Despite many positive economic indicators entering the 2011 earnings season, the sum of various socio-economic benchmarks (highlighted by the major declines across all major market indices in the past 10 days, which have now essentially wiped out the past 12 months’ gains) is clearly overwhelming corporate America’s present efforts to drive the United States into a period of sustained economic growth.

It brings to mind the popular cliché - “perception becomes reality”, which could a... Read More »

Any small business that has tried to secure new loans during this “Great Recession”, as many have now taken to calling it, has likely experienced the same types of frustration as homeowners seeking a new or refinanced mortgage. I've been working with and/or spoken to a number of small business owners from a variety of unrelated industries, from food/beverage to aviation, and it appears that regardless of the type of business, the issues with lending (or more specifically, the lack thereof) a... Read More »

Insurance has become a critical consideration (and expense) for individuals and business today. With a convergence of factors including but not limited to increased litigation, greater risk exposure (whether perceived or genuine), broader income earning potential and heightened competition amongst policy providers, the need to identify, understand and implement the proper types of insurance coverage with the appropriate parties is critical: particularly for a higher-profile client such as a prof... Read More »

Following Round 2 of the “Carl Edwards VS. Brad Keselowski Take Flight” drama, it has been interesting reviewing comments and the questioning of NASCAR’s ability to prevent race cars from getting airborne (and in sub-context, the potential influence and effects of the COT’s rear wing – soon to be replaced once again with a traditional spoiler). As competitive speeds have continuously increased over the years, race cars in virtually every discipline – not just NASCAR, get airborne und... Read More »

Over the centuries, greed and ignorance have proven a powerful combination which has taken down many powerful individuals, institutions and even cultures. During the most recent decade, an unfortunate yet avoidable sequence of events in our financial markets took place that ultimately contributed materially to the American housing bubble, our current financial recession and on a personal level, the devaluation in most homes owned by hard-working, tax-paying American citizens.

There are millio... Read More »

The topic of private aviation is a common high-profile target of criticism during periods of economic strife. Within the aviation industry, the more commonly used term is general aviation, which is generally accepted to encompass all flights other than the military and regularly scheduled airline and cargo flights.

And while the most common reason for that criticism is obvious - an aircraft represents a significant expense, the reality is that so do many other assets that are utilized much le... Read More »