I have to laugh. I saw a magazine column the other day entitled “101 Ways to Wealth.” I can make this easier for you. SAVE YOUR MONEY.

Most everyone I know who has money earned their money and then saved a large portion of it. Most wealthy people have that in common. They don’t spend everything they have.

So the Howie rule for obtaining wealth is to save your money. There is no secret path.

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We are having a great year so far. One third of it is over.

The broad stock market, which includes most stocks traded, the Wilshire 5000 Index, is up more than 13 percent in 2013.

In 2012, the markets were up roughly 16 percent, so we are bouncing around a 30 percent return in the past 16 months. Nothing shabby about that.

So far in 2013, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 13.2 percent, the Standard and Poor’s 500 index is up 12 percent, the Nasdaq Composite is up 10.2 percent.

Small stocks in the Russell 2000 are up 11.6 percent, and Mid Sized stocks in the S and P Midcap 400 are storming along up 13.7 percent.

Not much bad news anywhere here.

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Foreign stock markets are not as strong. The Dow Jones Global index excluding the U.S. is up only 6.5 percent. In the major foreign markets, Japan is leading the way up more than 33 percent.

Some of those major markets are actually down, including South Korea down almost 2 percent, China down 4 percent, Mexico down 3 percent, Brazil down 8 percent and Chile down 9 percent. No horror stories here, just not what we would like to see in a global recovery.

By the way, I am writing this on May 1, so unless otherwise indicated these prices are reflective of Jan. 1 through April 30.

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In the commodities arena, gold is $1,472 per ounce, which is down more than 12 percent this year, Sweet West Texas Crude Oil is up 1.8 percent and natural gas is up 29.6 percent. Natural gas was around $12 per million cubic feet a while back, so relatively speaking gas prices all still on the low side.

Silver is down 20 percent this year, reversing a longtime trend.

Prices we really care about, food products, are mixed. So far in 2013 cattle prices are down about 1 percent, corn is down more than 2 percent, hogs are up 5 percent, soybeans are up 3.5 percent and wheat is down more than 7 percent.

I don’t see much letup in food price increases, do you?

As I’ve been preaching, I just don’t see any letup in you and me paying more for food. The world population is growing and those people want our stuff, particularly our food. Those demands should lead to higher prices for us.

In the bond market, yields are still low for most instruments. The three-month Treasury bill is returning about .05 percent, the five-year treasury is around .68 percent and the 10-year treasury is at 1.67 percent. There is nothing exciting about those yields.

If you are buying a home, and can get a loan, a 30-year mortgage is around 3.4 percent and a 15-year mortgage is around 2.6 percent.

We are coming into a time known as the summer doldrums. Now that doesn’t mean that the market doesn’t do well, it just means that I should go to Tibet and meditate because things could be unexciting for the next few months.

It doesn’t always work out that way but I’m just sayin’…

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This stock market is interesting. Now, I’ve been in this business for about 38 years. I started when I was 10. Rarely are stock markets uninteresting. You have boring periods but rarely uninteresting.

Anyway, it seems to me this market is all about valuation. We financial people love using those words.

Having said that, I do think that is the issue. Some of the stocks that I follow, seem to me to be overvalued. Some seem to be undervalued. All stocks have not performed in line with each other.

Let’s face it. At this time the trend is up. One should not fight the trend.

However, some say we’ve had a good run and it’s time to take some money off the table. Only time will tell.

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I was contemplating my positive attributes in the Man Cave the other day when the wife came passing through.

She said “What’s going on?”

I said, “Honey do you know what you call a sensitive, caring, intelligent man?”

She said, “A rumor, next question?”

I don’t think she’s funny.

Howie Pentony is a Saxonburg Client Portfolio Manager.