Keeping the NSA in Perspective

My Comments: This won’t interest some of you, which is OK. Others will recognize it as part of the cosmos that includes our economy and our political environment. These things contribute to the process that results in the amount of money we have to live our lives the way we want to. I’ve long said …

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10 Common Estate Planning Mistakes (and how to avoid them)

My Comments: As you can imagine, estate planning is not for the faint of heart. But it matters for some of us, who have spent years and years accumulating assets. While this happens, people get married, they get divorced, they have children, some of whom are considered responsible. I had a recent conversation with someone …

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The Conversation I Don’t Want to Have

My Comments: There are probably other conversations I don’t want to have but this is the one on todays agenda. It involves the problems all of us face as we grow older. The alternative to growing older is you have already died, which in itself is not a happy thought. A colleague in California penned …

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US Economy: Blame Misaligned Policies, Not Structural Flaws

My Comments: I recently engaged in what turned out to be a mindless discussion on LinkedIn that started with the question “Who Creates Inflation?” My comments and those of several others offered our thoughts that it was a “what” that creates inflation and not a “who”. It was soon apparent that the leader and some …

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Perspective

From time to time my natural balance, especially my mental balance, gets out of whack. Some in my family argue this is increasingly frequent. To solve this, I sometimes turn to images and thoughts about the vast emptiness of the universe. Thinking about this and looking at images like this one leads me to conclude …

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7 Retirement Planning Risks You May Not Have Considered

My Comments: We wonder sometimes why the media is so consumed with bad news; it’s hard to find items that make you feel good. Unfortunately, I herewith add another element of negativity to the days actvity. On the other hand, knowing about these seven may help you avoid them which is a good thing. Does …

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Why the IRS Wants You to Watch Your IRA Rollovers

My Comments: Can you say esoteric? Can you say huh? Can you say obscure? The IRS recently issued a ruling, or perhaps more accurately a tax court decision made it for them that limits a persons ability to make an IRA rollover more than once in any calendar year. Used to be if you had …

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Coastal Dwellers Should Take Their Own Chances

My Comments: When I graduated from college, I decided to stay where I had lived the past four years. I’ve never once regretted that choice. Living in Florida and NOT on the coast might be a good thing, now that global warming is in our collective thoughts. But most of my life is now behind …

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Uncertainty, Not China, is Replacing US Power

My Comments: Do you lay awake at night, worrying about this? Me either. But global political dynamics will influence our lives, and the lives of those we love, in ways that cannot be predicted. I’ve been part of the world of financial planning and investments for almost four decades and over that span, the extent …

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First Million-Dollar Drug Near; Prices Double on Dozens of Treatments

My Comments: This is the power of free market enterprise. Without controls, if you have a monopoly, or close to a monopoly, you can expect a profit motive to drive the train. What I see happening is that while they can, drug companies are taking in as much as possible before ObamaCare (PPACA) forces them …

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