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Years ago I was watching a local comedian.  He was mentioning how things were different in New England.   He said that they had Dunkins in other areas of the country. . . but not on every street corner!  I can relate to that on my commute.

On my way to work, I pass 7 Dunkin Donut locations.  One at the top of my street, one at the next major intersection, another just over the line into the next town, two more in the next town.  When I reach Fall River, I pass another 2 Dunkins and could throw a rock and hit three more that aren’t on my route but are close.

When I was a boy, my most favorite place in the world was my grandparents’ house.  I’m sure that’ a common theme for many folks.  It’s a grandparent’s nature to spoil a child with sweets and late bedtimes.  And while my grandparents did that, it isn’t the reason I loved being there.

“Mimi” and “Pops” lived in a 2-family house in Dorchester.  Pops was a Teamster, hauling beer for Anheuser Busch.  He was a Teamster so long, he saw the rise of Jimmy Hoffa and then the rise of Hoffa’s son James Jr. during his working career.  

Just over two years ago, the United Kingdom held a landmark vote to leave the EU.  While the decision, dubbed Brexit (British Exit), was expected to be defeated, it created significant turmoil in the investment markets all over the world.

As you recall, Brexit passed.  And for a brief moment, the world had turned upside down.  All was lost.  Then. . .  it wasn’t.  Life moved on.  Brexit wasn’t the tragedy it was built up as.  So shortly after the vote, the markets rose and hit new records.

I’ve been on a whirlwind tour of America in the last two weeks.  First, as you know, my daughter Samantha got married in Florida.  Late last week, I drove her car out to her in Missouri and then flew back home from there.

I don’t normally get a window seat on the airplane, but as luck would have it, I snagged one on the flight out of Kansas City International.  As I flew back over Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and the like, the area seemed so flat. Like as flat as a desktop. 

My mother-in-law, Jan,  was wonderful at many things.  Like everyone, she had her special skills that made her, well, special.

For instance, she made some awesome traditional New England meals.  From a boiled dinner to stuffed clams to Indian pudding, she made it all.  

She never forgot a birthday or other significant date.  Invariably, a birthday or some odd anniversary would arrive with a card in the mail or a small package dropped off at the doorstep.

Last time, we discussed the funny sales tax laws in Massachusetts and some information regarding corporate income tax changes.  You can click HERE to catch up if you need to.

I had an interesting incident last weekend.  My son, William, was playing one of his video games on our PlayStation gaming system.  He had just received his allowance and wanted to buy some “upgrades” to his character.

In order to purchase upgrades, you need to buy some in-game tokens or coins and then use them within the game to purchase whatever you need; from weapons to vehicles to costumes to tools.  

It is finally Spring.  Opening Day was last Thursday.  Crocuses are blooming in yards and gardens all over New England.  After a last-gasp, it seems Winter may finally be in our collective rear-view mirrors.  After this last snowfall disappears, anyway.

There has been a lot of discussion in the news regarding tariffs and trade wars, so I wanted to take this opportunity to try and tease out some facts and help you make better decisions and to help understand better while watching this situation unfold.

First, let’s talk about what tariffs are.  Because we have them on just about every good that enters a country, be it the US or somewhere overseas.  

We've had some interesting times in the stock market this month.  In January, the US markets roared to new highs.  Yet in early February, the wheels came off the rally, so to speak.  We reached an official correction status as the market dropped by more than 10% from the previous high.

The cause of this drop is more interesting than the drop itself.  It's a window into the human psyche and, if we heed its lessons, will make the next drop much easier to experience.