“I should get on a budget.” Ever say that? It’s really an admission that budgeting isn’t easy or fun. (If it were, everyone would be doing it, right?) So, if you’re one of those who doesn’t have a budget, why bother trying to create and live by one? Because having a firm spending plan—which is …
“You’re saying I should invest NOW?” Jordan almost choked as he thrust the heavy weights over his head. He and his buddy Patrick regularly solved all the world’s problems during their noon workouts. On this day, the conversation had turned to personal finance. “Dude, the stock market is HORRIBLE!” Jordan said emphatically as he set …
One of my clients emailed me recently, saying “People keep sending me this video. What am I missing?” The video featured an attractive young man. He was glib, funny, a bit ironic, and full of confidence. The gist of his message was “Borrow money at 4% and invest it at 8%, and you’ll make a …
“What Hath God Wrought.” That was the first telegraphed message, sent on May 24, 1844. It traveled 50 whole miles—from the United States’ Capitol all the way to Baltimore. Before Samuel Morse’s landmark invention, news and information moved at the speed of a horse, a train, or a ship. With the introduction of the telegraph, …
Each July 4 we Americans throw a national party. We celebrate our unparalleled freedoms which are the envy of the world. Our more “famous” liberties—freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc.—are spelled out in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. But perhaps the hidden genius of that document is that it laid …
“The stock market is like gambling,” someone told me earlier this week. I understand such feelings. Thanks to inflation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and other factors, the markets are more volatile than normal. The S&P 500 is a prime example. It fell 12% earlier this year. It has since recovered about half that year-to-date …
Can you run as fast today as you could 20 years ago? Probably not. We get slower the older we get. And it isn’t just our 40-yard dash time that declines. Our willingness to accept change and tolerate risk both decrease with age. There are always exceptions. But most folks are far more safety-conscious at …
Why would anyone want to get out of debt? Think about it. You borrow money. You get to use that money now. Then you get to pay it back slowly, over time. Who wouldn’t want that deal? You might expect a financial planner to say getting out of debt is what everyone should do, ASAP. …
This week we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Merchants will sell millions of flowers and cards and tons (literally) of candy. And restaurants will serve up all manner of candlelight dinners to sweethearts who are clamoring to demonstrate their passion. But if you’ve been married for longer than about a month, you know that love needs deeper …
Don’t you “love” it when you forget to buy something at the grocery store? So often I get nine of the ten things I was supposed to buy, but there’s always that one item I don’t remember until I get home. “Seriously? You forgot the tomatoes? How am I supposed to make spaghetti sauce without …
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