My Comments: Interest rates are the price paid for using money owned by someone else. The rise and fall of that price, which we call interest, is a critical element when it comes to deciding how your money should be invested. For over 30 years they have been trending down and you will soon see …
Tag: Alachua County
US-Iran Treaty Can Send Oil to $40
My Comments: I’ve already said that I much prefer a negotiated deal between adversaries than continued threats to bomb the crap out of them. In todays economic and political environment, that option poses too many risks that I’m unprepared to accept. Here’s some economic thoughts about what might happen, now the deal is in place. …
Wrong On Iran
My Comments: I’m unsure about the title of this article; is the author talking to us, to the Israelis or both. Personally, I’m all for the deal that was signed on Monday. I’m persuaded the choices are either an agreement based on mutual distrust, made by skilled negotiators, or war. And I’m sick and tired …
Social Security: When to Claim at 66
My Comments: Many of my close friends, clients and associates have long since started taking their Social Security benefits. For those of you who have not, there are probably some issues you need to explore before you sign on the dotted line. A generation ago, 65 was the automatic full retirement age. Rembember the phrase …
Who Now Pays for Healthcare?
My Comments: A fundamental shift being triggered by the PPACA (Obamacare) is the level of income earned by medical specialists and medical generalists. In order to make it more attractive for a medical student to focus on primary care, the idea was to compensate specialists less and instead redirect those funds toward those focused on …
Government Speak
My Comments: Many of us remember a simpler time, not just in politics but in medicine. As we grow older, we tend to interact more and more with the world of health care providers, who have a language all their own. The following comes from the June 2015 internet magazine published by MDPreferred. Doctors and …
Staring Into An Abyss
My Comments: Greece is the focus for many of us whose professional interest is the management of money, both for ourselves and our clients. I’ve said the crisis has the potential to be calamitous, not just for Europe, but for the rest of the world too. Here, Scott Minerd suggests we step back a bit …
Europe’s Dream is Dying in Greece
My Comments: Society evolves, just like animals and plants. But it takes time, and we are conditioned to want it NOW, not over the next millenia. If there is enough collective will, the European Union (EU) will survive by evolving to accomodate Greek society. The players themselves are going to have to find the right …
A Basic Social Security Quiz…
My Comments: Many are railing against capitalism these days and others against socialism. If you’re adamantly opposed to socialism, I trust you’ve refused to cash your social security checks. Yes, you paid into the system, but the bulk of the money you get comes not from what you put in, but from what our children …
Exposing The Dark Side of Personal Finance
My Comments: A recent report that airlines may be colluding on price is but one example of corporate excess that pervades our system. It’s not yet systemic, but given the opportunity, corporate America will take steps to advance its own cause at our expense. After 40 years as a financial planner, I’m sensitive to questionable …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 