It was exactly 2 years ago yesterday that I had my ‘Widowmaker’ heart attack, playing tennis at my home club (above). I played there yesterday and am very appreciative of the full recovery I have been able to make. It was the 42nd match of the year for me. I play with a couple friends and two of my brothers. my total matches for the … Continue reading Closing Out The 2021 Season
As I do every year, over the last month I’ve used my personal Facebook feed to countdown the days from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This year’s vintage countdown focuses on the great illustration/design from vinyl album covers of the 1940-60s. Hope you enjoy seeing some old favorites … 🎼 25 Days to Christmas – Mitch Miller released this colorful album in 1958. He role of chorale … Continue reading Vintage Christmas Album Covers
Prices are going up. Consumer price inflation ballooned to 6.8% in November as massive increases in government debt and supply-chain issues over the last year were reflected. The Fed & Biden believe they can get back to a 2% annual average target, but clearly that’s going to take some doing. Retirement plans are especially susceptible to rising prices as fixed investments, pensions, bonds, and social … Continue reading What’s The Impact Of Inflation On Your Retirement?
We’re going to a Christmas open house & holiday gift exchange this afternoon. My wife’s friend hosts it almost every year. Holiday music, friends, games, and fun conversation in a beautifully decorated home makes for a wonderful afternoon. I always love holiday luncheons, even when they were just ‘scheduled festivity’ at the office. The big, secular MegaCorp Holiday Luncheon was OK, but many of the … Continue reading Holiday Parties – Then & Now
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying about time, energy, and money. When you’re young you have time & energy, but no money. You trade your time for money when you are an adult. In the end, you are left with time & money, but no energy to enjoy it when you are older. It’s truly the Devil’s Dilemma. Early retirement fights those trade offs. While … Continue reading Time. Energy. Money.
My friend Shawn retired a few years ago from a big government job, but now he consults a bit to earn what he calls “stupid money”. It’s not money that he needs, but money that can be spent on some silly, stupid stuff that you might otherwise be too sensible to spend your retirement savings on. We just spent some stupid money, going to Walt … Continue reading “Stupid Money” Holiday
I waited a long time to get a look at my MegaCorp retiree health insurance benefits and they just arrived. It’s open enrollment time right now and I just booked my new insurance plan. As background, I worked at one MegaCorp for 24 years and a second for just 3. I’m an official retiree of the first one, where I went from temporary Administrative Assistant … Continue reading MegaCorp Retiree Health Coverage
President Trump once said, “the stock market does whatever the stock market wants to do.” Still, that didn’t stop him from claiming that his policies resulted in the ~75% growth in the S&P 500, following his election. The ‘Trump Bump’ got a lot of attention, but it’s worth noting that we’ve seen a nice ‘Biden Bump’ in the year following his election, too. The S&P … Continue reading The “Biden Bump”
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