We looked forward to Cinderella stories, buzzer beaters, and "one shining moment." Instead, we got bank collapses, government backstops, and fear. I'm talking about the banks (Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank) that have dramatically exited the financial system - raising concerns over the financial system and economy.

Weasel words sound consequential but only communicate something vague. Politicians love weasel words. They use them to answer simple questions with long-drawn-out answers, using poetic language and passionate displays while saying little meaning or value.

I felt it'd be appropriate to look at a new favorite weasel word of mine, or least favorite, depending on how you look at it (perspective matters, as you'll see below).

Investors are a tough bunch. We have to face crisis after crisis, some real and some sensationalized by our paid-to-scare media. Staying disciplined when emotions run high and fear triggers the evolutionary developed fight or flight mechanism is challenging. 

The spooky season may be over, but scary headlines about inflation are still frightening investors. There's always something to "worry" about regarding the markets and investing, and inflation is the trendy topic today. But should we worry about inflation? Is it coming? And will it last?

The battle was on once it became clear that the car would be a staple of American life. Carmakers raced to build bigger, faster, and more powerful machines. Automakers are at it again, this time racing to win the electric vehicle war. But it isn't a battle everyone was eager to join. Legacy automakers remained largely on the sidelines, calling the shift to EVs overblown.

The following ten years could well be the Golden Era for software 2.0. As more developers leverage the ever-expanding public cloud, SaaS companies will serve more clients with innovative software solutions. The digital transformation is well underway, and I expect SaaS to grow in tandem with other industries enabled by technological advances.

I recognize crypto assets to be the first entirely new asset class in a long time. Thus, a healthy dose of skepticism is understandable and advisable. That said, it's lazy to dismiss an entire asset class without attempting to understand it, consider its uses, and ponder its potential impact on the future. Remember, Bitcoin is only 12 years old, not even a teenager, and many other cryptocurrencies are in their infancy.

Three billion dollars is the combined value of Apple and Facebook, which is more than the GDP of 37 countries according to the United Nations (2019). And if you haven't heard, Apple brought user privacy to the forefront in their latest iOS update. The update prompts iPhone users to choose whether to allow tracking for advertising on an app-by-app basis.

Digital wallets are software and applications that enable electronic financial transactions. CashApp and Venmo are two well-known companies that are disrupting banking but digital wallets are quickly invading insurance, lending, brokerage, real estate, and more.

Until very recently codes were written by humans, painstakingly composing every line to achieve the desired outcomes. Deep learning, however, represents a seismic shift in software development, as artificial intelligence is being used to write software, a development that Ark Invest believes "could turbocharge every industry" and add 30 trillion dollars to the global economy over the next 15–20 years.

The Ark Invest 2021 Big Ideas report is out and full of great insight about technological changes and how they’re reshaping our world. I’ll be summarizing some of the innovative opportunities in a series of posts, starting with this one on Video Games, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality.

Remember when even a standard-sized flat-screen television costs several thousand dollars (and could easily cause a trip to the chiropractor after handling). Since we live in a technology-driven society the speed of innovation is not always apparent. But when we look back, it becomes clear that the pace of technological improvements is swifter than ever, and continuing to accelerate.

According to Ackman, giving every American a little skin in the game will ensure that all Americans have ownership in the success of capitalism and prevent a turning to “potentially radical” alternatives.