In the most important episode of his life Paul Revere did not fire a shot. But his willingness to spread the alarm averted what could have been an early military disaster for the revolutionists of Massachusetts Bay. Planners, too, in addition to fulfillment of their usual responsibilities must fill...

Climatologists can argue all day about which hurricane was the worst. The fact of the matter is the “baddest” is the one that destroyed your home, the number of millibars notwithstanding. And back in the old days they all were the baddest because you didn’t have any warning. Nowadays, sophisticated...

When the fat lady sings... As they say, “It’s not over until then.” There is a comedian who likes to inform his audience that it is his goal to live forever. Looking out into the crowd he adds, “So far, so good!” But the fact is that death is the one contingency everyone can be pretty sure...

Director Francis Ford Coppola leaves us with a cold and calculating Michael Corleone looking out the windows of his lake house over the water that would prove to be the River Styx for his brother.  What is to be a day of relaxation and fishing for Fredo will end in the fulfillment of Michael’s directive...

Two of the top ten reasons that younger women say that they marry older men are, first, they have a better read on those with a more promising future, even if it is shorter; and second, if they sprain their ankle they can use their husband’s cane. Pretty funny, but not unlike a couple of the underlying...

Johnny Carson, one-time king of late night television, once quipped, “There’s only one fruitcake in the U.S. and it’s passed around from family to family.” The joke works because many don’t like fruit cake and, consequently, pass on any received to others at the next holiday season. The...

Gifting is an important tool in designing many types of Advanced Markets cases.  Gifts can create opportunities but may also generate complications for producers and clients. Questions you may be asking are, “How will knowing more about the gift rules help me in my career?” or “How will gifting...

Any fan of the novelist Tom Clancy is probably familiar with these words uttered by the wife of his chief protagonist, Jack Ryan.  Ryan is constantly needling Dr. Caroline “Cathy” Ryan about her compulsive habit of making notes about everything as a method for reminder and also a simple record of events. She...

The control that the artist Prince assiduously maintained over his creative property during his life was tighter than a rusted nut. YouTube searches turned up precious little for those who tried to listen to his recordings and concerts on the cheap. Given such attention to detail it, it surprised...

The business world abounds with stories of the entrepreneurs who managed success building an undercapitalized venture largely because they made little or nothing in the early years, choosing rather to channel revenues back into the growth of the business. But there are often unsung heroes in these...