Chicago wheat price swings have made business uncomfortable for the last 18 months, with swings ranging more than a dollar per bushel in any given 60-day period. Chicago is in the spotlight because it is the most visible, but Kansas City, Minneapolis and even Portland wheat markets are in the same whirlpool.

Making decisions about things financial, be it wheat, 401k funds, CD's, stocks or even municipal bonds has become an exercise in frustration and anxiety even for professionals. Even the isolated among us are seeing and feeling the erosion of trust and the encroachment of cynicism toward...