Mind Over Money

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, feels really bad about the mistake that occurred on his watch. He felt so bad that he fired a couple people, and he actually apologized to shareholders. I’m sure that an apology from Dimon is like finding a real diamond in the garbage heap — rare, real rare. Dimon [...]

Tunica is a strange place. I can hardly wrap my brain around this little spot on the map. A few weeks ago, I traveled there to speak at a conference. We ended up taking the long route through Senatobia, winding on a country highway and passing farms and pastureland along the way — a scenic [...]

Well, the legislators have packed up and gone home. As I survey the wasteland of passed and failed bills, I wonder if these folks have a clue about the dire straits many Mississippi families find themselves still in. While they were arguing about immigration and charter schools and abortion, while they were poring over redistricting [...]

John Edwards is a worm. That may be overstating his humanity. The one-time rising star in the Democratic Party has turned out to be another empty, narcissistic pretty boy, with the morals of an alley cat. Combine money, power, and a dose of boyish charm, and you’re bound to end up with a sex scandal. [...]

We have a game we play when we head back home for a visit. How long before my mother starts railing against the immigrants? Personally, I don’t know what the fuss is all about. Of course, my job is not in danger due to these outsiders. I’m not bothered by Spanish exit signs in Wal [...]

I’m shocked! The governor just signed a bill to allow beer in Mississippi to increase its alcohol content from 5 percent to 8 percent. Where were all the good Baptists when this was going through the legislature? Were all the temperance women otherwise occupied when the vote was taken? Did the citizens of the dry [...]

Augusta National Golf Club accepted its first African American member in 1990. Here we are, 22 years later, and there are still no female members. I’m a terrible golfer. I only play occasionally, and it’s never pretty. I don’t actually consider golf a sport — riding around in a cart while stopping at intervals to [...]

Our annual CFA Forecast Dinner is always a delightful event: good food, good dinner companions, and good discussion about the economy and financial markets. This year was no exception. Kathleen Hays, popular Bloomberg radio host, was our moderator. The panel consisted of Kenneth Taubes of Pioneer Investment Management, Mark Freeman of Westwood Holdings Group, and [...]

My phone rang last week. It was some guy named Brett personally inviting me to a campaign event for Mitt Romney via a taped message. Robocalls? In Mississippi? And could that have been “THE” Brett? The Republican Primary has dragged on long enough to make candidates take note of us voters in little ole Mississippi. [...]

Davy Jones died. I know that may not mean much to you, but he was an integral part of my growing up years. It was the Monkees. It was the transition to the 70s, and I was just a kid watching each Saturday morning as that zany foursome sang and schticked their way through a [...]