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,…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
