where I earned an undergraduate degree in ocean engineering. For those who aren't familiar, the Naval Academy is one of 5* service academies... READ MORE

This year has yielded very volatile market conditions, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the Federal Reserve, interest rates are now very low and there isn't much indication that they will rise any time soon. This implies that bond yields will be very low and it will be more difficult to achieve good stock market returns. One strategy to consider for those who seek downside... READ MORE

If Noah had to build his ark today, he'd be in for a shock. Over the course of the past several months, lumber prices have been on a wild ride. Since the beginning of April, lumber prices more than tripled and then fell abruptly at the end of last week. The rise in price was likely driven by a spike in demand from the renovation and new home markets as well as the forest fires in the West and... READ MORE

Earlier this week, Hurricane Laura threatened to potentially hit the Houston area. As Laura made it's way across the Gulf of Mexico, it strengthened rapidly into a major Category 4 hurricane and it's track shifted further East. This resulted in Laura making landfall in Cameron, Louisiana, as the fifth strongest hurricane ever to hit the continental United States. Based on the catastrophic damage... READ MORE