PE4FAMs Blog

I have not written my regular blog since January. This wasn’t a case of writer’s block, lack of time or disinterest. Rather there had been something happening on a macro level that is new and hard for me to understand. So, in order to move forward I wanted to review the distinctive characteristics of three […]

My inbox has been exploding with reactions to the DOGE onslaught on good governance and good financial stewardship. This is another tribal exercise meant to take our eye off the elephant in the room which is the $36 Trillion and growing National Debt. Here is a table showing the growth of our national debt since

It is with a massive dose of humility that I am attempting to divine why Warren Buffett has sold down his large ownership position in Apple stock and how he accomplished it without affecting the trading prices. Here is a 5 year chart of Apple’s performance. It has risen from around $68 per share in

Over the last several decades a profound shift has occurred in the world of investments and responsibility for investment risk. Once upon a time when I started my career in the 1970’s, the risks associated with investment decisions were squarely shouldered by investors themselves. In this traditional model which had existed from the beginning of

Reddy Kilowatt was the creation of the electric utility industry in the 1930’s when it was trying to spur consumer adoption of electricity which, for many, was simply an abstract invisible commodity. Here is Reddy Kilowatt circa 1930: By the end of WWII Reddy Kilowatt’s likeness was global and demand for electric power began to

I first learned about debt jubilees when I took a religion course in college.  The concept is rooted in the bible, but it also has antecedents in the way religious leaders and kings curried favor with their subjects to remain in power and avoid rebellion. I asked ChatGPT to for a short history of debt

I have been monitoring many of the favorite investment names in the U.S. stock market like Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), Progressive (NYSE: PGR), Facebook (NASDAQ: META) and Alphabet/Google (NASDAQ: GOOG). After a significant downturn in 2021 these stocks and many others have rebounded and, in many cases, have exceeded the giddy highs set in October

Many of our blog readers have asked about Bitcoin (Ticker: BTC). This corresponds to the development of multiple ETF’s earlier this year, the halving of the reward paid to Bitcoin miners in April and Jamie Dimon rendering his annual opinion that Bitcoin is a “fraud”. Background On Bitcoin Here is a description of Bitcoin taken

I have always loved Triscuits and peanut butter. It was a staple of the McCreary family diet for more than 20 years.  As time passes, I have noticed less salt, less fat, and less taste in modern day Triscuits but most of all I think the volume of Triscuits you get in the modern box

In the 1980’s, against the backdrop of 18% interest rates, politicians and the financiers each staked out their turf. The financiers ceded the power to legislate, tax and create entitlement programs to the politicians and the politicians let the financiers run a legal monopoly known as the stock and bond markets where wealth creation trickled