Social Security Myths

My Comments: Social Security benefits are almost universally critical to retired Americans. The transition from working for money to having money work for you is complicated and perilous. Know as much as you can before you commit. Tom Anderson – April 25, 2017 You probably know less about Social Security than you think. More than …

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Flashing Red Ratio

My Comments: Will stock prices plummet? Maybe… The Ratio That Predicted The 2001 And 2008 Stock Market Crashes Is Again Flashing Red by Atle Willems, May 4, 2017 The co-movement of the stock market and the money supply to saving ratio has been obvious especially in recent decades. But the two have now dislocated with …

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Michael Flynn Explained

My Comments: I want 45 to be successful. It’s not in my best interest as a citizen of these United States to have a duly elected official fail. But the odds of that happening are increasingly likely. By Gloria Borger, CNN Chief Political Analyst \ Wed May 3, 2017 It's been 11 weeks since Gen. …

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Retirement Paths to Follow

My Comments: Which of the six paths described by Nancy Schlossberg in the following article will you follow? Personally, my thoughts are that whichever one seems right for you, it’s helpful to remember the three phases of retirement that I describe. These are the Go-Go years, the Slow-Go years and the No-Go years. Assuming you …

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The Keys to American Growth

My Comments: Demographics is an economic force to understand. Without people, growth and prosperity will diminish. Neither children nor the elderly can be counted on to work the fields and build houses. That leaves people in the middle and unless we grow them at home, we have to import them from somewhere else. That means …

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A few more Laws from Murphy

A reminder: Murphy’s Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. So here are a few more: Cohen's Law: What really matters is the name you succeed in imposing on the facts, not the facts themselves. Manly's Maxim: Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence. Murphy's Corollary: …

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Saving for Retirement

My Comments: It’s a truism in our society that having more money rather than less money is a good thing. And retirement, by definition, is a time in your life when earning money to pay bills and enjoy life is not in the cards. That being said, if you expect or need to transition to …

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Cheap Electricity and Food

My Comments: Over the next 25 years, the US will resume it’s role as THE major global economic influence. You can argue it will happen as a result of bringing coal mining jobs back to Appalachia or because there will be a wall built along our Mexican border, one built by Mexico with help from …

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How Not To Screw Up Your Investments

My Comments: Basic stuff for some of us; gibberish for others. So if you have difficulty with this, ask your financial advisor for help. Dana Anspach on April 6, 2017 Smart investors follow an asset allocation plan. An asset allocation plan tells you how much of your total investments should be in stocks versus bonds …

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The 7 Elements of a Successful Retirement

My Comments: Just 7? No, there are lots more, but you have to start somewhere. The first element reflects my personal approach to this. There has to be a real understanding of the difference between strategies and tactics. There’s a reason that seems militaristic because it is. I’ve just borrowed it to use in financial …

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