5 Events of Significance

My Comments: Students are back in school, the morning air is fresher, a stray dog showed up yesterday, I have no doctors appointments this week, and we’re having a garage sale on the 19th. Not significant enough you say? Well, here are five more that confirm my faith in my fellow countrymen. Yes, there are …

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TAX ESSENTIALS

My Comments: I think I found this article published in Medical Economics some months ago. I apologize for my inability to provide accurate sourcing. That aside, all of us have a ZERO obligation to pay more in taxes than absolutely necessary. Just remember, the IRS has a responsibility to collect taxes. It’s up to us …

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Reverse Mortgages

I follow an internet magazine that can be described politically as progressive. Early last month a summary of articles appeared in my email inbox that included one entitled Reverse Mortgages: The Final Blow Killing Middle Class Wealth by Egberto Willies. The date it first appeared was August 18, 2013. The author claims that reverse mortgages …

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Financial Gravity

My Comments: It's easy to get upset by what is happening to the stock market, the bond market, and trying to make sense of it all. You either quit thinking about it or try to get your brain around it so that it fades into the background. Or not. Most think the crash of 2008-09 …

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Social Security: 8 Savings Strategies

My Comments: My monthly Social Security benefits, coupled with Medicare, are a critical element contributing to our peace of mind as the years roll by. I don’t care if others argue against us becoming a socialist society. To some degree, we’ve been one since 1776. Aug 14, 2015 | By Suzanne Woolley (Bloomberg Business) -- …

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Israel: The Case Against Attacking Iran

My Comments: George Friedman has an international reputation for his knowledge about how the world works and his ability to articulate credible analyses of what is going on. This is a fascinating article that’s very relevant to the current questions about Iran and how the world needs to respond to the existential threat they pose. …

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Pressure Mounts on China

My Comments: None. This speaks for itself. Commentary by Scott Minerd, Chairman of Investments and Global CIO, Guggenheim Partners, August 21, 2015 More bad news out of Asia: Chinese manufacturing conditions are back at the same levels as they were at the height of the financial crisis in 2009, a clear sign that China’s economy …

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Get Ready For A Bear Market

My Comments: This person may be right, or not. Yesterdays sell-off sure was ominous but you never “know” until it’s too late. One way to profit from the downturn is with alternative investments. Only very few investment managers use them as a matter of course when promoting their skill set to the public. Those of …

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Does the Government Steal Your House When You Get a Reverse Mortgage?

My Comments: People of my age are living a lot longer than before, and many of us are still distressed by what we now call the Great Recession. Whatever your financial circumstances, it’s proven once again that in our society, having more money is better than having less money. Many of us are increasingly frustrated …

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Stopping the Iran Nuclear Deal

My Comments: Readers of my daily posts know I agree with the proposed agreement. I disagree with the notion that the inevitable outcome of failing to approve the deal is war with Iran. But that’s not to say there won’t be some serious negative consequences. Switzerland, for example, has already lifted most of it's sanctions …

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