My Comments: Remember the context. Racial tension has been a hallmark of our society since the beginning. Think pilgrims vs indigenous peoples in the 1620’s. Think black vs white in the 1860’s. Right now the tension is elevated, and coupled with Trump’s inability or unwillingness to quash the tension, overreaction is going to surface. Reaction, …
Continue reading Trump Can’t Reverse the Decline of White Christian America
My Comments: Readers of my posts know I usually talk about money or some aspect of it. My challenge over the years has been to assess the financial literacy of whomever I’m talking with. And that challenge increases with age; both mine and that of my friends and clients. This article might start a useful …
My Comments: I’ve you’ve not yet signed up to receive your monthly Social Security benefit, this is worth a read. I encourage everyone to try and wait until Full Retirement Age (FRA). The outcomes are likely to be much better. If you claim Social Security early, your checks will be permanently reduced. Consider looking for …
Continue reading Retiring Early? Here’s How to Delay Taking Social Security Anyway
My Comments: If you have not already signed up for Social Security, chances are good you will draw the short straw. If you are now getting monthly benefits, chances are you have a longer straw. Me, I have no idea. What we do know is that sooner or later the crisis will become immediate and …
Continue reading Do Social Security Payroll Taxes Need to Increase?
My Comments: Putting money to work for the future is something we all try to do. Our expectations vary all over the map. If you use the past to predict the future, you’re probably going to be disappointed. This is very relevant if we have money sitting somewhere that we plan to use tomorrow to …
My Comments: Every two years, I’m required to complete an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) overview and exam. At the local level, it's mostly about drug money and efforts to turn illegal money into legal money with insurance and investment products. The AML effort has the effect of reminding us about behaviors, questions, circumstances, patterns, etc. that …
Continue reading Russian Oligarchs May Have Used Donald Trump To Launder Money
My Comments: Friends of mine are scared. I’m less so. I want President Trump to be a successful President; our future as a respected state on the global stage is important to me. But I am less confident today than I was last January. Not because of the Russia issue, but because of his apparent …
My Comments: Aaahh, bliss! Nothing to do but relax and watch the years roll by. You and I both know that’s not likely to happen. For one thing, it’s too easy to get bored and stressed out with not enough to do. Okay, some of us love retirement, but I’m not one of them. Being …
My Comments: Some of you will not bother to read this. Like when you’re in the car looking for a radio station and you hear classical music or country & western; you can’t stand either so you just move on. But we all have a responsibility to our children and grandchildren. So, in my opinion, …
Continue reading Capitalism’s excesses belong in the dustbin of history. What’s next is up to us
My Comments: A critical question on the minds of everyone is “Will Social Security be there for me or my spouse?” It doesn’t matter where you are in life, short of being on life support. Unfortunately, there is not yet the political will to impose a solution. That’s because the crisis is not yet within …
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