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30 Pieces of Silver
April 17, 2025
Here we are, deep into Holy Week, with Tuesday’s Gospel started out with the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, Went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me If I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of…
Symbolism and Sincerity
November 18, 2024
The past days have seen the media launch an attack on an individual, Peter Hegseth, who President Trump has nominated for the cabinet level position of Defense Secretary. The condemnations arise from two tattoos he bears. I don’t know Mr. Hegseth, but I do know a reasonable amount about the tattoo designs. Both of the…
Politics and Projections
October 23, 2024
As we rapidly approach the finish line of this year’s presidential election, emotions run high and pundits weigh in on how its outcome may affect the stock market. Interestingly, history is unclear as to whether the stock market (as measured by the S&P 500 Index) cares which party ultimately holds the presidency. Republican or Democrat,…
Two Standards: Investing is Harder for Catholics
August 17, 2024
A serious Catholic, in my opinion, is called to bring the faith into all areas of life. No walling off makes sense if we are making a sincere effort to follow Jesus. Therefore, as I hope I have made clear in earlier articles, we should include our investment activities in those areas. The U.S. Conference…
Growing the Faith
February 17, 2024
Last night I had the good fortune of attending our archdiocesan Pallium Lecture. It “is an annual event designed to foster conversation and engage the broader culture through the Catholic intellectual tradition,” per the Milwaukee Archdiocese website. Over the history of the event, the speakers have included Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Barron, among many other…
Just in Time for Valentine’s Day
February 10, 2024
“Will you be my Valentine?” For many people, this question is an expression of love that is often said on the February holiday known as Valentine’s Day. Flowers are delivered, chocolate hearts fly off the shelves, and cards are signed, sealed (sometimes with a kiss), and delivered. Even though Valentine’s Day is seen as a…
The Catholic Investor: Some Great Investment Ideas
January 27, 2024
On January 22, the Catholic Church in the United States observes a “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children”. As a past president and former board member of Wisconsin Right to Life, this day is especially meaningful to me. And, somewhat oddly, it inspired me today to share some rather different investment…
Time for a Change
January 17, 2024
Happy New Year! The exclamation is often followed by an inquiry: what are your new year’s resolutions? And every year for millions of Americans (some research says 60% of the population) most of the answers have to do with self-improvement of one type or another. A survey by Forbes done just before year-end showed the…
The Cost of Cash
October 27, 2023
I have been lucky to have been blessed with seven children. They are now all adults. The majority have yet to start investing for the future despite the occasional admonishment from me. That’s a really bad idea for them and for anyone who has followed the same path. The chart below offers a very simple…
Into the Alphabet Soup
June 15, 2023
It seems that hardly a day goes by that another major corporation doesn’t pop up with some amazing demonstration of its commitment to the LGBTIQA+ agenda. InBev, owner of Anheuser Busch brand Current star of this phenomenon is Anheuser Busch – InBev, the beer company behind the Budweiser brand. Anheuser, formerly a U.S. company headquartered…
Dealing Death – an Update
March 16, 2023
In my last post, I wrote about the change made in January by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to its rules regarding the dispensing of Mifepristone, the chemical abortion drug, and the intentions of Walgreens and CVS to distribute it. I am writing today with an update of that article. 21 States said “No!”…
Profiting from Abortion
January 18, 2023
I’d like to start this article by wishing all of you a very happy 2023! Hopefully, it will prove to be more rewarding from an investment standpoint than the exceedingly disappointing 2022. Also disappointing is the recent, January 3rd, policy change by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that allows pharmacies to sell mifepristone. What…
The Empty Crib
December 23, 2022
At this time of year, in the weeks before Christmas, our house is usually bustling with activity as we move decorations from their basement storage to places of prominence on the main floor. My personal favorites are the nativity scenes. You might accuse us of being “crèche obsessed” as we have one in the front…
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
December 13, 2022
There is a commonly held belief that Christmas, besides celebrating the birth of our Lord, brings what is known as a Santa Claus rally in the stock market. Since we’re approaching that time of year, I thought it might be interesting to delve into the numbers and see if this perception is truly fact or…
USCCB vs ESG: What’s a Catholic Investor Supposed to Do?
November 3, 2022
We’ve talked in earlier articles about the Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In that 26-page document, the bishops enumerate a number of business activities that make a company unfit for investment. The investment activities that the USCCB identify as unfit for investment include, but are not limited…
A Recession Might be Coming – Why We are Concerned About Dividend Safety
June 8, 2022
It’s a matter of priorities If you’re counting on dividend payments to supplement your income, then the single most important issue is whether the companies that you’re counting on for those dividends have the financial wherewithal to make the payments. And that’s why we try to ensure, in one way or another, that the companies…
Understanding Catholic Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines
May 24, 2022
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops published the first version of Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines in 1986. Last November (2021) saw the latest update. From the beginning, the bishops have wanted to earn a reasonable rate of return and invest based on Catholic moral principles. A reasonable rate of return is one that matches the…
The Catholic Investor: My Journey
March 7, 2022
I began transforming into a Catholic investor while working as a portfolio manager for Northwestern Mutual Life. I had been a pro-life Catholic for a long time and was serving on the Wisconsin Right to Life Board of Directors. A stockbroker I worked with regularly approached me with a new idea for a stock to…