July 2018

Good Dough is Hard to Find

“…Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! Let us do something, while we have the chance….”  Vladimir, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett The characters in Waiting for Godot sit under a leafless tree waiting for Godot to show up and it is like groundhog’s day.  Time drags out and actions repeat in…

Don’t Be A Stock Market Hooligan

The stock market is not a game and you should not act like a fan. Do this and you’re setting yourself up for a huge disappointment. It turns out being a garden variety sports fan isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Let’s take a look at soccer fans. They tend to be a spirited…

It’s Monday Again…..When Is My Retirement?

Buying a brand new SUV or owning too much FB stock could jeopardize your retirement. Make smarter choices. Start by reading this week’s links.   The new car smell comes at a very steep price. A Wealth Of Common Sense Don’t be too generous to your children with your savings. The Wall Street Journal Congress…

The Universe Doesn’t Care About Your Finances

What should terrify investors?  Trade wars, the national debt, rising interest rates, Russian spies? Nope. Entropy is kryptonite for wealth creation.  Entropy is the tendency of nature to pull toward chaos and disorder.  We can use this formula to describe it:  — or not. I prefer: “Sh*t Happens” “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” “Rust never…

It’s Monday Again…..When Is My Retirement?

It’s not easy to save $1 million in your 401(k) plan. It’s even harder if you’re not reading our weekly retirement links. The earlier you start saving, the less you need to worry about returns. A Wealth Of Common Sense You might be able to withdraw more from your retirement account than you think. MarketWatch…

Never Underweight Humility

Our sons have been playing in a summer basketball league and have entered the playoff season.  The first opponent they faced was a team they had beaten easily during the regular season. “They don’t know how to play!  We’re going to kill them!” my son said. “You played them at the beginning of the season,…

Shut Up And Wait

Compounding is rocket fuel for gardeners and investors.  Growing plants or money takes time; lots of it. Unfortunately, get rich quick syndrome is a popular addiction. Mother Nature (and your portfolio) could care less about you being a cool kid. We moved into our home 17 years ago. Things were pretty barren.  Compounding changed things. Investing…

It’s Monday Again…..When Is My Retirement?

Divorce is a retirement killer. This week’s links may not improve your marriage but they won’t hurt it either. Read on… Ending a marriage can be as destructive as the Great Recession. USA Today Do you really need a big home in retirement? Barron’s  Why do women retire earlier if they live longer than men? The…

The China Syndrome

Enforcing human rights, not imposing tariffs, will solve our trade dispute with China.  Chinese and American workers are comrades in one respect. Beijing exploits them both.  American and Chinese inequality are traced to China’s authoritarian ways. Matthew Klein wrote a terrific piece, Tariffs Are the Wrong Response to China. “China is now one of the…

Vote For Joe

Which is the best Retirement Pyramid? InvestmentNews took on Josh’s challenge and created another version. The folks at both Financial Planning Magazine and InvestmentNews have more artistic talent in their fingernails than I have in my entire body. Either one is better than my chicken scratch. Twitter, it’s up to you. Which reimagined version of @ATeachMoment’s…