In tribute to a guy definitely worth knowing about — not a rock star or Hollywood actor — but a celebrity in his own right. Richard “Dick” Wagner died this week at age 66.
Dick Wagner (no relation to me) was a luminary in the world of financial planning, dedicating his life to getting people to focus and think about their lives and the human side of their wealth. Another way to say this is, “How are you going to spend your money today and someday…for the richest life possible?”.
“No way.” That is the #1 response I hear around the topic of reverse mortgages.
But we are coming to the end of tax time — when the idea of having access to a little extra cash would come in real handy! At some point in our lives sooner or more likely later — due to needing to pay for healthcare, caring for an aging parent, investing in a business or simply wanting a more secure “cushion” or “rainy day fund” — we will seek out ways to get our hands on more cash.
What a week for people named Warren and Trump. Did you catch the Oscars Best Picture mix-up with Warren Beatty?? The bottom line for me was: when you are unsure whether you understand something important, ask.
As for people named Warren Buffett this week yielded yet another annual letter of wisdom and perspective from the “Oracle of Omaha”. Striking was that Mr. Buffett’s letter reflected several similar sentiments (some not) to those expressed by Mr. Trump in his Presidential address to Congress on Tuesday evening. Another week in America. Not always perfect but still good–even great. Continue reading “Warren Buffett Letter 2017”
Grandma moving in?? Traveling to help mom and dad from time to time? Sharing tasks with your siblings to help out your parents?
“Caring for Aging Parents” is an emotional and involved topic that takes FAR longer than 2 minutes to cover. However, it is a critical topic and one that comes up daily in my conversations with friends and clients. Think about it: how many times have you been part of this conversation in the past several months alone… among friends/family?? I bet more than once!
In times of stock market weakness – like we are seeing over the past month – we can tend to get scared. We are human. However, I stress to my clients and friends NOT to allow short-term market moves (monthly, quarterly…even yearly) to lead to poor decisions. Why? Please read on…
The following chart reads like a cartoon so not to worry that I am sending you a complicated graph. The RED DOTS = how much the market went down sometime during each year. The BLUE LINES = where the market finished at the end of the year.
Have you asked yourself lately…
Although I stress to clients and friends NOT to listen to the Talking Heads on TV, radio & internet—and then make rash investment decisions – when these media personalities comment on dramatic market moves (they LOVE down markets for hype), we are human! It is nearly impossible to ignore completely what is going on daily in the markets. And the stock markets have crept down a bit over the past few weeks. Continue reading “Gut Check in Rocky Markets”