Wildfires throughout California last year bedeviled that state's utility companies. Unable to adapt their power grids, utilities forced upon their customers brown-outs and shut downs of the sort usually reserved for third-world countries. Fires caused by under-maintained systems resulted in deaths and massive loss of property. Some folks made political hay from California's woes. After-all, so many of their problems seemed self-inflicted. An environment first mentality combined with an underinvestment in traditional generation facilities brought the Hollywood and Tech crowd down. California's Eco-Capitalism was seen by many as just another failed attempt at social engineering. 

Let’s talk about presidents, but let’s not talk politics…. please.

Over the last 35 years spent in the investment business, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of young people. Two thoughts I often find myself sharing with them are these; First, remember that the most important year of your career will not be this year, but rather next year, and that anything you do this year should be with an eye on making next year not just possible, but better. Second, we are engaged in not just an honorable profession, but an incredibly interesting and challenging one. Any financial advisor who would bother to keep a daily journal for any one year would have material for a pretty fair novel. 

Each November, we send out a thanksgiving letter to our clients. Last year was Jon’s turn and he wrote recalling his previous work experiences (and failures). So, this year, I thought I would piggyback on that, and give you Part 2 of “A Few Heartfelt Words About The Value of Work and Thanksgiving”.