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More is an American mantra.  When we line up for the all-you-can eat buffet, we want more.  When it comes to consumption, we’re the nation responsible for the bumper stick that reads, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”  More, as a concept, is endemic in the nation’s culture and doesn’t seem to be becoming unrooted. 

Spending borrowed money can be fun, but paying it back rarely is. However, that is how the financial system works in America.  A person looking to spend more than they have available borrows money from another source which has more money than it needs at the same moment in time.  This can go on and help fuel an economic expansion for a while but not forever.

New Years offer many an opportunity for resolutions.  Perhaps you’ve made a few this year.  If you have, let Atlas know if we can help you with any of them.  While last Tuesday’s meeting minutes from the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee didn’t exactly serve as a resolution, they do offer some insight into how America’s central bank is thinking about t

A person's daily life is influenced by a complex interplay of various cycles.

Santa Claus is coming to town.  He is spreading both joy and generosity as the year winds down.  But the jolly fellow offers more than just good feelings.

America’s central bank gathered for the final time in 2023 this week.  As was widely expected, there was no change in the Fed Funds Rate.  This is the rate banks charge each other for overnight lending and is set by the Federal Reserve.  Votes in the halls of the Eccles Building were unanimous, something we can’t say about ballots in other halls within our nation&rsqu

Droughts can be devastating.  Avocado farmers in Southern Spain are dealing with a difficult one now.  The change is so dramatic that according to this Bloomberg article, one 86-year-old farmer has decided to take down 2,500 trees, now using th

Climbing a mountain implies a single direction: up.  Yes, from time to time you might reach a false summit that then dips lower for a bit, but the general direction of travel is up.  Inflation isn’t much different.  During your entire life, there have only been rare exceptions to the rising climb.

Welcome to Black Friday.  The day when otherwise normal people morph into bargain-hunting warriors.  Their safari starts at the crack of dawn if they didn’t begin after their Thanksgiving dinner.  Malls become jungles where competitiveness worthy of the Serengeti is unleashed.  For merchants, it can be an exercise in survival of the fittest, each competing for the next

As Thanksgiving rolls around, Americans can loosen their belts a notch, not just in anticipation of the feast, but also because of a slight dip in the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  According to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 38th annual survey, hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 will set you back $61.17, averaging a mere $6.12 per guest.   This is a 4.5