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 …
Tag: money management
Make Social Security Great Again
My Comments: Short and sweet. Sean Williams / Jan 29, 2017 For more than 75 years the Social Security program has protected the financial well-being of our nation's retired workforce. Today, more than 41 million retired workers are receiving monthly benefit checks from Social Security, a majority of whom need that income to meet their …
An Overvalued Stock Market?
My Comments: Dr. Doom here again. And boy, do I love this first chart. Many of my colleagues have been encouraging our clients to sit on the sidelines now for about two years or more. And we’ve been blasted because the DOW and the S&P just keeps going up. Unless you believe the world has …
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: …
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 …
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 …
Medicare Statistics
My Comments: Medicare is a critical element for retired Americans. These statistics are not jaw-dropping but re-affirm our need to be very careful about making changes to Medicare. I’m not convinced the folks in Congress have my best interests in mind when they talk about making changes. Consider yourself enlightened. Maurie Backman | Apr 20, …
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 …
What’s Killing The Long-Term Care Insurance Industry?
My Comments: This was written almost five years ago. During these years, every reader today is almost five years older and while the world has changed dramatically, the demographics are still with us. Among the existential risks we all face is what is known as a Long-Term Care, or LTC event. Before we all die, …
Continue reading What’s Killing The Long-Term Care Insurance Industry?
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 …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 