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Hope all goes well… “Nothing’s cheap, nothing’s distressed, real estate is way too expensive throughout Asia ex-Japan,” said the CIO of one of America’s great family offices. He would know; been investing there for yrs. “They don’t want us making money over there anyway,” he continued, speaking of China’s elite. “So I pay the brightest Asian mgrs 2/20 to fight for returns and get to see those mkts through their eyes.

Hope all goes well… “My daddy’s home, my daddy’s home, my daddy’s home,” whispered Osama bin Charlie to himself, wiggling between us, beneath the covers – a pre-dawn incursion. So I whispered back that I love him, and never worry, daddy’s always come home. “I love you so much my heart bursts,” replied the cuddly little terrorist, lost in an uncharacteristic tender moment, snuggling in closer. So I asked where he’d le

Hope all goes well… “The Broncos of course,” answered the waitress, with a strong Chinese accent, delivering a bucket of pre-Bowl Buds, unaware I was kidding. She was wearing an oversized Manning jersey, an equine cap; brand spanking new, bright orange and blue. So with minutes to go before kick-off, I asked the college exchange-student who would win the Super Bowl? “Broncos,” she replied, with utter certainty, a tad

Hope all goes well… The great bull elephant charged into new-year, leading the herd. Beneath his feet the earth trembled. The dust lifted, swirling high, concealing the multitude in his wake. America’s GDP had hit new all-time highs of $16.2trln. The mkt capitalization of its publicly traded companies rose to new heights, touching a January 22nd record of $19.8trln. “Squeak!” shrieked an Argentinian mouse, terrified,

Hope all goes well… “Sorry mate, but I got a good excuse,” texted the CIO, having just abruptly hung up on me. “That was an unfortunate case of (1) delivery man ringing the bell, (2) wife in the shower, (3) maid bathing my 2yr old, (4) my 5yr old, 7yr old, and his 7yr old mate being trained to not answer the door alone, and consequently (5) wife, maid, 2yr old, 5yr old, 7yr old, and 7yr old’s mate all yelling at me a

Hope all goes well… “Why don’t we declare victory?” asked the esteemed fella from the Fed. “We’re not convinced we’re done with the job we’ve been given by Congress,” he continued, answering his own question. And look, being a pragmatic Libra, I have a soft spot for balance, the Fed’s dual mandate. “Without inflation, there’s a conservative bent to the Fed, we’ll withdraw stimulus slowly.” I checked my watch. And ind

Hope all goes well… “It’s like the girl you fell in love with when you were fifteen,” said Yoda, the S&P 500’s biggest local, high in the Rockies. “She comes to school every day to torture you,” he continued. “She runs away on the upside and you chase her, fearing she’ll never return.” Then, on a whim, she changes direction. Breaking lower. “And you’re petrified that it’s over, finally, forever.” Yoda paused, rel

Hope all goes well… “Dad, please, I’d like to let mine go together,” asked Jackson, my 12yr old, in a tone that transported me back to the days when he rode atop my shoulders. It was New Year’s Eve. And our family stood at the edge of Georgia’s vast savannah, lighting paper wish-lanterns, to release into the gentle offshore breeze. So together we held his lantern, burning within, glowing warmly, lighting his sparklin

Hope all goes well… Santa slipped down the chimney. Left big boot prints in the ash, that spilled across our hearth. And the jolly fella stuffed stockings. Built a train set too.  Sprinkled magic everywhere. Moments before the kiddies emerged, sporting their finest bedhead, Santa lit candles. Warming our chilly pre-dawn living room. And hours later, as Mara and I basked in the Christmas morning afterglow, Osama bin C

Hope all goes well… “Instead of sitting around and whining that we have so much money that we can’t possibly outperform,” he said, perched on the pinnacle of the pyramid. “We look at the world and ask ourselves, with so much money, what are the things that we can do that play to our unique strengths,” he continued, thoughtfully, over breakfast. “And will allow us to outperform because we have so much money.” Overall: