“Can you believe how universally despised this guy is?” asked the CIO, not waiting for a reply. “CNBC, Republicans, Democrats, economists, strategists, nearly everyone hates him,” he continued. “His biggest supporters are at best ambivalent, and it goes down from there.” You see, we were discussing central bankers. “Maybe ten people in the world understand central banking, and by the way, most of them are not running

Hope all goes well. “Can I tell you my fantasy?” he asked, over his fifth gin and tonic. And with five empty glasses before me, I nodded, preferring simple gestures to sloppy slurs. You see, we’d been exchanging war stories. And he, being one of North America’s biggest investors, has fought for decades. Winning more often than not, but always enduring the kind of stress few fellas can bear. “I wanna tattoo ‘John Thom

Strutted down Avenue of the America’s. Like John Travolta. Humming with puzzles, riddles, inspirations. You see, I’d been moving and shaking. With my boys. NY Titans. Devising solutions to finance’s biggest problems: overspending, entitlements. Relax bro, we cracked the code, got it covered. My phone shook. “We got a bunny Daddy! Mommy said you’d just love it!” shrieked Olivia. “Hershey’s so cute, she loo

“Rodrigo Sanchez, Ashley Ramirez, Destiny Suarez…” announced our elementary school Principal. You see 35 Latino students graduated from ESL (English as 2nd language) classes. The proud 8yr olds climbed the stage. Their working-poor parents beamed golden smiles. Another step on their thousand-mile march to the American dream. My son Teddy took the stage too. A mathematics award. But in Boston, an 8yr old child lay sti

Hope all goes well. “What makes this both iconic and ironic?” he asked, sliding me a gold coin. So I picked it up. Excited. I love riddles. Puzzles. “Well, there’s a Buffalo on one side, an Indian on the other.” He smiled. “They’re American icons, driven to near extinction by the Gov’t that minted them.” His grin widened. So I pocketed $1,395 of gold. And upon further reflection, chuckled. ’Cause we were both wrong.

Hope all goes well. “Notice something?” whispered Mara, as the sun slowly rose, lighting our room. “Yeah,” I replied, my first word of the day, in a tone at once happy, sad and nostalgic. “He’s not here.” You see for years now, like clock work, Osama bin Charlie, our youngest little terrorist, infiltrated our bed in a ritual pre-dawn raid. We’d hear his little feet patter down the hall. But he’s growing up. Nearly 4

“Boiled pumpkin,” hollered the chubby Korean kid. All alone. From a far corner of the sandbox. “My nuclear strikes will annihilate America’s vast territories,” continued the brat, as his doting Chinese parents bowed their heads in shame. “South Korea’s a rat,” he screamed, ignorantly. You see, everyone knows Seoul’s no small rodent. Nope, that Asian Tiger’s become a slow sloth (GDP

“Poker’s a metaphor for life,” explained the gambler. Over drinks/dinner at Bouchon Bistro, Beverly Hills. “A game of math, people-skills, luck.” And this fella played his hand well. Amassing a fortune. Betting on people. Stacking the deck. Filling his hand with Queens. Kings. Aces. “Ok, this guy walking over here photographs more of the world’s most beautiful naked women than anyone in the industry.” And the photogr

Rolled past Santa Barbara’s ancient Mission. Headed north. On the historic Camino Real. Built by Franciscan Monks. To connect their 21 western Missions, spaced one day’s journey apart by horse. Of course today’s drive up the Camino Real takes 21hrs, not 21 days. ’Cause the Real is now Highway 101. Running from LA to Oregon. And standing alongside the 101 are historic bells. Reminding travelers of a distant time. But

Hope all goes well. “Know what I’m naming my new yacht?” he asked, not bothering to even give me a ‘Hi, how are you?’ So I gave it my best guess: The Schmuck. “Nope, I’m naming it The Kuroda,” he said, giddy. Then carried on incessantly about how much he made in the wake of Kuroda’s first act as Bank of Japan governor. “Before the meeting I was literally throwing up in the toilet,” admitted one of Greenwich’s biggest