I’ve been a member of the board of directors of the local RMA chapter for many years. RMA is Risk Management Associates, the national bankers’ organization. It has been around for over one hundred years and was know for most of its existence as Robert Morris Associates, Robert Morris being George Washington’s banker and the […]
My First Trip to Asia
In April, my wife, grandson and I visited Korea. This was mostly a chance to visit my wife’s family. She has three sisters and their families that live in and around Seoul. My wife was born during the Korean War, or what they call the Korean Civil War. The country was very poor after the […]
It’s (Still) Deal Time in the Business Cycle
In July 2017, I wrote that it was deal time in the business cycle and that I had been helping a number of clients sell their businesses. At that time, we were overdue for a recession. Now, almost two years later, we’re even more overdue for a recession. Still, somehow the economy keeps on going […]
A Plan for Profit Improvement
In my last blog I discussed the importance of timely and accurate financial statements for your business. This begins with having the right people with the proper training to do the job. But what if you’re getting good financial statements on a timely basis, but the profits aren’t up to your expectations? Then what? What’s […]
Accounting Check-up
There are a variety of reasons for me to be referred into a client. One of the most common is problems with the company’s accounting or the person/s performing the accounting. Often the owner/operator isn’t getting financial information that is timely or accurate. Often, they can’t judge whether the information is accurate, but their intuition […]
Book Review: The Big Short
The Big Short, subtitled Inside the Doomsday Machine, was written by Michael Lewis in 2010. The book is about the financial mess suffered as a result of the subprime mortgage meltdown in 2005-2008. Lewis is one of my favorite authors. He wrote the classic Liar’s Poker, which I still think is one of the best […]
Happy New Year 2019! My Resolution
Happy New Year! Here’s to a healthy and prosperous 2019! I’ve got something on my mind. We all get them. LinkedIn sends us people the computers think we ought to connect with. I actually scrolled through these automated suggestions recently. About 75 percent of them were men. At least half of them were people I […]
Save the Earth?
This is the fourth and final installment in my series of articles for the holiday season. The first installment asked, “Are we Alone in the Universe?” The answer seems to be, for all practical purposes, yes. The second installment was, “The Legacy of Space Exploration,” which was a celebration of the Moon flights and Lunar […]
The Lunacy of Space Exploration
This is the third of four installments. The first was “Are We Alone in the Universe,” where the conclusion was, it seems so. The second installment was about the space explorers of 50 years ago and the irony of looking outward towards space caused them invariably to focus back on the tiny blue marble that […]
The Legacy of Space Exploration
This is the second in my four-part series on the really big picture questions to consider during the holiday season of reflection. The first installment was titled, “Are We Alone in the Universe?” Next up… The Legacy of Space Exploration During 2018 and 2019 there is and will be a lot of celebration of the […]