Tom Perkins, the co-founder of the legendary venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, was a towering figure in the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship. I had the distinct privilege of learning directly from him. Perkins’ influence on my journey Tom’s influence on my professional journey is profound and enduring. The lessons I gleaned from our…
Prior to his health crisis, news sources report that Pope Francis clashed with cardinals regarding how best to address a growing deficit in Vatican finances. “Three days before hospitalization,” reports Reuters and other sources, “Francis ordered the creation of a new high-level commission to encourage donations to the headquarters of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church.” Yesterday…
Vatican News (VN)—“Based on the facts that emerged during the trial, the applicants did not meet the standards of communication with the State (Secretariat of State, ed.) that could be qualified as conduct in good faith.” These were the words used by Judge Robin Knowles, on behalf of the High Court of England and Wales,…
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…
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,…
We are proud to introduce you to our two newest sponsors: Charity Mobile and Anchor Point Capital. Charity Mobile Founded in 1996 with the tradename Cause Based Commerce Inc, Charity Mobile has been offering a brilliant, well-conceived and creative way to help pro-life and pro-family efforts by offering reliable mobile phone service nationwide at affordable…
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…
CNA—Elon Musk, the CEO of X and SpaceX and one of the richest men in the world, announced that he will move both multibillion-dollar companies out of California because he opposes a new law that hides information from parents about their child’s gender identity. The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, prohibits school…
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…
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…
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…
CNA—Judges delivered verdicts in the Vatican’s financial corruption trial on Saturday sentencing Cardinal Angelo Becciu to more than five years in prison and convicting five other defendants to similar jail sentences for financial crimes. Historic Trial, Becciu’s Sentence Becciu, the pope’s former chief of staff, is the highest ranking Vatican official ever to face a…
Giandonato Salvia leveraged his economics degree and passion for helping others to create Tucum, a “suspended economy” app that offers services and goods of various kinds to the poorest people…his family background and his thinking INSPIRES… ________________________________________________________________ “Our real target,” Salvio says, “is the poor and it is for them that we want to become…
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…
Vatican News—The legal representative of the Secretariat of State, Paola Severino, quantifies the severe “injury” caused by the Sloane Avenue affair – the sale of a London property that made news in 130 countries: The Holy See was “severely damaged” by “merchants in the temple to whom representatives of the institution opened the doors.” “Squandering”,…
CNA—Ninety-six loans and just over $96 million. That’s the track record thus far of Catholic Finance Corporation (CFC), a Minneapolis-based Catholic firm that has issued tens of millions of dollars in loans to regional Catholic organizations and groups over the past few decades. Michael Laughery, the group’s director of partner services, told CNA that the…
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…
According to a June 6, 2023, article by Religion News Service, the Vatican bank—once a symbol of financial malfeasance—has successfully rebranded itself as a pillar of transparency at the Vatican. The late Cardinal Pell of Australia, at the behest of Pope Francis, played a major role in radically transforming the Vatican bank policies and practices.…
A proven guide on how to survive and lead during inflation — Inflation that we have not seen in 40 years is here to stay, with no foreseeable reduction in sight. It is not transitory. Best-selling author Ram Charan, whom I have known for 40 years, experienced the insidious inflation of the 1970s. So have…
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!”…
