Part 1: Why No One Should Be in the Markets Today begins a series, to appear roughly once per month, on the main ways that the financial system rips off the average worker and investor. This is based upon my nearly decade-long tenure in the financial services industry. Investor Returns vs. Investment Returns The sad …
The Perceived Problem It is a bipartisan “truth” that China is a problem. Even those who are skeptical of the US proxy war in Ukraine are all onboard the anti-China train. It is true enough that China has grown stronger economically and diplomatically since they began liberalizing their markets in the late 1970s. The US …
This week begins an additional post for beleiveandobey.net. I am calling this Unfocused Friday, because, well, who needs focus heading into a weekend. As you may have suspected this will feature random posts covering a variety of topics. The first bunch of these posts will be a series of “best lists”. Who doesn’t like a …
We Do Know the Way The text this week is John 14: 1-14. This passage sees the disciples showing once again why they are often referred to as the Duh-ciples. Jesus is teaching them about the glory of what God has in store for all those who believe; a house with many dwelling places and …
Monthly Recap The month of April saw gains in most sectors of the market. The S & P 500 was up, but domestic small cap stocks were down. This likely reflects the weakening economy that hits smaller companies first. This same split was seen between foreign developed stocks and foreign emerging stocks, as the more …
Yes, The US is an Empire It is an axiom “that all good things come to an end”. This is true of bad things as well, like empires. This includes the US empire. Empire you say. Not the good ole US of A! Well in fact the US is indeed an empire. The dictionary defines …
There is Only One The text this week is John 10: 1-10. This is the story of Jesus the good shepherd. Right away Jesus makes an eschatological point. Anyone who enters the sheepfold other than by the gate is a thief and a bandit. That is they are a false prophet. The one who enters …
Get Started, It’s Biblical You Know This week’s edition of Midweek Stewardship is a focus on savings, the building block of all successful financial stewardship. There are many tools and strategies to achieve a sensible spending plan and save money as a result. The first thing you need is a commitment. It is kind of …
Not Those Two Americas Many people have postulated the existence of “two Americas”. Notably John Edwards built a presidential campaign based on this idea. His notion was that there is a wealthy America and a poor America. I do not disagree that there are two such Americas. The breakpoint, however, is better described as an …
Followers Who Still Misunderstand This week’s text is Luke 24: 13-35. This sees two followers of Jesus walking along the road to Emmaus, a village thought to be not far from Jerusalem. The followers are met by Jesus, yet they do not recognize Him. Jesus then asks them what they are discussing. They are somewhat …