One of the things that gives me a little bit of a smile is knowing that I can make a dollar stretch pretty far. I’m pretty good at either saying NO to myself and not spending money or finding great bargains and saving a lot of money. That translates into me being able to live on not a whole lot of money. At least I thought so… Continue reading “And I Thought I Was Living a Low Cost Lifestyle…”
One of the things that always astounds me is the behavior of people when there is money on the table. The bigger the pile, the more interesting the behavior gets at times. In my days working with clients of substantial means, sometimes their decision making would particularly puzzle me. Continue reading “What Risks Are You Willing to Take?”
I’ve had the opportunity over the holiday break to talk with my daughter about her future. She’s a freshman in college this year and living away from home has been a bit of an adjustment. Another thing that has adjusted a bit is her potential choice of major. Since she was 4 years old, she has been convinced that she wants to teach kindergarten or at least younger children. As she’s gotten older and had some classroom experience (as an intern during her senior year of high school and through a class in her freshman year of college) she still enjoys the children. Continue reading “Are You On a Dying Career Path?”
One of my philosophies of life is that if you’re going to take the time to do something, you should take pride enough in yourself to go all out and give maximum effort. I took that to a new level recently by not only getting “The Flu” (It’s an actual thing, not just something that people talk about and it’s terrible! Get a flu shot!!!) and to go along with it, I went the extra mile and got pneumonia as well. I don’t get sick very often, but when I do it’s usually a complete wipe out for a few days. Fortunately for me, I was able to go to my doctor, be seen in a timely fashion, get the tests I needed (flu test and chest x-ray) and then hit the pharmacy for the meds I needed. The good news is that like all of my prior minor illnesses, I survived this one and am here to write about it… Continue reading “Lessons From Having the Flu and Pneumonia”
As I was surfing the Internet during a snowstorm, I read an article about a plane that skidded off a runway. There was also a plane that landed on a highway in New York recently. Fortunately, there was no one seriously hurt in either incident but as someone who flies a lot for business, seeing these stories always gives me a moment of pause…as does thinking about the loss of friends along the way, at ages that were far too young. Continue reading “Some Things to Think About In the New Year”
One of the questions a lot of my friends have asked me as we got to the end of the year was about keeping their financial documents. I have friends on both ends of the spectrum. Some keep EVERYTHING and are tired of seeing boxes pile up in their attic. Others keep NOTHING and figure that with online statements, if they need it they can request it. Continue reading “Keep It or Chuck It?”
As someone who did some online shopping this year, I read this article about gifts that didn’t arrive in time for gift giving and felt a great sigh of relief. I can’t imagine getting to my mother’s house completely empty handed on Christmas Day. The people who ordered their gifts online, with a “guaranteed” delivery prior to Christmas, and didn’t receive their items probably didn’t have the joyous holiday they expected. There was probably a bit of anxiety and disappointment mixed in with their holiday. Not that the season should be all about gifts…but the reality of where we are as a society places an undue emphasis on a commercialized Christmas. (My opinion!) This article made me think about not just my view of the holiday season, but of life in general. Continue reading “The Best Laid Plans…”
I have talked to a lot of people about their credit scores being low and their desire to increase their score. Understanding the components of the credit score is a conversation that is important, but equally important is understanding what isn’t in your credit score. I have heard a lot of statements like “I have heard that my credit score includes X,” with X being a number of things that aren’t actually a part of the credit score. So…what things aren’t included in your credit score that many people assume are included? Continue reading “What ISN’T In Your Credit Score?”
