Staying Creative I have long said that if there is one characteristic that I prize the most, it is creativity. When people ask me why I stayed in the banking business so long and specifically so long with Bankers Trust, I always come back to the same answer. The era from 1976 to2001 was a quarter-century of tremendous creativity in finance and banking. Innovation was my stock and trade and I was the guy who…
A Nice Week Ahead I read that Spring has come early all across the country, but that is deemed a mixed blessing at best. This was supposed to be a particularly harsh El Niño winter, but at least here in Southern California, that feels like it barely materialized. It’s always nice when the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow and we get an early Spring, but I should note that Groundhog Day was just over six…
Writing on Retirement Among the several categories into which I place my blog stories, I include retirement. I’ve had a fascination with retirement for 30 years, ostensibly, because I ran one of the largest retirement businesses in the world. That stint caused me to spend many hours, contemplating the idea of retirement as exemplified in the vast of Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution pension plans that were part of my business domain. You simply cannot…
Limping to the Finish Line This morning, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held his longest press conference of his three year tenure in the job. The position of Secretary of Defense is always an important cabinet position, usually the second or third most important among the cabinet. In fact, the official presidential line of succession flows from the Veep to the Speaker of the House, to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate (strangely enough,…
Flood on the Hilltop By definition, it would be pretty hard to flood me out on this hilltop. We are literally on higher ground than either our neighbor to the north or the neighbor to the south by at least 30 feet each. To the east and down the front slope it is perhaps 50 feet down to the road. And my back hillside is probably the steepest grade and it goes down perhaps 75…
Step By Step Most exercise measurement programs today seem to focus on walking steps and counting them. I get it. Walking is good for you. It is relatively low impact and almost everyone can do it. But not everyone enjoys it. I am one of those people who does not like walking. My size and weight makes walking a pain in my lower back. I have tried using walking sticks, which help, but not completely.…
The Cost of Living At a recent holiday gathering a nephew of mine who is currently feeling put upon by life (he has an injury that is very painful and its effecting every aspect of his enjoyment of life according to him), recited something that he had read about San Diego being the most expensive city in America. That didn’t feel right to me so I looked it up and found the source, which was…
Take a Deep Breath I have been 70 for a long time. I don’t know what it is about me that wants to rush my aging, but it has been almost a year now that when asked my age I have said that I was 70. The truth is that I will turn 70 officially in 30 days. Last night when we watched the ball drop in Times Square, for one reason or another they…
Living to 100 My mother was born in 1916 and died in early 2017. She made it to 100 and six months. This week, I noted that Henry Kissinger died at the age of 100 and six months. I recently watched a recent interview with Kissinger and with all due respect to my mother, who remained intellectually sharp until only a few years before her death, I must say that Kissinger at 100 seemed as…
California Coastin’ There are lots of things I like about California living. First and foremost among them is the casual dress climate we enjoy here in San Diego. Almost the biggest decision I make all year long is when I shift from shorts to long pants and vice versa as the weather cools. I noted that this weekend was due to be a slightly cooler weather weekend with temperatures in the mid-60s with a slight…