We recently moved to The Villages, Florida – the largest, active adult retirement community in the world. Nearly 150,000 people occupying almost 57 square miles of land, double the size of Manhattan. The daily paper is full of large advertisements offering a “free lunch” in exchange for listening to a vendor’s presentation. Between cremation services, audiologists and financial planners, we […]
» Read moreGrandparents know lecturing grandchildren about “In my day” is greeted with eyes rolling, “Here we go again!” “Yeah, I know grandpa, you walked a mile to school every day and it was uphill both ways….” Friend Henry M. sent a Thanksgiving greeting with an interesting note: (Paraphrasing) “I’m worn out hearing people moan, ‘Our grandparents could buy a house on […]
» Read moreThe Declaration of Independence kicked off our nation! We broke away from British Rule, declaring our own Self-determination. Getting it done required winning a bloody war. 90 years later, southern states, citing many similar issues, tried to secede from the union. President Lincoln told the “rebellious states” they would have to fight their way to independence. The rebellion was crushed; […]
» Read moreMy recent article about The American Dream prompted several questions: What Is Independence? How do you know if you really have it? How can you measure it? Are you ever there, or is it transitory? Cambridge Dictionary offers examples: freedom from being governed or ruled by another country. the state of wanting or being able to do things for yourself […]
» Read moreThe US government is spending borrowed money into oblivion; the debts will never be able to be repaid. Whether it is default, Venezuela-type inflation, or both – we’re all going to suffer the consequences. Chuck Butler recently discussed how inflation, and losing the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, will impact everyone’s standard of living. Some will fare better than […]
» Read moreJanuary is time to look ahead for the year. Sadly, way too much depends on the Federal Reserve and world central banks. Michael Howell writes: “It has been a bleak year for many investors. Global investors have lost $23tn of wealth…so far in 2022. …. That is equivalent to 22 per cent of global gross domestic product” When bureaucrats create […]
» Read moreI was a senior, Sally was a freshman. We would hold hands and walk to the small lake on the other side of her family’s farm. The bank was angled, and we would lean back and stare at the distant sky and cloud formations. Sally (Name is changed but the story is real) was my high school sweetheart who I […]
» Read moreI have a confession to make. I’m getting older and I’m not the man I used to be. At times it’s embarrassing and humiliating. During my working career I spent 40+ weeks per year flying all over the world. I had millions of frequent flyer miles and knew all the ins and outs of the game. I was a genuine […]
» Read moreIn a recent article I outlined some virtues of rolling over a traditional IRA or 401 (k) into a Roth IRA. As baby boomers transition into retirement their concern moves from accumulating wealth to keeping it. Today we are going to learn from a professional who deals with these issues regularly – a certified expert. Good friend Jeff White, President […]
» Read moreI believe in the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it generally is”. Note the word “generally”; meaning there are a few exceptions to the rule. All too often “free money” is connected with someone hawking a product or service – not the case in today’s missive. We had a large family gathering for Christmas this […]
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