I read this article today and found it very interesting. I spend a lot of time talking to people about their financial lives and I often see some of the behaviors/attitudes discussed in the article. Money freaks people out. Continue reading “Money Messages and How We Harm Ourselves”
Recently, a judge allowed the City of Detroit to remain in bankruptcy court which will allow the city to try to find a solution for an $18 billion debt problem. As a part of the solution, the pension benefits for a lot of retirees and current workers may be significantly reduced. The city is in serious financial trouble and without some sort of drastic measures, it might never recover. Continue reading “Lessons From Detroit”
The Earth is still so full of mysteries even though we have had scientists exploring what seems like every nook and cranny of Earth’s surface, the oceans and the atmosphere. As much as we think we know (from a global perspective, not an individual one) about how the planet works, there is still much to learn and discover. Recently, there was some volcanic activity in Antarctica and the implications for the planet are completely unknown at this time. It’s fascinating stuff! (or at least it is to me) Continue reading “Explore Your Hidden Volcano”
If you ask fans of the NFL what one of the biggest news stories of the year is, many would say “player safety.” There have been numerous rule changes designed to limit the impact of violent collisions on players’ long term health. This is especially true with hits to the head and neck. Players can no longer use the crown of their helmets to tackle other players. The hoped-for result is fewer concussions that can lead to serious long term health consequences. Penalty flags are common for dangerous plays now and very often players are fined significant sums of money for illegal and dangerous hits. The league and the NFLPA (the players union) take safety and protection very seriously. Continue reading “It Takes More Than a Helmet to Protect Yourself Today”
In one of the cooler things I’ve read lately, law enforcement authorities conducted a sting operation to nab a world infamous pirate. They had to draw him to them since they had very little chance of getting past his protectors. So, they created a fake premise of asking him to be an adviser to a movie about Somali pirates. He took the bait, went to them and was arrested. I’m guessing he is regretting that choice! Continue reading “Don’t Believe Everything You’re Told…”
I grew up playing sports almost year-round. When I was 6, I started playing football. I played some sport competitively all the way through college and for many years afterward. (I’m currently debating whether or not to become a referee in a local youth rugby league so that I can still get out there and run around a field, but not wake up stiff and sore from being tackled.) Continue reading “Getting Back to Basics”
One of the things I wrestled with prior to making the decision to join Financial Finesse was the fact that they wanted, no….REQUIRED, that I give up my securities licenses. I had studied HARD to pass the Series 7, 63, 65, 24, 8, and 31 at various points along my path. I had to give serious thought to this particular decision. Continue reading “Why I Gave Up My Securities Licenses”
Sometimes I read something that touches me and makes me remember that, no matter what is going on in my life, things could always be worse. And then I remember to pick myself up, dust myself off and get back to the business of living my life with less whining. When I read this article, I had one of those moments. Continue reading “A Message in a Bottle”
I recently talked to someone selling his house and he told me about something he is doing that I had never heard of before. It helped him get a quick sale at his asking price without a lot of back and forth negotiating. Then, I read this article about the same thing and began to wonder if this is going to be a trend that picks up momentum across the country. Continue reading “A New Way to Buy or Sell a House”
I recently had the opportunity to speak with a wonderful young lady who considered herself very lucky to have won a “Dream Wedding” from a bridal magazine contest. Having a daughter in college, it sometimes crosses my mind that I’ve seen her go from preschool through entering college and her next milestones could be getting her first job in the “real world,” getting married (hopefully not any time soon!) and becoming a mother (hopefully VERY far down the road….). So when talking with this “bride to be” and hearing that she won a $100,000 dream wedding, I was incredibly happy for her. Continue reading “A Dream Wedding or Tax Nightmare?”
One of the things that I’ve lived through over the better part of the last decade is going through a relatively ugly divorce and beginning to rebuild my financial and personal lives while being a semi-workaholic. This point was brought into view very clearly recently in a conversation with a woman that I have started dating. I work a lot! So does she. And, I have the added element of traveling a lot for work. Somehow, we’ve started referring to my travel as being “out to sea.” Continue reading “A Draining But Fulfilling Choice”
It is with great sadness that I share this story about the end of production for the VW Bus. I bet you didn’t know they were still being manufactured. They are, until December 31st, in Brazil. I will admit to being a huge fan of VWs. I’ve owned several VW Bugs , a VW Thing, and my brother has owned a VW Bus or two along the way. Continue reading “All Things Come to An End”
