Columns/Opinions

   So, you know how I’m an avid (almost rabid) fan of Halloween and all things related therein? 
   I’m actually not that into the holiday when it starts showing up in stores in August. 
   Granted, at the rate things are going with the COVID-19 pandemic, I don’t think we’ll have a normal Halloween celebration. 
   And usually I’m fine with that because I’ll milk the autumn holiday as long as I can and delay in folding into Thanksgiving then Christmas. 
   But, I’m already finding tons of new items released online and a sprinkling of a few in stores. 
   It’s a terrible form of teasing and I just want it to stop. 
   For example retailers like Target, Michael’s craft stores, AtHome, and Homegoods already have Halloween items available online and in stores – if you know where to look. 

   Another week another record high close for the NASDAQ Index lead by Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tesla, Netflix and Microsoft. 
   I am only reminding you of this as many are focusing their attention on politics or the pandemic. 
   Last week while being dragged in front of Congress, several of these companies posted better than expected earnings during these difficult times. 
   My point is to keep paying attention as all is not bad in this world for these companies.
Apple for one posted much better than expected earnings and their forecast was not that conservative either. 
   This is a company that is dealing with China first hand while rolling out new editions of its successful product line. 
   Needless to say that Amazon reported well as did Google. 
   The purported revolt by advertisers on Facebook didn’t seem to impact that company’s earnings either.
   It was not, however, just high tech. 

Dear editor,
   I am not an epidemiologist! But I did enjoy a 34-year, science-related career with the Sea Grant College Programs of both the University of Florida and Texas A&M University.  
   My job responsibilities had me directly transferring key concepts about the natural world to school students and their teachers from throughout each state.  
   Heavy emphasis was placed on the biological sciences.  
   One topic, which I routinely introduced to these eager learners was “herd immunity” or, how an illness can rage through wild and/or domesticated animal populations and, then eventually, vanish from prominence.  
   The same principles governing a disease’s widespread transmission and, subsequent, disappearance in animals apply to human populations facing this novel coronavirus pandemic. 
   Basically, there are two ways for a viral disease, like Covid-19, can be extinguished. 

   As an investor, you’ll encounter different types of risks, but perhaps the greatest is longevity risk – the risk of outliving your money. 
   How can you reduce this risk? 
   For starters, build your financial resources as much as possible, because the greater your level of assets, the lower the risk of outliving them. 
   So, during your working years, keep contributing to your IRA and your 401(k) or similar plan. 
   Once you get close to retirement, compare your essential living expenses, such as your mortgage, food, and so on, with your guaranteed sources of income, such as Social Security and any pensions you may have. 
   If you’re coming up short, you may want to add other resources, such as an investment that can provide you with a regular income stream. 
   Also, you may want to build an emergency fund containing at least a year’s worth of living expenses, with the money held in cash and cash-equivalent investments. 

   Flipping through the channels last week, I got caught up on the “Blind Side.” It is one of my all –time favorite movies. 
   It sucks me in and always makes me to ignore whatever I was doing at the moment because I have to watch it! “The Rookie” and “Sweet Home Alabama” have the same effect. 
   I laughed and cried as usual watching the true story of how the Touhy family brought in Michael Oher and raised him as their own. I really enjoyed it this time. Maybe I just needed a mental break. I invited every member of my family to sit down and watch it as they were passing through. After I wiped away my tears at the end, I said to myself – I forgot how good that movie really was! 
      We sometimes forget good movies, songs, and stories until we are reminded of them. Our brain pushes them to the back of it behind the bills, chores, and even daily worries about our families, jobs, and life in general. Another “oldie, but goodie” story popped up this week. 

   Well, it seems like the bulk of new movie releases this summer are from the horror/thriller genres and I’ can’t say that I’m disappointed. 
   I’ve always been a horror fan since I was a teen. 
   Granted, I know that those categories aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but, I’m running with what I can get my hands on during these turbulent COVID-19 times. 
   Clocking in at 99 minutes, “Amulet” had a fairly awesome trailer with a rotting house, some sort of possession and a former military man with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.) 
   With all of this in mind, the film is rated R for some strong violence, bloody images, a sexual assault, and brief language and nudity. 
   Definitely not a movie aimed at teens and quite a bit unsettling for adults. 
   Amulet is a 2020 British horror film written and directed by Romola Garai - in her directorial debut. 

   In my early reporting years at the Kerrville Daily Times, my 20-something contemporaries and I would wonder why the publisher’s column would often be on the weather.
   Other than the heavy storm-driven rain that sometimes would send the Guadalupe River out of its banks, I didn’t share his frequent choice of weather as a column subject.
   No matter, he still demanded extensive weather coverage knowing there were many more readers interested in weather reports than a bunch of young reporters.
   I agree with him now that the decades have past and my interest in meteorology is far greater.
   Weather stories were a great way for a newspaper writer to learn how to pack lots of information into each sentence.
   Maps can be helpful, I learned, when I reported for the San Antonio on the rain-swollen rivers emptying into the correct rivers downstream.
   A weekly newspaper doesn’t afford as many opportunities to keep up with the weather.

   Every once in a while, out of sheer boredom, I start poking around for job listings online.
   Now, I’m tied to the Sentinel for the long haul and the rest of my natural-born life because my mom said so.
   But, when things are pretty slow during the summer, I’m sometimes considering a second job.
   This leads me to surfing the web with the help of Google for local businesses that are hiring.
   I only found one that could possibly work with my newspaper gig, but, it would require lots of compromises and I don’t have time for that!
   That thought is quickly squashed by the other prospects I see and I’m tuned back into journalism.
   I suppose the only second job I could take right now would be writing a novel or something of the sort.
   It also reminds me of the encouragement I’ve gotten over the years from teachers, friends, and coworkers.

   A new week and we now have lived through the season’ first hurricane.
   As if the killer wasps in the Northwest that threaten to wipe out the bee population isn’t more than enough to worry about on top of a pandemic. 
   These are supposed to be the lazy hazy days of summer. 
   We have sports back with no fans in the stands. This is not Kansas anymore Toto. 
   Time to start looking for that yellow brick road.
   That brings me to one of the oldest measures of wealth: gold. The precious metal has moved back to $2,000 per ounce. 
   The reasons are many but not the old tried and true. 
   Gold often was the last resort or a protection against inflation or a loss of faith in currencies. 
   The latter concern certainly could be a rationale for Bitcoin’s rise in the value. 
   I would suggest though that gold’s rise in value is because debt provides little or no yield. 

   You probably have many financial goals: a comfortable retirement, long vacations, college for your children, and so on. 
   But to achieve these goals, you may have to follow different investment strategies.
First of all, you’ll need to identify each goal and ask yourself some questions: 
   How much time will you have to achieve this objective? 
   How much return will you need? 
   How much risk are you willing to take?
You’ll also need to choose investments designed to help you reach each goal. 
   And these investments should work together. 
   Monitor their progress over time and make adjustments as needed.
And keep in mind that your strategy for achieving one goal may affect your ability to work toward another, so you might need to prioritize these goals and make some trade-offs in your investment moves.