Raising 3 active boys with my wife is a wonderful gift, and, incredibly demanding! School, homework, sports and social connections. It is a full time job on top of all the other moving parts in life. I’ve heard parents say over the years “I’m not sure how we got through that season of life”.

The Alone TV series is hands down Cass family favorite show. It follows self-documented daily struggles of 10 individuals dropped off in remote locations to see who can survive the longest and win prize money for last man or woman standing. Locations have included Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Patagonia, Mongolia and areas of the Arctic.

Each contestant is able to bring 10 items with them as they get dropped by helicopter into the season’s chosen location. It is always interesting to see which items are chosen and the different strategies the contestants use to survive the wild. Not only do they endure harsh physical challenges, they do not see any other human life while in their location. (Other than Med Checks from time to time) These are some of the best survivalists in the world showcasing their primitive skills to take on all that nature has to offer.

One of my daily rhythms includes a morning walk. After some time of reading and prayer bright and early, I lace up my shoes and head outside. While it is a time for “me” to delight in some music or podcasts while I walk, I do enjoy seeing my “walking friends” out on the path as well. We now know each other by name and send warm greetings each day.

There is a point of the path where I am greeted by tons of snails. You have to be careful not to smoosh the little buddies. Several weeks ago, I wondered to myself just how long it takes for them to get from one side to another. Research shows the average life of a snail ranges from 3-10 years. Snails are certainly in no rush, susceptible to short lives due to an accidental foot smash, or, getting harmed by a child doing a scientific “experiment”.

“The Sky is falling” is an idiom phrase defined as “a groundless or absurd conviction that some catastrophic consequence is imminent or underway”. As it relates to the markets, I’ve heard this phrase time and again over my 18 year career whenever we’ve seen sharp market declines. As an investor myself, steep declines in the markets are never “fun”. With experience, I’ve gained perspective and realize that market corrections are not only normal, they are healthy. With this said, declines in the market can create angst and anxiety for anyone participating in the markets at any level. I empathize with anyone who is having a difficult time with the current market declines. Just as storms come and go, the same has been with the markets over time.

I’ll always enjoy the fond memories I had growing up in Pasadena, CA. One of the downfalls of living pretty much anywhere in L.A., is, the traffic!

The most common form of traffic occurs when there are more cars on the road than the road can support. We call this congestion. In the U.S., we have an issue with congestion outside of the freeways and it is creating serious problems. Our supply chains are backed up and the Ports around the U.S. are having an endless Traffic Jam. This has caused many small to mid-sized businesses to be without product and is creating inflation in just about every sector one can think of. I’d like to shed some light on how the congestion was created, and, how it might get sorted out. I’ve come to some of these conclusions based on a conversation with a representative of the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach.

It was a Monday night in San Antonio TX on March 22nd. We got the boys to bed, turned in for the night, and prepared for a long drive to Louisiana the next day. Then, it happened. We awoke to constant lightning every 3 to 4 seconds at 1:15am. After 10 minutes or so of the lightning, hail started pounding down on our 5th wheel. It sounded as if it was going to come through the roof! It was at this time I became a bit uneasy. I checked my phone and went to the tornado application I had on my phone.

Definition of Sustainable: “Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level”

Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve had several inquiries about what happened with stocks like GameStop and AMC entertainment. Not only was I having conversations with clients, but, total strangers I would come across who asked what I do for a living. I would speculate that people would like answers as to how a company like GameStop, potentially looking at bankruptcy, could see their stock price go from $20 to $483 in just a few weeks.

In a recent trip to Sedona, Arizona, the possibility of climbing various rock formations captured my thoughts on many occasions. I remember looking between rock and through canyons wondering what it would be like to get into some of those “spots”.