Good morning.

I usually don’t write when stock markets are closed for holidays … such as today … but I figure my teaching schedule and industry work already interfere enough with my attempt to post daily notes… so I will make an exception this morning finding myself with some spare time.

Meanwhile, I only expect my teaching to last another year or so … for one very scary reason … “AI.”

On Feb. 9th a fantastic article was written by Matt Shumer which is attached as the last item below … and it is well worth the review … even though he made some claims that a few experts have debunked.

But as far as education … and my life … goes … this is what I see.

Many colleges – even those with sizeable endowments – are under tremendous pressure. And the government is right, in my view, in questioning why federal funding for those with astronomical endowments is even necessary to the degree it happens to be.  But schools are already cutting costs … replacing tenured educators with “adjunct” professors – like me … who receive just a relatively small stipend for their troubles.

But even my days are numbered.

I can already create an avatar that looks like me (or even someone more handsome … if you can believe that is even possible) … perfectly able to mimic my voice and tone. Type in the content (as long as it is not copyrighted) and a class session on almost any investment topic can be “taught.”  And with the comfort Gen-Z now has with online classes (thanks Covid) this might be quite easily accepted.

I’ve already started working on this to see how easy it might be for someone like me to put together … but once people smarter and more talented than me start working on it …

… I won’t stand a chance.

AI promises to replace a number of jobs over the next few years

The article is not meant to scare … but will cause you to sit back and wonder about the good ways … and the not-so-good ways … AI will affect our lives.

And probably sooner than we would like to admit.

Have a great day,

Joseph G. Witthohn, CFA

Have any questions? Please contact info@teamemerald.com

A Look At The News | February 16, 2026 As of 10:46 AM today … Yes, it is early … but indications are showing tax refunds to be around 10% higher than last year … which could bode well for an economic shot in the arm (CNBC) https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/13/average-tax-refund-early-irs-data.html   … but some are fortunate enough not to need a bigger refund …. If they were lucky enough to buy and own one of the rare Pokemon cards … as one just sold for millions (CNN) https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/16/americas/pokemon-card-logan-paul-record-auction-intl-hnk   Humanoid robots are still being improved as some question if they’ll ever be ready for home use.  Meanwhile, China is not waiting and has a few of these patrolling their streets (BGR) https://www.bgr.com/2098825/humanoid-robot-cops-traffic-controllers-patrolling-china-streets/   … and one good thing about these robots is they are not bothered by heat … which will certainly be helpful if our planet warms to an unbearable temperature (Futurism) https://futurism.com/science-energy/earth-uninhabitable-climate-change   Do you feel like you might be aging a bit faster than you care to admit?  Maybe a shingles vaccine should be scheduled as studies show this slows down the aging process a bit (UMN.edu) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/adult-non-flu-vaccines/shingles-vaccine-may-slow-biological-aging-older-adults   Getting rid of waste … especially human waste … has been a smelly task … but what if this can actually be put to good use?  The idea might not be as terrible as it sounds (MarylandReporter) https://marylandreporter.com/2026/02/15/turning-poop-to-power-in-the-dc-burbs/   The Matt Shumer article referred to in my note …   https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening   The statements above are supplied for educational purposes only. The statements depict the viewpoints and opinion of the author and are not necessarily the views of Emerald Asset Management or its affiliates. The information described herein is taken from sources which are believed to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of such information is not guaranteed by us. Emerald Asset Management PA, LLC | 717-556-8900 | 3175 Oregon Pike, Leola, PA 17540 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list. ———————————————————————————- The statements above are supplied for educational purposes only. The statements depict the viewpoints and opinion of the author and are not necessarily the views of Emerald Asset Management or its affiliates. The information described herein is taken from sources which are believed to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of such information is not guaranteed by us.