Wonder Woman

by Bill Parrott on

Wonder Woman conquered the summer box office competition in 2017, generating over $822 million in revenue. DC Comics created Wonder Woman in October of 1941 as a heroine from the Amazon who promotes peace and fights evil, joining the Justice League with Batman, Superman, and Aquaman.

Lynda...

What's a Yield Curve?

by Bill Parrott on

The hot topic is the yield curve or, more importantly, the inverted yield curve. A yield curve is a collection of interest rates, or yields, plotted on a chart, beginning with the One-Month US Treasury Bill and ending with the 30-Year US Treasury Bond, plotting all points in between to determine...

16 Seed

by Bill Parrott on

March Madness is in full swing, and first-timers from San Diego State, Miami, and Florida Atlantic are joining UCONN in the Final Four. The top seeds have NBA-caliber talent, and several players will be lottery picks in the upcoming draft, so it's not surprising most people picked these schools to...

A Recovering Stock Picker

by Bill Parrott on

The siren of individual stocks has drawn me in for decades since I entered the brokerage business thirty-plus years ago. I envisioned becoming the next Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, or Jesse Livermore. I've read several books on investing, charting, and trading. The data has been priceless, and I...

Retirement is exciting for many, but some people want to remain active and connected to the workforce or their communities. I was curious about the opportunities for active retirees, so I asked ChaptGPT, and here is what it (he/she/they) recommended.

There are many great job options for active...

A Recession Is Coming

by Bill Parrott on

Is a recession imminent because of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank? First Republic Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate Bank are also on the ropes, and I'm sure there are more to come as individuals withdraw their money to buy US Treasuries or bury it in the backyard. If bankers are nervous...

Nothing Is Working

by Bill Parrott on
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Another day, another market sell-off. The latest culprit is the failure and seizure of Silicon Valley Bank after a bank run. It’s two steps forward, one step back. Before COVID, the Ukraine War, rising interest rates, and persistent inflation, the S&P 500 was up nearly 200%, averaging 11.4% annually...

Scary Times

by Bill Parrott on
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Silicon Valley Bank gives us another reason to panic and freak out over our financial future. The FDIC seized the sixteenth-largest bank in the country on Friday, the second-largest bank takeover in US history. At the time of the collapse, twenty-two Wall Street analysts rated the stock a buy or...

Can You Drink Coffee and Retire?

by Bill Parrott on
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A venti honey almond milk flat white coffee costs $5.95; if you drank one daily for a year, it would cost $2,171, and after forty years, you would have spent approximately $960,000, and that’s a lot of coffee beans. Of course, you could brew your coffee at home for about 15 cents, but that’s not as...

Holding Pattern

by Bill Parrott on

Several years ago, I flew from Connecticut to Los Angeles with a layover in Chicago. Nearing Chicago, the pilot informed us we were in a holding pattern due to a winter storm. I was stuck and could not do anything, and it lasted several hours before we finally landed.

Stocks are in a holding...

What Is A Preferred Stock?

by Bill Parrott on

Preferred stocks can generate significant income and are hybrid investments, similar to stocks and bonds. The dividend income is usually higher than owning shares of common stock, and you may get some price appreciation. The preferred label comes from the pecking order on the balance sheet because...

What is a Municipal Bond?

by Bill Parrott on

We built this city; we built this city on rock' n' roll, built this city on rock' n' roll." You undoubtedly have heard this song by Jefferson Starship, and now you are singing it out loud and can't get it out of your head—sorry!

However, with all due respect to Jefferson Starship, tax-free...