In the good ole days, when your car was on the fritz, your mechanic needed a trained eye and ear to figure out the problem. Today, they need mechanical and computer training. The engines and systems are much more complex. Your engine needs to be hooked up to a computer to properly diagnose hidden issues …
If you have ever been laid off, you know what it feels like when the paychecks stop. If you are retired, your paychecks must come from your capital. And they must last a lifetime… through up and down markets. Through good economic times… and bad. Through good health… and bad. Reliable, predictable income in retirement …
Soulful singer Adele can belt out beautiful songs. She can also grow facial hair. Ever since she had a baby. Weird. It seems that she is not the only one who has had odd side effects from pregnancy. Here are a few other strange effects some women experience from pregnancy: Hair can change colors, typically …
The habit of “beginning with the end in mind” was introduced 25 years ago by Dr. Stephen R. Covey in his groundbreaking bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This means that you should have an image of the end of your life as your frame of reference, so you can evaluate what you …
If you know someone who lived through World War II, they can give you some good ideas for living frugally. Of course, they had no choice back then, and much of what they would suggest might seem over the top now. Let’s look at a few of those frugal suggestions: Use food cans as drinking …
I’ve talked about the dangers of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) planning before. And I can’t say it enough. Doing anything yourself, unless you are trained and experienced is dangerous and costly. If your phone is broken, do you try and fix it yourself? How about your heart? Rudy and Susan were two very capable executives, who decided …
Your inheritance, if unprotected against the four wealth predators, can be lost to bad decisions… Bad decisions can take many forms. Business. Financial. Relational. Personal. Here are some of the worst decisions ever made: Mars Candy, maker of M&Ms, didn’t see the profit of showcasing their candy in the movie E.T. Hershey jumped at the …
There is a 40 to 50 percent chance that one half of your inheritance to one of your children or grandchildren could be lost. How? One of the four wealth predators. Divorce. According to the American Psychology Association, about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce. The divorce rate for …
Don’t let this happen to you. Did you see the movie, American Sniper, directed by film legend, Clint Eastwood? In his autobiographical book American Sniper, former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle described a 2006 incident in which he punched out an unidentified man at a bar who was taunting him and saying that the Navy SEALS …
In the United States, the tradition of taxing assets at death began with the Stamp Act of 1797. Congress repealed the Stamp Act in 1802. However, a pattern was set, and for the next hundred years or so, estate taxes were used as a way to finance wars. The Revenue Act of 1916 introduced the …