Key Season Crying

Performance review season was never my favorite time at MegaCorp. We used to call the time of year before reviews “key season” – as colleagues would jockey to hype their accomplishments in front of the boss & each other. Otherwise soft-spoken managers would miraculously show up for routine staff meetings holding a list of “all the amazing things my team got done this past year”. … Continue reading Key Season Crying

Investment Club

Our neighborhood in Florida has a weekly “Investment Club” that I went to this past Friday.  There were about 15 people gathered when I got there – in the events ballroom of our clubhouse. We started by talking about our 2025 expectations for the stock market’s growth.  After two years of incredible growth (+23% in 2024, +24% in 2023), most people were expecting growth in … Continue reading Investment Club

Bogus Publix BOGOs

When you move to a new area, everyone shares with you what the “local treasures” are.  In the Southeast, that includes Publix grocery stores.  Florida loves Publix.  Having worked in the food industry and visited Florida for more than 30 years, we were very familiar with Publix, but hadn’t shopped there too much as “locals”.  Now that we’ve been doing that, I’m putting Publix on … Continue reading Bogus Publix BOGOs

Federal Comedy & Tragedy

It’s hard to sit still watching the tremendous waste & inefficiency being exposed in Washington DC over the last two years. The proceedings are a maddening comedy & disheartening tragedy at the same time. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that a bipartisan Senate Committee was given evidence that as much as $1 trillion on a year are paid out fraudulently by the federal, state, … Continue reading Federal Comedy & Tragedy

Unique Activities in Retirement

We have had quite a few visitors to our vacation place in Celebration FL over the last few weeks.  Everyone is interested in the unique “Town that Disney Built”.   I’ve found that people from different parts of Florida like to compare what their towns & clubhouses have to keep retirees busy & entertained. On the ‘highly desired’ list are pools / water parks, golf … Continue reading Unique Activities in Retirement

Activities Near Celebration …

THEME PARKS WALT DISNEY WORLD – 4 PARKS MAGIC KINGDOM EPCOT CENTER  DISNEY HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS DISNEY ANIMAL KINGDOM UNIVERSAL RESORT – 3 PARKS Link: Orlando Insider Universal SuperGuide UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE UNIVERSAL EPIC SEAWORLD ORLANDO LEGOLAND – 40 Minutes ENTERTAINMENT / SHOPPING  CELEBRATION (5 minutes) DISNEY SPRINGS (15 minutes) DISNEY RESORTS (15 minutes) SUNSET WALK (20 minutes) I-DRIVE / THE POINTE LIVE (25 … Continue reading Activities Near Celebration …

No Tax on Social Security?

Just a quick post today to highlight what could be the biggest change for the finances of retired people in a generation … eliminating Federal income taxes on Social Security. After seemingly not mentioning it since the election, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters yesterday that it is a key part of the budget negotiations that GOP leaders in the House, Senate, and White House … Continue reading No Tax on Social Security?

Retired Yacht Rocker Cliches

This weekend, we watched a HBO Music Box documentary about the “Yacht Rock” music phenomenon.  It was interesting to see how some young folks “uncovered” the previously unreported late 70s/early 80s Los Angeles music scene and connections between Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins, Toto, and Christopher Cross.   The next morning, I commented that the Yacht Rock era “was almost 45 years ago!”  … Continue reading Retired Yacht Rocker Cliches