Columns

“In jobs, they embrace risk and prefer free agency over loyal corporatism. From grunge to hip-hop, their splintery culture reveals a hardened edge. Politically, they lean toward pragmatism and nonaffiliation and would rather volunteer than vote. Widely criticized as X’ers or slackers, they inhabit...

“The U.S. innovates, China replicates, and Europe regulates.” —The Christian Science Monitor Developed Markets, Frontier Markets and Emerging Markets Trump tariffs (roughly 25%) punish American consumers, suppliers and foreigners (who will seek new customers), so investors turn to Developed Markets, but since the 1990s European productivity...

Although it’s a bit early around here to see fall colors it’s happening at the higher elevation. Or is it? Have the wildfires affected the changing of the leaves? And what about the effects of ongoing climate change? How is our planet changing?  Quaking aspen...

Imagine being 5 years old and learning (from the other kids) it was possible, just possible…there was NO Santa Claus. This 5-year-old was devastated. In my little and quite poor hometown, the one hope we kids had was to get our one wish for Christmas...

Psychology Today says, “community provides belonging, support and identity.” Indeed, Santa Cruz County understands the power of community. We have united in the face of earthquakes, fires and Covid-19, to mention a few significant challenges. Through these tribulations, we have come together with collective...

“Be careful what you wish for, it might be more than you can handle.” That thought immediately came to mind, that late afternoon while staring down the hallway of my apartment building many years ago. Women and children were at each end of that hallway, some...

There’s a huge misconception that in order to have a strong body and be in better shape, it takes hours a day every week in the gym while being on a broccoli and boiled chicken diet. That’s the farthest thing from the truth.  You just...

I don’t grow corn in my small, shady garden, so I’m not sure how tall they’d be by now if I planted on May Day when the soil was 50 degrees, but that’s how the saying goes. And from what I’ve read about the...

Before 2000, I entered financial planning with yahoo recruiters from Primerica Financial Services who shouted “Buy Term and Invest the Difference” because whole life insurers drained family savings. Still appalled by fees in 2025, two elderly tax clients paid over $20,000 in assets under...

When I think about precious stones, rubies, diamonds and sapphires come to mind. They are known as the “Red, White and Blue” stones in the industry. Recently, I visited William Greene Fine Jewelry Design out of curiosity. Little did I know about their rich...