The holidays are a joyous time, filled with love, laughter, family and friends. Nearly every home is illuminated with the scent of evergreen and baked goods. Our communities have an energy within them, bustling with the busyness of the Christmas season. Of course, it’s no secret that some of this holiday “magic” comes at a price – and with inflation, … Read More

There is perhaps no better time of year to reflect on the many blessings in our lives than Thanksgiving. Around our family dinner table, we each traditionally give thanks for one thing that year. Our pets and fellow family members are popular go-to’s. A table full of stuffing is almost always on someone’s list as well. But this year, for … Read More

Glass Lewis and ISS – these are hardly household names, but the work they do affects nearly every home in the nation. Together, these two firms make up about 97 percent of the proxy advisory market. Unfamiliar with what the proxy advisory market is? You aren’t alone. Proxy advisory firms guide investors as to how they should vote at corporate … Read More

Don’t spend more than you have. Live within your means. Save for a rainy day. These are axioms Mississippians live by every single day. They are truths your state government abides by as well. But our federal government? Well, it seems as though these age-old rules don’t apply to them. As I’m writing this, the national debt sits at $33,652,750,131,309, … Read More

The terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel were heinous and inhumane acts. Children were slain. Infants murdered. Innocent civilians treated as no human should be. To say that I condemn these barbaric attacks is an understatement. They should never – ever – have happened. Like so many across Mississippi, I stand firmly with Israel. As State Treasurer, of course, my … Read More

It’s undeniable: President Biden has created a true financial mess in America. After trillions of dollars’ worth of wasteful spending and policies that attacked the energy, timber, and manufacturing industries, Mississippians are living with higher gas prices, rising utility bills, expensive groceries, and an unaffordable housing market. It’s easy to get frustrated and angry under such circumstances, but my message … Read More

It’s often been said that you can learn more from another person’s failures than from their successes – and oh, how true that is! Today, I’d like to dig through three common financial missteps that we can all learn a little from. SAVING TOO LATE IN LIFE: Ask almost any retiree if they would have done one financial thing differently … Read More

It’s hard to believe, but my wife, Katie, and I have been together for more than 20 years (16 as a married couple). We’ve done a lot of life in those two decades. We’ve gone through our share of ups and downs; we’ve purchased a home; sold a home; bought a new car; changed careers; had three children. If we … Read More

There is hardly a financial tip list out there that doesn’t start and end with: “Build a budget.” But getting started can be intimidating! So, let’s see if in the next few paragraphs, we can break the stigma of complexity and simplify this budgeting process a bit. I might argue that one of the biggest mistakes first-time budgeters make is … Read More

We often talk about financial security in these columns in terms of savings and investments, but today I wanted to talk about an equally important kind of safety: avoiding financial scams. When so much business and commerce is done remotely, identifying scams can be difficult. After all, you can’t exactly look your online merchant in the eyes and know they’re … Read More