Didn’t see that one coming, did you? We’ve been so focused on a deadly pandemic and unceasing political drama that we missed the onset of…winter. You remember winter, don’t you? Normally in Louisiana, it’s that brief period between the Sugar Bowl and the Super Bowl. At least, that’s the way I remember it. Until this …
On Valentine’s Day, what could possibly be more romantic than flowers, chocolate…and life insurance? On second thought, let’s reserve February 14 for sweet notes, roses, and intimate dinners. Do the life insurance part on February 13 (or save it till the 15th). But definitely do it. Here’s why… Life insurance is love assurance. It demonstrates …
When you hear about someone making a fortune in the stock market practically overnight, don’t you sometimes think, “Why can’t that be me?” We saw it again in recent days. In brief, a group of “wolf of Wall Street” types were betting against GameStop, the video game retailer. They were hoping to make millions when …
In my first meeting with a new client, we typically do what I call a “data dump.” They bring all their financial information and dump it (sometimes literally) on my desk. Right now, I’m thinking of a particular young couple. They owned a business and had two young children at home. They were busy folks! …
The man told me he wanted to begin investing. He realized if he never invested his money, it could never grow. And if his money never grew, he’d never get to retire…at least not to the lifestyle to which he was accustomed. Ideally, the man said, he wanted the long-term growth available only in the …
Teaching your teenagers to drive is not for the squeamish. (And all the parents said, “Amen!”) Years ago, I had a friend whose 15 year-old got his learner’s permit. Like every teen, he wanted to drive his parents everywhere. However, each time the boy got behind the wheel he would obsess over what was in …
It takes a lot to be an optimist these days. Just consider a handful of headlines from two national newspapers, one left leaning, the other right. These all appeared on the same day this week. Pandemic Reshapes US Employment Across Industries Pandemic Leads Schools to Halt Ph.D. Admissions Airlines Aren’t Making It Easy to Use …
The 1980s brought us cable TV, personal computers, parachute pants and mullet haircuts (powerful proof that not every “innovation” equals progress). The decade also saw the rise of the 401(k) plan. Before the heyday of mullet haircuts, the phrase “retirement plan” referred to a pension plan. A pension was a social contract between workers and …
Do you get the feeling that it’s the coronavirus, not the Grinch, that’s trying to steal Christmas? I’m sure I don’t’ need to recite all of this year’s national and international economic disappointments that have come as a result of this pandemic. For the unemployed oil field worker, the exhausted nurse or teacher, the farmer …
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 …
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