Do Social Security Payroll Taxes Need to Increase?

My Comments: If you have not already signed up for Social Security, chances are good you will draw the short straw. If you are now getting monthly benefits, chances are you have a longer straw. Me, I have no idea. What we do know is that sooner or later the crisis will become immediate and …

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Russian Oligarchs May Have Used Donald Trump To Launder Money

My Comments: Every two years, I’m required to complete an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) overview and exam. At the local level, it's mostly about drug money and efforts to turn illegal money into legal money with insurance and investment products. The AML effort has the effect of reminding us about behaviors, questions, circumstances, patterns, etc. that …

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ACTION OR NO ACTION?

My Comments: Friends of mine are scared. I’m less so. I want President Trump to be a successful President; our future as a respected state on the global stage is important to me. But I am less confident today than I was last January. Not because of the Russia issue, but because of his apparent …

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Retirement Expenses You May Not Expect

My Comments: Aaahh, bliss! Nothing to do but relax and watch the years roll by. You and I both know that’s not likely to happen. For one thing, it’s too easy to get bored and stressed out with not enough to do. Okay, some of us love retirement, but I’m not one of them. Being …

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2017 Social Security Trustees Report

My Comments: A critical question on the minds of everyone is “Will Social Security be there for me or my spouse?” It doesn’t matter where you are in life, short of being on life support. Unfortunately, there is not yet the political will to impose a solution. That’s because the crisis is not yet within …

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Wall Street is sending huge warning signs for stocks

My Comments: Sooner or later, the penny will drop. Joe Ciolli \ Jul 30, 2017 To a growing chorus of strategists and investors across Wall Street, the stock market looks like it's headed for a rude awakening. Their mounting pessimism comes at a time when US equities are looking healthy, at least on the surface. …

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GOP confronts an inconvenient truth: Americans want a healthcare safety net

My Comments: Some of my friends continue to decry the notion of socialism. They seem to equate it with communism, a very different animal. It’s too bad they haven’t yet figured out that it’s not a rejection of capitalism. For me, because the word has accumulated so many negatives, not unlike the Confederate flag, I’ve …

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How Hitler Conquered Germany

My Comments: I find the parallels uncomfortable. There's also the truism that includes the words "... are doomed to repeat the past". The new White House Communications Director, is, by definition, expressing the ideas of his employer. His message, to me, is very similar to those expressed by his counterparts in Germany in 1937, despite …

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How do I safely invest my retirement savings for growth?

My Comments: Financial illiteracy is a huge problem. But many people have no idea it applies to them. The other day I was trying to explain something to a widow in her 70’s and it was like talking to my six year old grandson. People should be exposed to the markets. But they need to …

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When Should You Apply for Social Security

My Comments: Brian Stoffel has identified 3 critical elements for everyone not yet retired and receiving Social Security benefits. And they are not just about money and the role it plays in people’s lives. I could point out some flaws in his arguments, but the message is real. Brian Stoffel | Apr 17, 2017 You …

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