As I sit here in Vermont, watching Storm Gage bring us sleet and thunder snow, I am also enjoying staying warm and dry indoors.

Today is the first day of fall. Here in the East that means dropping temps, leaves changing color, apple picking and cider donuts.

Your weather may not change as much, but certain activities are good to do this time of year.

I just returned from driving halfway across the country with my daughter and two of my granddogs. 

The best part was driving through the Rocky Mountains and southern Utah. There is a reason it is called God's Country.

Some of the scenery, even from highway 70, is truly spectacular. 

In the last year, demand for and availability of investments with  social purpose has increased rapidly. 

Many younger investors are looking for these products and the fund companies continue to introduce these products.

Some have actually offered them for many years, but they are not being rediscovered.

It is a snowy day in February and I have been meaning to write this blog for about 2 weeks, since Mr. Bogle passed away.

I have read tributes by many well known financial advisors and writers. He was a legend and leader in the industry. Most of all, he fought for the average investor.

This year has flown by and will be over in 11 days. Lots of good events happened in 2018, but not in the markets.

So far, it looks like we will finish the year with negative stock market returns, the first in 10 years. 

Summer flew by and the cool mornings are coming back. A few trees have bright orange leaves on them, although most are still green.

As we close the third quarter and review results, we also take time for some year end planning.

If you are a US taxpayer:

Last Sunday we were treated to 3 great sports events. Since it was a hot humid day in New Jersey, it was the perfect excuse to stay indoors and keep the TV going.

From the Wimbledon men's final to the Tour De France to the world cup finals, it was a day of great sport ( and sportsmanship)and competition.

You may have noticed this week in your email a number of updated Privacy Policy notices.

I have been getting them from many different sites and companies, from Starbucks to The Financial Times.

GDPR is a new set of privacy protection laws for anyone doing business with the European Union that came into effect on May 24.

Since I started learning more about SRI, Socially Responsible Investing, the number of articles and webinars has increased substantially.

There is so much more information available, especially about ESG mutual funds and ETFs.

ESG stands for Environment, Social and Governance - three areas where there are funds with a special focus on one, two or all of these factors.