The subtitle to this blog should be “What I did on my summer vacation”.
Have you ever been someplace where you felt insignificant? I have twice, the first time was in the Coast Guard, out at sea on board a research vessel called the “Evergreen.” We were out in the middle of the ocean late at night. All I could see was the darkness until l looked into the sky and saw what seemed to be billions of stars. I swear the constellations were so vivid that I could see the blue in Orion’s eyes. It was the brightest that I had ever seen the night sky. All around me I could hear nothing but the engine of the ship and the small waves it was making on that quiet fall night. That feeling was one of feeling so vulnerable in that vastness in that moment. It was truly a humbling experience. One I will never forget.
I never thought I would feel like that again until I went out west and hiked the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley. Imagine going from sea level to 9,000 feet above and standing on a rock overlooking miles upon miles of Pastel colored rocks that seem to change color as the sun light moved through the day. It is one of the most beautiful and surreal experiences I’ve ever been through. I remember looking down from the edge and seeing a vulture circling below me and hearing the wind going through its wings. The sensation caused vertigo or something like it. As we hiked around Bryce Canyon and looked up the walls of the canyon feeling about the size of an ant. For those of you that have been there, you know what I’m talking about. For those of you that have not, I highly recommend that you put this trip on your bucket list. This part of the country is just amazing. So much for summer vacation.
As we get into the Fall season, we are seeing the political scene change. The biggest changes are how Congress is looking at big business and the wealthy. It looks as if large corporations as well as the billionaires are going to get hit with higher taxes. This might be good for Uncle Sam to recoup some of the under payments the big corporations have been able to dance around. But lets’ face it, the companies will just pass the costs right back to us. Also, larger estates are going to get hit with higher taxes, which I believe is a good thing. It has been an income source the government has overlooked for several years now. Also, if you are collecting Social Security, you might have noticed a bump in your benefit. Your bump should be 5.9%. There has also been a lot of negative noise about Bitcon lately. As you know, I am conservative and honestly do not see any upside to Bitcon. I’m having flash backs of past debacles such as Silicon Valley. Okay, with all that said, I think we will finish the year pretty strong. I still like the health Science and Technology sectors as well as Small Cap and medium Cap. I see bond lagging, so if you have bond funds with me, call me. We should make some changes.
Ursula and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and safe and healthy Fall.