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…
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…
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…
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…
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!”…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) — once called the world’s most important number — is an interest-rate benchmark that has influenced borrowing costs for consumers, businesses, and investors around the world since 1986.1–2 It’s been quoted in five currencies (British pound, Swiss franc, Euro, Japanese yen, and U.S. dollar) from the daily submissions of…
