What a tilt.............

Boise State and Florida would be!

2007........He's off............

I put my Dad on a plane this morning back to his home in Minnesota. He turned 84 a couple of weeks ago and is doing well. Slowing down some, losing his old friends faster than he would like and more apt to enjoy watching golf than playing it. It's probably hell to get old and we all are headed that way faster than we care to admit. It's another year and time for focusing on "dollars up and pounds down"!! Some of you far away I haven't wished a happy 2007 from me to you. To old friends, partners (clients) of the firm, long-ago classmates, acquaintances along the way, I wish you and your families a healthy 2007. It has tremendous promise for a fun and very exciting year. Thank you as well for your support, friendship and ideas during 2006. For some who lurk if you'd like to connect, you know how to reach me!

Native American humor............

My Dad was asked today what kind of Indian he was. He smiled as only an 84-year old can do and said, "there's only two kind of Native Americans, those who are Chippewa and those who wish they were".

Best bumper sticker of the weekend.........

Jimmy Carter is to foreign policy what Rosie O'Donnell is to pole vaulting!

Go ahead, check this out...............

http://sagebrushpatriot.com/america.htm

Soft Dollars...........

At Chippewa Partners we have never allowed the use of soft dollars to pay for investment services. Never will. Another word for "soft dollars" is theft. Plain and simple. Trading to generate payments for services rendered with client assets should be stopped. Will it happen? Not a chance. Wall Street makes too much money in soft dollar payments. Money managers, including mutual funds and hedge funds, often pay Wall Street with “soft dollars” — inflated commissions that include the cost of trading (typically 1 to 2 cents a share) plus an additional few cents a share that can be directed to pay for research and other services. Soft dollars are controversial because clients pay for the higher commissions, while the services often benefit the manager the most. Higher commissions result in greater expenses for the fund and potentially lower returns for investors. In the late 1990s, the Securities and Exchange Commission cracked down on the use of soft dollars by mutual funds, concerned that investors were being duped into paying for services enjoyed by the manager. Massachusetts is now investigating whether hedge funds are improperly using soft dollars to pay for space in these hotels and failing to disclose to investors that they are covering a major expense.

In 2007 in America...........

With 70% of Americans overweight we need far more walking shoes prescribed than pills. We need more fathers and fewer sires. We need lower taxes and fewer earmarks. We need more politicians with guts and fewer lobbyists. We need lifetime health care for the maimed and damaged coming home from Iraq. We need immigration, social security and tax reform. We need to stop waste in the Federal goverment. We need less Hollywood and more statesman in our next President. And we need fewer space stations and better access to health care in Native America. Anything else would be just great.

2007

The world lost a prolific writer, philospher and teacher on September 25, 2006. His name was John (Jeff) D. Cooper. He was an avid hunter and known for his honest speech that he refused to temper with political correctness if it was at the expense of the truth. He stood fast by his code of morals, a philosophy of life which he often espoused: "Understand the problem; pull your weight. Appreciate. Be completely honest and trustworthy in all things." Words we all can memorialize as we enter 2007. It will be a great year. Believe it.