My Comments: Recently I was reminded that I appear to have strong opinions. This is usually accompanied by a rolling of the eyes, and to which I now hang my head, but without shame. On this topic, I’ve not had an opinion worth talking about until now. I hate it when people bitch and moan …
Continue reading US Should Not Negotiate Free Trade Behind Closed Doors
My Comments: In keeping with the prevailing assumption that anything you see on TV or read on the internet is gospel, financial planners are constantly trying to undo the “lessons” taught by certain celebreties who are more interested in selling books than they are in providing good information. Whenever I’ve attended regional meetings with hundreds …
My Comments: Here are two charts, associated with the authors comments, that show very clearly that good financial planning for retirement is as much a matter of luck as it is skill. The first chart has numbers that reflect 45 years, which seems like a long time, until you remember that so many of us …
My Comments: This is a long, uncomfortable article that predicts how the world might evolve economically and politically over the next several decades. My generation will have passed on soon, but regardless of your political stripes today, it will be different. If you want to take back America, or at least preserve what we have, …
My Comments: In my capacity as a financial planner and investment advisor, I’ve long embraced a fiduciary standard. This means I’m bound morally, ethically and legally to do what, in my professional opinion, is in my client’s best interests. Corporate financial America (Wall Street in general, the insurance industry, money managers, et al) and their …
Continue reading Like It Or Not, All Advisors Are Now Fiduciaries
My Comments: I have just two. One is that Florida has about 1350 miles of coastline and that does not include rivers that are somewhat tidal. Two is that if God is all seeing and all knowing, how come he’s only telling some of us to be aware of what’s coming and to properly prepare …
My Comments: Buying gas for your car at the pump is now an adventure fraught with uncertainty. Is the price going up or is it going down? What can I expect the next time I need to fill the tank? Is there a station on the other side of town willing to lower their price …
My Comments: I no longer make any apologies for being liberal. It does not mean I cannot embrace positions held by conservatives, but on balance, I see myself as being a liberal. As much as anything, I identify this way as I refuse to live in the past. As I age, I have a longer …
My Comments: After 6 years and counting, I’m still waiting for a valid, alternate idea to come from the political right. As an insurance agent for 40 years, and having sold individual and group policies for many of them, I understand many of the dynamics involved. Why is it not in our best interest as …
My Comments: This post reflects my values about the role government should play in our society these day. Written by Jack Markell, it is long, congratulatory, somewhat self serving, but is so well articulated that I feel compelled to share it. Another resonance for me happens when I recall the two years I lived in …
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