My Comments: We know for a fact that very little in life is free. And that’s certainly the case with annuities. Add to that they’re hard to understand, and are often sold for reasons that are not always in the best interest of the buyer. None of that, however, means you shouldn’t consider annuities when …
Continue reading Equity-Indexed Annuities As a Retirement Strategy
My Comments: Yesterday, I posted Part I of a three part series from the staff of Fortune magazine. I was struck by it’s relevance in today’s America in terms of it’s expose of where we are as a nation, both politically and economically. In my opinion we have roughly two years to figure out whether …
Continue reading The Shrinking Middle Class: How We Got Here, And Why
My Comments: I’ve always enjoyed the traditional greeting associated with today: Happy New Year! And so I offer you my heartfelt wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR! But the reality is that for many millions of Americans, 2019 will not be a happy year. And so I offer an apology for spoiling the fun with …
Continue reading The Shrinking Middle Class: The Current State of Affairs
My Comments: I’ve written life insurance policies on men, women and sometimes children for over 40 years. In almost every instance, objectivity was hard to come by. The idea of death is difficult to talk about, especially when it’s about your death, or those you love. As I’ve aged and come to terms with my …
Continue reading The Most Overlooked Issue In Retirement Planning
(and What It Will Mean for the Economy) My Comments: I’ve written previously about the danger of income inequality. You only have to look at countries in the middle east to understand the chaos and turmoil in countries where the middle class barely exists. Any population without a realistic ability to rise above poverty is …
Continue reading Why the American Middle Class Is Disappearing
My Comments: Wow! A monthly payment every month for the rest of your life! How good is that? Despite the caustic rhetoric filling the air waves, causing turmoil and worry, I very much doubt there’s going to be any drastic changes to Social Security. Some loud voices want it to be abolished, but there are …
Continue reading The Death of Social Security Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
My Comments: In a political context, my initial reaction to having Trump in the White House was that it was a healthy step in the evolution of these United States. We’ve been a formidable leader on the world stage for the past 80 plus years. From time to time, it is useful for the status …
Continue reading Trump’s ties to the Russian mafia go back 3 decades
My Comments: My observations and memories of economic and financial forces over the past five decades has led me to fundamentally distrust the moves made by those who profess to Make America Great Again. My instincts told me they were pushing us in the opposite direction, ie Make America Irrelevant. It started with us withdrawing …
Continue reading How Donald Trump Is Shaping The Next Global Economic Recession
My Comments: Well, duh! This headline seems like a no-brainer to me. Social Security was created as a safety net program 80 plus years ago. This implies you MUST have additional funds so you can pay your bills. With 80 years of expectations now built into the system, it has become ‘normal’ to view it …
Continue reading 4 Reasons You Can’t Live on Social Security
My Comments: My efforts to coach people to start thinking seriously about their future retirement is complicated. For every positive associated with retirement there are just as many negatives. This is one of them. Unless you plan to die before you reach retirement, you should find time to get your ducks lined up well in …
Continue reading Retirees Will Spend a Third of Their Social Security on This One Big Expense
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