Kennon-Green & Co. Fiduciary Financial Advisor, Wealth Management, Global Value Investing

Mar302020
Covid-19 coronavirus, virus that causes acute respiratory infections and the common cold, Sars-CoV-2 background with copy space

U.S. COVID-19 Projections Slashed to 100,000 to 200,000 Deaths

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Following our recent discussion in the past post on COVID-19, some good news has emerged: In a recent interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that, although there was no way to know for certain and he didn’t want to be held to it given the ever-changing nature of the situation, he now estimates that the death toll from COVID-19 will be in the 100,000 to 200,000 range. This is a dramatic reduction from worst-case scenarios that had thought to be around 2,200,000 only a brief time ago.

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Mar272020
COVID-19 Pandemic vs Economic Shutdown

What Price Should We Pay to Fight COVID-19?

In the NewsLeave a comment

We need to have a hard conversation.  These conversations are not natural, or even comfortable, for a lot of people but at this time, in this moment, it is necessary.  To that end, I am going to be candid and may even offend several of you.  That is not my intention.  Rather, I think it is important for us to be honest about what we are facing, the trade-off calculations that are going to have to be made sooner rather than later, and the political and social ramifications of those decisions.

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Mar272020
Joshua Kennon Secretary Desk at Home

Sheltering-in-Place Newport Coast Style

My Day In PicturesLeave a comment

Along with 1 out of 2 Americans, including the entirety of the rest of the State of California, Aaron and I have been sheltering-in-place and practicing social distancing.  Given that we spent a vast portion of our lives together living semi-retired, this is not a significant change for us.  If anything, it feels like a return to our Missouri days, especially considering that after two years in the heart of Newport Beach, we decided not to renew the lease on our existing place and, instead, move up to Newport Coast so we can decide if that might be where we ultimately want to buy a house once our kids are born. 

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Oct252019
Antique Prices as an Investment Have Collapsed

Antique Furniture Prices Have Collapsed

CollectiblesLeave a comment

I’ve been watching, with increasing interest, the catastrophic market decline that has been playing out in antique case goods, furniture, decor, and other related historical items.  This category of assets, which had been on a steady, upward climb for nearly thirty years prior to the Great Recession, has been in a free-for-all, nosediving with such violence that the implosion is breathtaking in both scope and severity.

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Oct212019
Joshua and Aaron Reading Area on Small Balcony

Over the Next Six Months, I’ll Be Sharing Some of the Journey You’ve Missed

AnnouncementsLeave a comment

One of the things I’ve most disliked over the past three years since starting our asset management firm is that I’ve had little to no time to show you what is going on in our lives.  Entire trips, events, special occasions, holiday celebrations, birthday parties, concerts … things that would have been documented have fallen by the wayside because the time it would take to prepare the photos, write the post, and publish the results required precious daylight (or sleep) I couldn’t spare as we were in the midst of spinning up a highly regulated entity.  To us, personally, this meant the momentary absence of a valuable journal of our own life; a chronicling of our experiences that helped keep our timeline in order.

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Aug82019
Reading Middlemarch by George Eliot During Plane Flight

A Round-Trip Flight from California to Kentucky and Reading Middlemarch, a Study of Provincial Life by George Eliot

Book Recommendations, Economics, Education, My Day In PicturesLeave a comment

The masterpiece Middlemarch, a Study of Provincial Life is considered by many literary critics and academics to be the greatest novel written in the history of the English language.  A work of historical fiction, the story is set during the years 1829-1832 and follows the lives of the inhabitants of a fictional town, Middlemarch, as threads, both visible and invisible, weave the fate of their their homes, marriages, businesses, fortunes, happiness, and misery together.

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Jul192019
Joshua and Aaron's Bike Model Newport Beach

Soon, Aaron and I Will Be Biking the Paths and Parks of Southern California

My Day In PicturesLeave a comment

So many of our clients, friends, and acquaintances bike, including for pleasure, exercise, and/or commuting to work, and we had grown so accustomed to seeing people on their bikes all the time out here given the near year-round perfect weather, Aaron and I decided that one of these days we were going to visit a nearby bike store in Costa Mesa, California.  Yesterday, we finally checked this off our task list and we’re so happy that we did.

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Jul82019
Aaron Made Croque Madame Sandwiches for Brunch Close-Up with Broken Egg

Croque Madame and Cotton Candy Grapes

Food and BeveragesLeave a comment

Walk into a French café and you might discover a dish called Croque Monsieur, which translates as “Mr. Crunch”.  Add a sunny-side up egg on top and it becomes a Croque Madame, or “Mrs. Crunch”, the gender shift occurring because the egg resembles the sort of hat women would frequently wear in a by-gone era.  Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame can range from the easy and convenient to the rich and decadent depending on the money, time, and calories you are willing to sacrifice.

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Jun302019
Joshua Kennon New York Philharmonic Avery Fisher Hall November 8 2003 - DSCN1903

Performing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the New York Philharmonic

Music, My Day In PicturesLeave a comment

One of the benefits of our relocation to the West Coast was going through boxes and containers dating back to early childhood, discovering things that we didn’t realize we had; toys from our nursery, birthday cards from elementary school, choral music from high school and college.  This included migrating old computer archives before destroying the physical drives, resulting in large amounts of data we now need to organize and catalog over the coming years as a part-time personal project

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