This decade is off to a tough start. The Coronavirus is disrupting global trade, travel, markets, and economies. The 2020 U.S. Presidential election will also add to the uncertainty and confusion. With increasing risk, should you buy, sell, or hold your existing investments?
When forecasts are...
I work out at my local gym twice per week, mostly to lift weights. The amount I lift today is a fraction of what I used to lift while playing football in college, but it keeps me in shape.
My gym is a cross-section of men, women, young, old, fit, and almost fit. During the football offseason...
The student loan debt crisis is getting worse, not better. The current debt level is $1.5 trillion, and since 2003 it has increased 522% while inflation has risen 42%. A child born today can expect to pay $655,000 in tuition to attend a private college or $323,000 for a public school.[1]
My...
The Mighty Mississippi, The Nile, The Amazon, and The Yangtze are some of the longest rivers in the world, traveling thousands of miles, moving millions of gallons of water every day; critical components to commerce as millions of people, and billions of dollars of freight go up and down the rivers...
During college, my friends and I would often go skiing in Lake Tahoe. I wasn’t a good skier, but I could fight my way down a mountain. Most of the time, I didn’t realize the risk I was taking because my friends were much better skiers, and I went where they went. One afternoon we were skiing at...
My friends and I would ride our bikes (Schwinn’s) to Thrifty’s Store to get ice cream. Thrifty’s ice cream was the best, and it was economically priced for young kids – 5 cents for a single, 10 cents for a double, 15 cents for a triple. Thrifty’s used an ice cream gun to produce near-perfect...
Lose weight. Exercise more. Save money. Take a trip. It’s that time of year again to make New Year’s Resolutions. In January, optimism is high, but by year-end, it fades. According to one study, only 8% of people achieve their goals.[1] My two main 2020 goals are to climb a 14er in Colorado and...
Christmas Eve is a time of peace and joy as Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, and children of all ages anxiously await the arrival of Santa Claus. It’s a wonderful time to spread good cheer.
Pre-holiday trading days are usually benign as traders and investors leave their computers and...
In college, I learned the if, then command while studying the BASIC computer language. BASIC is a conditional language that relied on the if command. If X is true, then Y is false, and so.
Financial planners rely on if, then statements regularly. It’s common for planners to include a statement...
Friends was a favorite television show of mine. Each Thursday night, I was glued to the TV to watch the eclectic mix of characters - Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Monica, Chandler, and Ross. They made me laugh for ten years. The show worked because each character had unique and special talents. One of my...
Retirement is an exciting and frightening time, especially if you’ve been working for the past forty years. Yesterday you were working, today your retired.
I helped an individual jump into retirement. We consolidated multiple accounts and assets after completing a financial plan. He worked for...
Starting a business is a crazy idea and a daunting task. Each month, about 540,000 individuals launch new businesses and half of them will fail within the first five years.[1] I took a leap of faith a few years ago to start my firm when I turned fifty and so far, so good.
The primary reason I...