Sometimes when I ask people, “What are your financial goals?” they say things like: “Other than having enough one day to retire on, I’m not sure I have any clear financial goals.” After a pause they add, “That’s not a very good answer, is it?” That’s usually when I say, “Maybe if I asked better […]
Are You Asking the Right Questions? Read More »
If you’re over 50, you may remember AAA TripTiks booklets. From AAA’s website: “In the days before Google Maps…or even the internet…a AAA agent would draw the route with a highlighter on a series of numbered maps, going through the route with the driver before they started. The end result, a guided route through a
“Do you want to retire one day?” That’s a question I ask new clients. The answers I get are fairly predictable. Older workers or people with jobs they hate say, “You bet! How about yesterday?!” People who enjoy their work say things like, “I might want to slow down one day, but I can’t imagine
Why would anyone pay for an oil change? Call me a weenie (and many do), but I don’t do my own oil changes. I know real men do, but I just don’t. I used to go to one of those places that made you wait in their lobby, where you read dated issues of People
Maintenance Always Costs Less Read More »
“I have an opportunity…” I can’t tell you how any of my client conversations start with that statement. “I have an opportunity to…buy into a business…buy some land…buy a house I’ve had my eye on for a long time.” Always these opportunities come with a timeline. “I need to give them an answer…by tomorrow…by the
Is It Urgent or Important? Read More »
$37 million. That’s how much the Los Angeles Lakers paid LeBron James to lead them to their 17th NBA championship. Along the way he earned the championship MVP title as the Lakers celebrated their title in front of…well, nobody. Weird year. Was it worth it for the Lakers? Having not won an NBA championship since
Lowest Price or Highest Value? Read More »
How much of your life is in your control? Probably a lot less than you think. But how you respond to this uncomfortable reality can have a huge impact on your financial health. Think for a moment about all you actually control. Did you, for example, determine the parents you have or where you would
The Truth About Financial Control Read More »
Some people collect baseball trading cards. Other people collect antique books. I collect Social Security statements. Mine. Yes, I am that boring. The oldest one I’ve got dates back to 2003, so I’ve got almost 20 years’ worth of Social Security (SSA) statements. But they contain my work records all the way back to the
How Secure is Your Social Security? Read More »
The smell of fresh cut grass in August still makes me want to run and hide. I get flashbacks of red-faced football coaches, whistles blowing, screaming encouraging slogans at me like, “C’mon, son…run! Harder! Faster!” During summer camp, these thoughtful men even had trash cans placed strategically about the field so we players could pause,
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Chris thought he had a stomachache. So, like most young men, he considered his options and did the only sensible thing. He ate more. Well, that didn’t help, so he bought the jumbo bottle of Pepto-Bismol. By the time the weekend was over, he was doubled over in pain and begging his wife to drive
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