A Cost That Cannot Be Underestimated

Guess what might be one of the most painfully underestimated costs of all? If you guessed healthcare and end-of-life care you are correct. Read on for a handful of reasons why it can be dangerous to avoid addressing this topic.

First a brief introduction. Anyone who has been a direct or indirect care giver for an aging relative or friend knows the pain and stress that can be involved. Of course, there are joyful care relationships, which ultimately are the goal. Where the difficulty begins is in estimating the costs of later-in-life care. Then, even worse can be executing the logistics of care and the ultimate reality of having to pay for – or running out of funds to pay for – care, whether for oneself or a spouse or relative. Timing is often almost completely unpredictable.

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“Stupid” Money Decisions

It is possible to go through life without making a stupid decision about money. Said no one ever. The truer statement might be: everyone reading today has at one time made a stupid decision about or with money. Most people have made multiple stupid decisions about money and much more. The important part (possibly after difficult pain or regret) is to be able to answer the question: what lessons were learned?

Two weeks ago, a famous Nobel Prize winning psychologist, who spent his life studying the human mind and decision-making, died. Daniel Kahneman reluctantly accepted the title “economist” as he and his long-time research partner, Amos Tversky, wrote an amazing, internationally best-selling book, Thinking, Fast and Slow. Together Kahneman and Tversky were pioneers in the field of behavioral psychology. Along the way, behavioral psychology was applied to all sorts of economic and investing decisions and the two psychologists were consulted by business leaders around the world. Here are a few of the questions the two men studied over decades, with a few of their answers: Continue reading ““Stupid” Money Decisions”

Inflation vs. Interest Rates Stand-Off

If the “land the inflation airplane” graphic (originally pictured in October 2022) indicated a US Federal Reserve trying to “land” inflation, then the current graphic would look like a slowly unfolding aborted airplane landing.

To summarize, prices of a number of key consumer items are NOT coming down fast enough to lower inflation in a meaningful way – even if the media has convinced Americans that $5 or $7 for a dozen eggs is “a relief”.

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Tax Season Time Crunch

It is tax season, which means time is at a premium. TGIF 2 Minutes is designed for this concept. Therefore, a 1-minute read today!

Preparing tax documents, expense spreadsheets, records of charitable deductions, W-2 forms, 1099’s, K-1’s and all the rest can really be a hassle. Here are a few bright spots:

  • Learn something right now this year from every time you find yourself saying, “I am going to do this differently next year!
  • Whether it is your filing system for tax documents and charitable deductions or set-up of online folders for rental property files, go overboard with keeping better track along the way, starting now for tax year 2024.
  • Make sure to ask your financial adviser about tax loss harvesting this calendar year. Last year there were UP months in markets and DOWN months. Make sure your adviser is possibly using the market’s down months to a tax advantage in non-IRA accounts.
  • If it is not already obvious, have a CPA.
  • Ask your financial adviser for assistance in compiling or finding tax documents. This task is always something with which I am happy to assist – with advance notice – for my clients.
  • Look at ways to make changes and tweaks to the way you are contributing to 401k and IRA accounts while it is still early in 2024. Changes can involve:
  • increasing/decreasing contribution rate
  • creating a mix of before- and after-tax (Roth) contributions
  • spreading contributions over the course of the entire year
  • Consider Roth IRA conversions in 2024.

Tax time is not always the most pleasant time of the year but all we can do is make the best of it. Thank you for all the positive feedback in recent weeks!

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, tax, legal or accounting advice.

Timely 401k Contribution Info

Today’s edition will take 2 minutes and 38 seconds to watch and could save you a bundle of taxes in the long run. Simply understanding better – at lower and higher income levels – the taxes around 401k, 403b (and TSP) contributions is an advantage. Early in the year timing is key. Why? Please ask me and watch the video.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, tax, legal or accounting advice.

 

The Champagne Spray

On the lighter side of matters…. and please CLICK THE TINY ARROW BELOW.

Champagne & William Shatner from Kerrie Debbs on Vimeo.

Back in 2021, William Shatner – at 90, who knew?! – became the oldest person to achieve space flight. Completion of a 10-minute journey on the reusable New Shephard rocket, including four minutes of weightlessness, was cause for a major celebration immediately afterwards. But notable was that upon disembarking from the space capsule Shatner politely turned down taking part in the champagne spray shower amongst the crew, Blue Origin promotional people and members of the press.

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Border Security (not what you think)

Nearly every American is aware of the lack of security at the US-Mexico border. The toxic politics around that issue make it front page news nearly every day and evening. But the other border – that of the border protection around your sensitive personal information – can be just as vulnerable.

Yes, yesterday’s TGIF 2 Minutes covered this issue. But the issue is so serious, it requires a follow-up, with practical examples and then a handful of steps readers can research or choose to take.

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Safety Check of Sensitive Information, Part 1

If the safety of your personal information is not currently at the top of your radar screen, please move it up to the top TODAY. Why? Because there are really bad actors lurking for over one or two decades – in the background of email, credit agencies, and whatever cyber universes exist – and these bad actors are both patient and aggressive about seeking to compromise your identity and financial transactions.

This is not new. In 2017, Equifax, one of the world’s largest credit reporting and monitoring agencies with sensitive data for over 800 million individual consumers, was hacked. Private information of over 147 million American citizens along with British and Canadian citizens were compromised in a security breach. This from a leading company whose entire purpose is monitoring the most sensitive of personal information.

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Interest Rates, The Fed & Gray Hair

Time again for the “soft landing” airplane drawing. As in, will there be a soft landing for the US economy or a hard landing? How soon might the US Fed lower rates and how fast might the markets keep going up or falter down?

A certain amount of gray hair (read: wisdom and experience) helps in understanding the current interest rate and US Federal Reserve environment. Why? Because economies do not move as fast as Amazon delivering a package same-day, or even same-month. And “gray hairs” know this.

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YOLO Counts for Something

A brief personal reflection this week but meant to factor in to short-term and long-term personal and family financial planning.

In the past week I was given sad news of the sudden and far-too-soon passing of not one but two old friends. Both were in the prime of their lives with spouses and young children, working and doing good in their families, workplaces, communities, and faiths. Certainly, the last thing on my mind was writing a TGIF 2 Minutes edition about these two people.

But upon further reflection on their lives, it was too compelling not to make a statement about YOLO, or You Only Live Once, and the spending on the YOLO category. I am not certain, but it is likely that these two people lived full lives with few if any regrets. In this light, there is a strong case to be made to figuring YOLO into a budget.

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