Shake Shack SHAK

Shares traded up to $52.50 this morning.

If that euphoria doesn't indicate sheer madness in the stock market  nothing else will.

A hamburger.   When this baby breaks, get the hell out of the way.

President ZERO's economic recovery. Just the facts.

Final 2014 GDP is 2.4%, higher than the 2.2% in 2013 as well as the 2.3% in 2012.

From where I sit if  you want to determine the health of the economy look at a chart of West Texas Intermediate Crude.

Jeff Foxworthy on ‪#‎Montana‬!

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1. If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Montana.

2. If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't even work there, you may live in Montana.

3. If you've worn shorts and a jacket at the same time, you may live in Montana.

4. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Montana.

5. If "vacation" means going anywhere south of Missoula for the weekend, you may live in Montana.

6. If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Montana.

7. If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Montana.

8. If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you may live in Montana.

9. If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Montana.

10. If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both doors unlocked, you may live in Montana.

11. If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Montana.

12. If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Montana.

13. If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Montana.

14. If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Montana.

15. If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you may live in Montana.

16. If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Montana.

17. If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly", you may live in Montana.

18. If you actually understand these jokes, repost this so all of your Montana friends and others can see, you definitely do live - or have lived - in Montana.

Time flies. 29 years ago today.

I watched this explosion in my office in LaJolla working at Drexel Burnham Lambert.   Life is short.    

529 Plan Change

The new change is welcome.   I feel sorry for the legions of parents who have been hoodwinked into putting their hard earned assets into 529 plans and not having the ability to change their investment posture as they see fit.  Generally it is THEIR money for the benefit of THEIR children.  The cradle-to-college mentality of the government is rather shallow.    The laugh is on the taxpaying parents who are now saddled with paying for FREE community college education for so many losers who belong to the Free Shit Army brigade so prevalent in America today.

As of January 1, 2015, a 529 plan account owner may make Investment Option changes TWICE per calendar year or upon the change of a beneficiary.

Prior to January 1, 2015, an account owner was only permitted to make an Investment Option change ONCE per calendar year or upon a change of beneficiary.

Undocumented Flying Machine over the White House!

I saw this in the news the other day that President Foodstamp doesn't have an Iron Dome over the White House (yet) so maybe the drone that went down inside the WH compound should demand amnesty, a free college tuition, iPhone, healthcare, etc.  I am sure mandatory DRONE REGISTRATION will be coming any day now.

I wonder when Amazon will be delivering dope with Drones in Colorado?  Come to think of it maybe it is the easiest way to have new golf clubs delivered to the Golfer-in-Chief.

I doubt if shotguns would work to stop a droning but come to think of it, it also might be awful tough to have a shooter at the ready at 3:08 am with his load of 3.5 inch BBB ready to unload!

In the end, if drones are outlawed remember only outlaws will have drones.

Technology is changing folks.  Drone on!!!

Jordan "JP" Parisian getting it done...........

Jordan Parisian fishing and hunting

In Memory of Jane B. Shingleton

Good Afternoon.   My name is Dean Parisian.   I am humbled and honored to speak today and to you Bruce,  to Brad, to Cathy, Betty, and Susan and to your spouses and your children, as we all are, I’m saddened by your  loss.

 When I go to Websters and look up the word “CHIEF” it describes one who is of high rank,  and of great influence.   Make no mistake, the world is less one Chief today.  But there are other places in the dictionary we might find words to describe the Chief.  For sure, we might see a picture of Jane next to the words, TOUGH and OPTIMISTIC!

By profession I am a money manager.  By birth I am a member of the MN Chippewa Tribe.  Over 20 years ago I was introduced to Dr. Bill and Jane Shingleton.  They made the decision to hire me and to entrust to me the financial legacy of the Shingleton family.   

In working with Jane I encountered the same issues many of you encountered.   When I would call,    the first order of business was to get her to turn down the volume on  CNBC.    

Over the years my admiration and respect for her only grew.  She was always so incredibly tough.   What were to be 15 minute phone calls were usually an hour.   I had no crystal ball and my impeccable track record of being 100% unable to predict the future only magnified things!     And the questions, the questions  never ceased.  We will never forget the questions.

As many of you know, and this may elicit a chuckle,  Jane was as concerned with the 2 digits in her accounts to the right of the decimal point as she was in the 7 digits to the left of the decimal point.     In my work,  she often wanted me to make phone calls on her behalf.  Her requests usually went something like this,  “Dean, You tell them that you are calling for Jane Shingleton and that she wants something done and she wants it done RIGHT NOW.”  For Jane, It was always,  Right Now.  There was no time for tomorrow when it could be done today.

I have never met a successful pessimist and  Jane  was truly an optimist.  She believed.   She knew bad times wouldn’t last.   And Jane lived life.  She lived it large on the courts and on the golf course.  She loved a party, she wasn’t scared to dance.    She knew how to laugh.   She knew how to give.  Jane got things done.  She played to win.   So proud of all of her friends, so proud of all of her family.  Pride in her relationship with Duke, so happy in the mountains, she was, a Carolina girl.    

For MeMA’s grandchildren I will share a quote that she often shared with me.   Here it is.   “The truth will set you free but at first it will make you miserable”  If Jane were here today she would want me to provide a teaching moment,  so Jane this is for you. 

Part of growing older and maturing requires us to stare reality in the face and take a bite.  No one is always going to tell you the truth.  They are going to shade it and make it sound nice.  But what we need to hear is the truth, because it is the truth that sets us free.  Facing the truth can be painful and difficult.   Often we don’t like the truth.   We don’t want to admit that some of the problems in our lives were brought on by poor decisions. 

Jane,  was as truthful to me as she was to all of you.   She called it the way it was.  A spade was a spade.   MeMA lived the truth  and today she is truly free.

In looking around it is easy to recognize the tremendous personal legacy that Jane and Dr. Shingleton have left the world.  It’s obvious to see in their children the results of how much work Jane put into her family.  All of you,  are a testament to her,  to her great ambition, to her smarts and savvy, and to her love.  Jane was so proud of all of you, your accomplishments,  and always wanted nothing but the very best for each of you. 

The story of the personal legacy of the Chief and of Dr. Bill will continue.  Each page of the story will be written by the people in this room.  The story of the Shingleton family is not yet complete.  There is work to be done.  The Chief  would want it that way.

In closing, as the great Indian Chief, Chief Seattle said long ago,  “There is no death, only a change of worlds.”   Jane and Dr. Bill are together again and they left this world a much better place.   May God forever bless my friend, Jane Shingleton. 

Thank you.