This is going to be the first economic cycle in history when people sold gold and Treasuries to buy toilet paper,” I wrote to a colleague the other day over our firm’s instant messaging system. “Haha yeah it’s weird times,” replied my colleague – who had just shared his relief at having procured “32 mega-rolls of Charmin.” Of course my …
By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Backstory To A Cheating Scandal
By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
On a historic October day in 1951, Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca threw a fastball to New York Giants batter Bobby Thompson, who swatted it into the Polo Grounds’ left-field stands for a pennant-winning three-run homer. On another October day, 55 years (and for New York’s National League baseball fans, about 100,000 heartbreaks) later, New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran …
By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
The Regularity of Irregular Diplomacy
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
If there is a “regularity” spectrum for special presidential envoys to foreign nations, I’d guess former President Jimmy Carter sits near one end and former basketball player Dennis Rodman near the other. Rudy Giuliani can go wherever you would like to put him between the two. One thing is certain about Giuliani’s representation of President Trump’s positions on Ukraine: What …
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Real ID, Later Rather Than Sooner
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
WEST HARRISON, NY — November 18, 2019 — The Westchester County Airport in West Harrison, New York – colloquially called the “White Plains” airport for the larger nearby city – is a small and usually somewhat sleepy place, despite its one central and overcrowded waiting room. The airport is convenient for travelers in the suburbs north of New York City …
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Can We Sit Out A Gulf War?
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
The ultimate consequences of Iran’s latest foray into “don’t look at us” aggression are far from clear, but one thing is certain: A lot of players, Iran included, must now put their cards on the table. News broke yesterday that Saudi oil officials are buying refined products and crude from other countries in order to supply their own customers in …
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Long-Term Solution, Short-Term Problem
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
When a business says “No new customers please,” something has gone very wrong. When that business is a major utility, the first place to look for the responsible parties is in the halls of government. Earlier this year, Consolidated Edison imposed a moratorium on new natural gas connections in Westchester County, New York. As of mid-March, the utility stopped accepting …
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Standing With Venezuela
By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — February 1, 2019 — Ten days ago, when Vice President Mike Pence published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal under the headline “Venezuela, America Stands With You,” I set it aside as the basis for a blog post – with the additional notation, “but how?” I got my answer, or at least some of it, …
By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Don’t Buy Critical Illness Insurance
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
It’s More Like a Lottery Ticket Than Serious Insurance Critical illness insurance, also sometimes called catastrophic illness insurance or “dread disease” insurance, has boomed in recent years. Offered as an optional benefit by many employers, it’s designed to supplement traditional health insurance if you develop certain serious illnesses or health conditions, such as cancer, a heart attack or a stroke. …
LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Kashoggi In Context
By By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL — October 25, 2018 — Someone in Saudi Arabia – and most of the available information points to the crown prince, who is the country’s real power center – dispatched a hit squad to murder a dissident commentator inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul. This much is clear. The question now is: What to do about it? …
By By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Puerto Rico Invites A Write-Off
By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
Puerto Rican officials recently released a report saying that nearly 3,000 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria. Many people are upset, although few are surprised, at the revelation that the storm cost many more lives than official estimates reflected. You may have had to look harder to find another headline about Puerto Rico a few weeks earlier, since …
By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
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