It's July 16th and we're back after taking last Monday off for some recovery time post-Independence Day week.  I think it's time for a good, old-fashioned halftime report on what's going on in the markets and economy as we move into the second half of 2018.

Last week I wrote about financial independence over the conventional thought of retirement, and I detailed a series of uncomfortable truths about wealth and money in the United States from Nick Maggiulli from Of Dollars and Data.

One of the most common phrases I hear when chatting with people about my firm and what I do for a living is some variation of the following...

On January 15th, 2018, the Australian Open kicked off.  This tournament is the first of the major four Grand Slam events of the year and it gives us tennis fans a perspective of what may occur over the rest of the year.  In fact, over the past ten years in men’s tennis, the winner of the Australian Open finished the year ranked in the top 3 nine out of ten times and finished No. 1 three of those times. 

In 1994, the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) was created to bring together 31 countries (including the United Kingdom) and foster growth across the region.  Since the United Kingdom (UK) entered this agreement, UK GDP growth has decelerated, wage growth has become anemic, and the residents of Britain have…