The Middle East, Iraq, and the United States

OK, you’re sick and tired of this issue and want it to go away. But it never does and it may never, at least not in our lifetimes. So I challenge and urge you to read a recent interview and the comments made. As someone who started life amid bombs raining down from time to …

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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – April 23, 2015

There is a positive correlation between the age of the advisor and the age of the client. I have few clients who are millenianals, but many who are roughly my age. And while I spend a lot of time helping them massage their retirement portfolios, one of the issues that surfaces frequently are the taxes …

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Rioting In The Streets Of Gainesville?

My Comments: The blog post title above comes from me; the one that actually accompanied the article is Public Pensions Face New Challenges As We Live Longer. Huh? As a financial planner, I try to make people aware of the existential threats we face as we all grow older. These threats are things that “might” …

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THOUGHT FOR WEEK – April 15, 2015

My Comments: As usual, talking about long-term care with clients, friends and family members is often a difficult conversation. As a financial planner for whom the need for personal long-term care is an increasing possibility, I’m sensitive to articles I run across that offer choices. Here is one of them. I know this looks and …

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America Will Lose Patience With European Appeasement

My Comments: It is much easier to imagine a future as an extension of the past as seen in our minds than to visualize a future with totally new and different dynamics. This is where I have a problem with leaders like Israel’s Netanyahu, with the likes of Rand Paul and others on the right. …

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The Monetary Illusion

Global Nominal GDP Growth, as Measured in Dollars, Is Projected to Decline My Comments: It has been argued that Wall Street is corrupt and greedy and doing its best to create further income inequality in this country and across the globe. And that as a result, we should hold Wall Street accountable, send people to …

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California Senate Panel Endorses Bill Allowing Terminally Ill To Commit Suicide

My Comments: Modern medicine has resulted in a dramatic extension of life expectancy, but that does not necessarily mean quality of life improvements. I suspect we only see and hear about those over 90 who still manage to work out daily and interact clearly with those around them. I suspect I may not be one …

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This Too Shall Pass

My Comments: The daily grind of figuring out if you are going to make or lose money today can become tiresome. It’s the primary reason most of us turn the responsibility over to others. We tend to hope we made a good decision and leave it alone. It’s one reason I never subscribed to the …

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5 Annuity Questions With Rational Answers

My Comments: Every year, many BILLIONs of dollars flow from the pockets of Americans into a financial contract called an "annuity”. Originally, the idea was to give an insurance company some of your money, and they would agree to send it back to you, with interest, over time. Over the years, the sophistication of these …

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Long-Term Care and Who Will Pay For It

My Comments: Selling long-term care insurance has been a tough sell for me. It’s less appealing than life insurance and statistically, it’s less likely to happen than death. It’s an emotionally charged issue that’s hard to deal with rationally. The major player in the long-term care insurance policy world is Genworth Financial. They’re on the …

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