Ready, Set, Go!
We are all familiar with the “Ready, Set, Go” announcement before a track race as runners prepare, get positioned to run, and finally start. Financial readiness is akin to this. You have to be in…
Is it >, <, or = ? Top 14
The basic math notations we learned in elementary school can be very helpful in framing the foundational building blocks for a sound financial life. Here are my Top 14: 1. Good behavior >…
Everyone Fears Something
We live in a time where everyone is afraid of something. The laundry list of these “somethings” are routinely among the reasons cited by the media talking heads each day to explain the ups and…
The Presumption of Importance
Most of us presume events of the day, particularly those within the political or financial realms, are of vital importance and will remain so in the future. When something happens on the world stage today,…
Is Life a Game of Chess or Poker?
In her excellent book Thinking in Bets, author Annie Duke describes how most of us downplay the role of chance or luck in our lives. We want to believe that the quality of our choices…
The Market and the Jelly Bean Jar
Everyone is interested in the direction of the stock market. Can the 9-year long bull market continue? Or do recent down days portend a coming bear market? The answer, of course, is no one knows…
Fake Advisors and Real Investors
With more than 310,000 “financial advisors” in the U.S., using a very broad definition, why is it so hard to find good advice? Mostly because the grand majority (about 85%) of these “advisors” are actually…
Do You Know Your Biggest Risk?
Everyday life is full of a myriad of risks. From the moment that we get out of bed in the morning until we go to sleep at night, risk is a close companion. To go…
You Can’t Out Invest a Bad Spending Habit
Most people realize that no matter how much you exercise, you can’t out exercise a bad diet. The same principle applies to investing; you can’t out invest poor spending habits. The grand majority of emphasis,…
This is Why Americans are Losing Sleep
I ran across a study recently that detailed the top anxieties that keep Americans awake at night. GfK Custom Research polled 1,000 American adults about sleep issues on behalf of Bankrate (a leading personal finance…