Dear Fellow Expat: In the Florida Republic, Two O'clock quickly becomes Five O'clock as the season returns. The humidity is still somewhere between "melting" and "soaking". But that will soon pass - as October gives way to somewhat more reasonable temperatures. The snowbirds are starting to fill up the bars. It's competitive at 3 p.m. […]Postcards
Article Index
It's Two O'clock Somewhere
Dear Fellow Expat: In the Florida Republic, Two O'clock quickly becomes Five O'clock as the season returns. The humidity is still somewhere between "melting" and "soaking". But that will soon pass - as October gives way to somewhat more reasonable temperatures. The snowbirds are starting to fill up the bars. It's competitive at 3 p.m. […]She's the One
We were driving up Interstate 83 when the love kicked in.
It was St. Patrick's Day weekend.
We were a mile from the Timonium Road exit... on the way to the An Poitin Stil, a bar my father opened in the late 1990s.
The sky was grey.
The car (a blue Honda Civic) was terrible.
But on the radio... was the song "Juicy" by the hip-hop artist Notorious B.I.G.
Will The Fed Bankrupt the Tooth Fairy?
Dear Fellow Expat: Imagine for a moment that we become a cashless society. That payments are done by a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). No more dollar bills... no more quarters, nickels, or dimes. All... on your phone. Forget the government tracking... the invasion of privacy... the central bank's ability to see everything you buy... […]This Is My Biggest Economic Fear
Dear Fellow Expat: Tucker Carlson will release an interview tonight with Argentine presidential candidate and front-runner Javier Milei. Follow the U.S. media focus on Milei, and you’ll see he’s labeled as “right-wing,” “radical”, and “libertarian.” The attacks on his economic plans are all-out nuclear assaults… largely because he’s exposing the endgame of problems still building […]The Green Tragedy… and Red Momentum
Dear Fellow Expat: This morning’s CPI reading didn’t surprise anyone except for Paul Krugman. The embarrassing (but never embarrassed) economist has said over the last few months that inflation is falling. The same message goes for sycophants who are: Protecting their political asses. Doing all they can to deflect from the inflation they caused by […]The Oil Counter-narrative
Dear Fellow Expat: I’d prepared a screed on our Department of Energy. The incompetence at the top. The mismanagement of oil output in America. And how we’ll probably screw up what might be the largest global lithium deposit discovery. But that must wait until tomorrow. There’s something FAR more important… RIGHT NOW… As you know, […]Tales from Nextdoor and the Naples “Mom Page”
Dear Fellow Expat: Nextdoor.com is a social media site allowing neighbors to discuss all things local… Restaurant reviews, updates about loose dogs, requests for handymen, gardening tips, and – of course – rants and insults over politics. One of the nice things about Nextdoor is the lack of anonymous accounts. People must speak under their […]Take A "Fantasy Break" and Make Some Actual Money This Weekend
Dear Fellow Expat: Psst… I know football season has started. I know your team's defense is "offensive"… And if you're like millions of Americans who play fantasy football, you already want to drop nearly every player on your team after Week 1. I played fantasy football in my early 20s with a religious fervor. I […]Mark It "Zero"... The Roof of the World... and the Week Ahead
Dear Fellow Expat: Let’s pick up where we left off last Friday. Russia is working overtime to pump crude oil and natural out of ports in the Arctic Circle. It’s a workaround as Western sanctions crank down on Russia and its energy firms and politicians in Moscow. Think of it as Prohibition… But to get […]You’ll Want to Take the Stairs After This…
Dear Fellow Expat: Greetings from Doc's Beach House. This iconic dive bar sits 50 yards from the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Ian wiped out the entire first Floor of the establishment but was kind enough to leave the Chicago Cubs-themed sports bar on the second Floor untouched. From this beach ($10.33 for a chair, $20.66 […]The Worst Trade I Ever Made in My Life
Dear Fellow Expat, It’s the first day of another negative momentum cycle. So, greetings from Lansdowne Pub. It’s a Boston-themed (BOO!) sports pub with pictures of Red Sox memorabilia on the wall, enough “handsome” pictures of Tom Brady to launch 1,000 ships to Tampa, and a large, drunken moose on every menu. It’s the closest […]Free Insurance on a Burning House and Crushed SUV
Dear Fellow Expat, What would you do with $700 right now? Would you rent a hotel for two days in a nearby city? Maybe attend a special dinner with a friend or loved one? Pay down debt? Well, in my case, a bill arrived yesterday for six months of car insurance. We put up about […]Here’s the Dad-Approved Best Oil Trade Right Now
Dear Fellow Expat, My father taught me five things when I turned five years old. How to keep score at a baseball game (scorecard) How to read a baseball box score (hits/at bats) How to read the McCormick & Co. (MCK) stock quote in the Baltimore Sun. How to pour a vodka, club soda, and […]The Only Man Who Will Ever Be on the Florida Republic Flag
Dear Fellow Expat, I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day holiday. Today, I’ll take a break from financial analysis. Many have asked about the flag of the Florida Republic. No such declaration has emerged – but our inception is still unofficial. We’ll get there. One should be a fan of placing animals on the flag. That is, […]The Stocks I'm Watching as Florida's "Season" Begins
Dear Fellow Expat, In the shadows of the Florida night, a disturbing presence – unnoticed by most slithered down U.S. Route 41 – Tamiami Trail. This was no ordinary vehicle; it was a monstrous, steel Goliath. This unholy contraption carved asphalt arteries with an insatiable hunger, eager to bring terror to an unsuspecting beach town. […]