The Road Ahead for the Nation’s Economy

I write about the economy a lot because a lot of my friends are economists.

But seriously, the economy has become a prime topic among news people, politicians and many everyday folks. If the economy has flattened your job or taken away your home or both, you are watching what happens to the economy a lot more closely than you used to watch it just a few short years ago when we all seemed a lot more, "fat and happy."

And as the holidays approach, we will be watching our money and we also try to follow through with our annual traditions. Buying for the holidays is all about keeping those we care about happy. Happy is a lot more elusive these days. And that's because for some of us the wolf we hoped would never show up is at the door. But retailers want you to lock the door and turn your back on the wolf, put your coat on or log on to the web, and buy something for someone! Remember that retailers, from the most humble shopkeepers to the big box giants, at the end of the day, are also doing what the rest of us are doing, just trying to keep the wolf away.

As I started to say, we watch the economy, the stock market, the job market, the retail market, a lot more closely than we used to. No one seems to have all of the answers about how we can fix what is broken. Economists and politicians will send us vibes that they know what's wrong and what needs to be done. But the truth is, no one has all of the answers. Even the economists will admit that.

On Wednesday, I will take another, "snapshot" of the economy and where it stands right now in our news reports. It is a moving target, and I hope for you and I and our collective future, that movement will continue upward.