TEXAS
One great thing about Texas is its size, cultural diversity, and love of music, in general. There are so many great “hidden gems” of music venues. I will name a few but if you have some of your own, please send us an e-mail to share them with us. Unlike Nashville, where on Broadway St. there are eighteen (18) music venues in a three-block area, they are a little fewer and less concentrated in Texas cities. Here are a few that we have had (or will have) the pleasure of visiting:
Upcoming Performances
1)Floores’ Country Store – Helotes (C & W) Stony LaRue, Dine and Dance (you, that is)
2)The Elephant Room – Austin (Jazz and Fusion) Too Much Texas Talent to Mention
3)The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pav – The Woodlands Dave Matthews, Allison Krause, Santana
4)Bohannon’s – San Antonio, Tx (Fri & Sat) Smooth Jazz
5)The Jewel Box Stage - San Antonio (The Pearl) Coming soon – Big Names and Local Acts
6)Port Aransas – Island Wine Great talent on open mike night
7)Bernie’s Beach House - Port Aransas (Wed nights) 60’s – 70’s Rock played by guys that were playing it in the 60’s and 70’s
These are just a few we know of. Get out there and dance and clap. It’s good food for heart and soul!
WORLD
Rather than discuss the obvious atrocities (or “geopolitical turmoil” as it is euphemistically called) going on in the world today, I would like to just step back and make an observation. How is it that countries or cultures around the world in the year 2023 can be pitted against each other as enemies? Has civilization not evolved, and enabled us to rise above this? It is surely (with perhaps a few ancient rivalries) not the peoples of the countries themselves. It is literally in the hands of very few people, dictators (I will not dignify them by calling them politicians) and their commanders who for their own lust for power and geographic conquest, divide, destroy and seek to annihilate any people who stand in their way.
When the citizens of these different countries get together in a neutral setting, they seek their commonality, their shared interests, and their shared experiences. People are not the problem, the heads of the government are. When the war in Ukraine broke out, I saw the devastation. I said, to myself, this type of aggression happened in World War II. Hasn’t the world learned that this cannot be allowed to happen? The senseless loss of life and devastation was and is completely unbelievable to me. And now that we have become desensitized to the pain and suffering, the rest of the world just moves on. Who could have, should have, would have intervened to stop this tragic situation?
USA
The US stock market is in a bit of a funk, you might say. In fact, a whole lot of people, including Wall Street analysts and gurus are saying it. It is really an unprecedented environment we are in. It is definitely not “your father's stock market”. The problem is the national backdrop of all things financial. As an advisor, I think that there are so many fundamental social, governmental, and structural changes being pushed on us by governmental and quasi-governmental (i.e. public universities) institutions that it is causing a great deal of insecurity. People are feeling that we are less secure as a nation, disturbed by the government takeover of the medical profession (expanded with Covid mandates) and the attempted destruction of the oil industry in the name of “climate change”. It’s as if a foreign agenda has taken over the place. Another unsettling aspect is the national debt at $31 trillion and the rampant fiscal mismanagement by the government. It is indeed a cause for great concern. All of these things are contributing to the uncertainty present in the financial markets which can translate directly to one’s own perception of their personal financial security. Make sure you’ve got someone on your team who will act on your behalf as conditions change.
HELPFUL FINANCIAL IDEAS
Who is watching out for your financial security? Did you know that a single consultation with a reputable, experienced financial advisor can steer you in the right direction with one conversation? Most financial advisors do not even charge for such (first consultation) meetings. We certainly do not. I mentioned to an attorney sitting next to me at a course on communication management for divorcing couples that a case I had been asked to help with (post-divorce, too late) had turned out really poorly for one of the parties (my client). I told her that I wish the client had come to me before the divorce terms were final. I told her that a one-hour discussion about her situation before the decree was signed would have probably saved her in excess of a million dollars. She didn’t know that her divorce attorney did not have a lot of tax or financial knowledge (divorce was not her specialty) and therefore missed some very simple details. Please do not make this mistake.