It’s hard to find things to be positive and excited about these days. The assault on so many of the values to which we hold dear from what feels like every direction can feel overwhelming. Listening to the daily barrage of news is almost overwhelming. Two items occurred this past week that are especially distressing to me. One is the…
I’ve run into several of you recently and heard the comment that I haven’t written an article in some time. Actually, it’s been almost two months. It’s not for a lack of material. Just been busy. So, I’m back now for a while before an extended vacation over the holidays. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. I…
As I reflect on each meeting of your National Board of Directors I try to see if there is a theme that threads its way through the agenda. I find that in this recently concluded meeting one emerged for me. Primarily, I call it, “the inside game”. There was a clear consensus that for us to be able to maximize…
Harvey, Irma, Maria, two massive earthquakes in Mexico and a small one that hit Los Angeles recently, multiple large fires in the West and drought. OMG!! It really does feel like the sky is falling. Here in Chicago the weather has been wonderful. Dry, sunny, warm. I feel a sense of guilt as I see so many of our fellow citizens…
Experimentation continues to evolve in the evolution of car sharing programs. GM owns Maven and is trying new ways to fully utilize vehicle assets in ways that shares ownership and revenue streams to maximize utilization and income. The following article provides insight into what General Motors is trying in this regard. It is quite innovative and cutting edge. “dealerships…
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is $25 BILLION in the hole. Since this program is funded by OUR tax dollars, it is we citizen tax payers that pay for these natural disasters. We should all be supportive that this program is in place to help and support those that suffer from weather…
This is another post along the lines of how a changing climate will impact financial and economic interests. The article below points out that financial institutions are waking up to the costs in real dollars and cents that the warming climate will have. Not having read the study I surmise that the only aspect that has been evaluated is strictly focused on…
In several previous posts I have pointed out the financial risk that climate change poses to the world economy. Increasingly the world is waking up to how climate change will affect corporate stability and by extension, capital markets. Insurance companies are on the front line of this issue. And as I pointed out, so is the government flood insurance program…
Over the past decade or so, I have been somewhat engaged at my alma mater, The University of Chicago, with their EPIC (Energy Policy Institute Chicago) program. I had been told of a new tool that was being developed that would be able to model future climate impacts on a very localized basis. The initial product from this endeavor is now public with…
There’s not much I can say that will add to the following article. I am posting it here in its entirety since I know that most of you don’t actually click through to read the underlying articles on which I base my posts. For the skeptics and so called experts that have been grossly underestimating the growth of renewable energy…