A tidal wave of red ink, precipitated by COVID-19 shutdowns, is now drowning towns, cities, and counties across America. Massive cuts in services loom ahead, as do huge tax hikes. Localities face unprecedented challenges in rebooting their economies. Where I live, in Montgomery County, Maryland, the County Executive recently empaneled about twenty businesspeople and economic-development …
If you are going stir-crazy spending your summer indoors, I can help. Here are three events, dear friends, I hope you will consider attending. All local-economy related. All free. All filling up fast! First, I will participate with my dear friend Judy Wicks this Thursday, July 9, at 2 pm EDT in a conversation sponsored …
The Small Street Journal Brought to you by The Main Street Journal, The Small Street Journal highlights actionable opportunities for small investors to support local companies. Company Sector Location Raise Target Portal Offering Description Amped Innovation Renewable Energy San Mateo, CA Raising $5M at $55M pre-money valuation cap. Republic Amped Innovation provides a family of …
(This blog is part two of a 12-part series on emerging opportunities for local investment that are especially important in the post-COVID era. It’s drawn from my new book, Put Your Money Where Your Life Is.) Last week I talked about how investing in yourself by paying off your credit cards was the single best …
If I’d been out till quarter to three Would you lock the door Will you still need me, will you still feed me When I’m sixty-four. – The Beatles If ever there were an inauspicious week for the release of my latest book, PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR LIFE IS, this is it. Okay, maybe …
(This blog is the first in a 12-part series on emerging opportunities for local investment that are especially important in the post-COVID era. It’s drawn from my new book, Put Your Money Where Your Life Is.) One of my favorite Gary Larson cartoons is of a crisis clinic on fire, floating down a river, about …
Many of us show our compassion and generosity through acts of adoption. Adopt a tree, adopt a baby giraffe, adopt a schoolchild, etc. For the last two weeks, my partner Audrey and I adopted a lovely four-legged pooch named Annie. Her “person,” a close friend, had to travel to Western Massachusetts to be with her …
My recent recommendation to radically overhaul public procurement (one of “A Dozen Asks for Your Governor”) elicited lots of great questions. Today’s blog explains in more detail what needs to be done and why. Let’s begin with the bottom line: In 2017, according to Census data, state and local governments collectively spent about $3.7 trillion. …
The film World War Z depicts a pandemic that spreads rapidly across the planet and transforms its victims into terrifying Zombies. What it failed to anticipate was how a pandemic could reduce our social interactions to exhausting, numbing Zoom sessions. Must social distancing mean the loss of our humanity? Close social interactions are the essence …
Wall Street is no longer a roller coaster, it’s a runaway train heading over a cliff. How are you feeling about losing at least a fifth of your retirement savings? Or thousands you diligently tucked away for your kids’ education? Your investment adviser is no doubt telling you to stay the course, think long term, …
