My Comments: I take no pleasure in paying taxes. But I also understand why it’s necessary. My life as a tax paying adult, especially when it comes to earned income, has seen good and bad years. I’ve always assumed it’s my responsibility to figure out what to send the IRS and if I can’t, then …
Continue reading The Trump tax law has big problems. Here’s one big reason why
My Comments: Being alive carries with it certain risks. Some can be managed and some cannot. Running out of money in retirement is a risk you want to avoid if you can. To the extent you have been able to pay off a home mortgage or otherwise find yourself with an equity position, sometime a …
Continue reading How a Reverse Mortgage Can Benefit You in Retirement
My Comments: Yesterday, I talked about the need for new people to enter the work force. Today I'm talking about people who cannot leave the work force. There are an increasing number of baby boomers who cannot leave the work force because they simply don't have enough money. It presents an untenable outcome: die sooner …
Without more babies and immigrants, the country won’t be able to support its aging population. My Comments: The stellar growth of the United States following World War II was in part due to the surge in births that we’ve dubbed the ‘baby boomers’. Population rise, coupled with the ability to move up the economic ladder …
Continue reading Too Many Americans Will Never Be Able to Retire
My Comments: Like everyone, I could use a crystal ball. Since they don’t exist, I have to turn to writers with a far better understanding of what’s going on than I have. To that end, these words from Larry Fuller are helpful. Fortunately, he avoids many of the big words that too many pundits use. …
My Comments: Much of my retirement money is at Vanguard. At some point I’m going to decide we’ve hit bottom and move it back into Vanguard growth funds or ETFs. But right now, if you have the courage of your convictions, here are five low cost funds that you can use. If you are still …
Continue reading The 6 Best Vanguard Funds to Own in a Bear Market
My Comments: Though written two years ago, the message here is increasingly relevant. Social Security is under attack by the Republican leadership in the Senate. Reasonable solutions to keep it viable and properly funded are readily available provided there is a political will to make that happen. My experience over the past 40 years in …
My Comments: "Who me? Nah, I’m good. I’m not going to become goofy or worry about someone helping me take my meds every morning. Or help me prepare my meals. Or help me in the shower…" (BTW, this image is of my mother who suffered from Alzheimers for 10 years after my father died.) by …
Continue reading If you’re in your 50s, you need to plan for long-term care right now
My Comments: If you’re still a working stiff, the idea of eventual retirement crosses your mind from time to time. In years past, we thought of live as having two phases: childhood and adulthood. In childhood we are dependent on others and in adulthood we are dependent on ourselves. Adults worked until they died or …
My Comments: To me, it’s both pathetic and amusing to hear political candidates rail against the idea of ‘socialism’ and declare it’s mankind’s greatest threat. Like so many of the ‘…isms” applied to economic models of all stripes, socialism is no more a threat to the health and welfare of any society than is capitalism …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 