THE FATHER BLOG

My apologies for not posting in a week or so. It’s been a busy time lately and not always good things. The job that pays the bills and kills time between vacations has definitely ramped up my demand (I didn’t ask for it but it is what it is) and I’m spending more time in the field and way less at my desk.

In addition to that, we had a couple funerals and memorials to attend. I’ll just say this much about that: take care of yourself and keep up with your yearly checks and appointments…they could be life savers.

I will definitely return to posting daily and finding remotely interesting stories to share….in the meantime….have a great Wednesday!

We are in the middle of an unseasonably warm stretch of weather here in NJ. 90+ degrees F and today is calling for a high of 98! It will go back to the normal mid 60s and rainy/shitty for Memorial Day weekend as expected but for now, we are going to enjoy this taste of summer.

So with the pool open now and us getting our first swim in on Sunday, it makes me aware that the beer fridge should be stocked with some pool beers.

I tend to like some of the lighter and lower ABV beers from our local NJ breweries. Cape May Brewing Follow the Gull or Always Ready. Tonewood Freshies. Kane Sneakbox. Or I can go for a Kona Big Wave or an Abita Amber or Purple Haze. I could probably name about 100 more but I digress.

What is your go-to pool beer….or back deck beer….I just finished mowing the lawn beer….or “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” beer at 2pm on a Tuesday beer?

Stocks that historically perform well during wartime include aerospace and defense contractors, energy and oil producers, cybersecurity firms, and safe-haven commodities like gold. I guess this doesn’t come as a surprise. Let’s take a look at Exxon Stock as an example.

Exxon Stock (XOM) was on the rise before the War with Iran officially started but I sense many not only knew it was coming, but did something smart along the way….which was buy stock. Since the beginning of the year, XOM is up over 30%. Should I have paid more attention and bought some back in January…YES…I wish I had. It had hit it’s 52 week high back in March. But Is Exxon still a good buy?

History says yes and current analysts still see it as a moderate buy with many reiterating that this is a great buy and hold long term. XOM constantly raised it’s annual dividends over the past 43 years.

Bottom line is this: just because a stock is near it’s high or looks to be expensive at the time, doesn’t mean it’s not a good long term stock to add to your portfolio. This has nothing do to specifically with XOM (this was just today’s example) but it is a reminder to do your due diligence and pay attention. There is sometimes more to a stock that ONLY it’s price.

Here is a nice article from Charles Schwab to help educate: https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/how-to-pick-stocks-using-fundamental-and-technical-analysis