It’s dark in Budapest 🇭🇺 now, but I just achieved a positive ROI on the Viking Cruise Line drinks package with my 15th frosty beverage in the ship’s bar & lounge. Like a lot of people, we got carried away coming on to the ship a week ago with the promise of unlimited drinks for the low price of 169 Euro 💶. Our math suggested … Continue reading Drinks Package Success
In Prague yesterday morning, a fellow commented that the city had been conquered 4 times in the last 500 years. First by the Habsburg Empire, then by the German Nazis, then by the Soviet Communists, and now by Viking Cruise Lines! It’s certainly true that the city seems like it’s been overrun by tourists groups doing pre- and post-trip extensions. The Charles Bridge and Easter … Continue reading European River Cruise
We’re over in Europe right now for a Danube River Cruise starting on Sunday. The trip includes stops in lovely Prague, romantic Vienna, and mysterious Budapest. Incidentals for the trip would have been a bit cheaper a month ago, before Trump’s trade strategy beat up the stock market, bond funds, and … the U.S. dollar. What was set to be our best exchange rate ever … Continue reading Euros & Europe
I recently saw a few threads on Reddit where people were asked to answer the question “What are you most looking forward to in FIRE?” (financially independence & retired early). There were dozens of comments. I’ve been early retired over 9 years now, but I still love reading what people are enjoying / looking forward to, so I thought I’d share some of the best … Continue reading Things To Look Forward To In FIRE
The stock market was relatively flat over the last week with investors still try to puzzle their way through the Trump/GOP approach to tariffs, taxes, debt, and new statements on inflation & interest rates from the Fed. Our neighborhood investor club members were as puzzled as anyone when we met for the last meeting of the Spring. Everyone had their own take on what was … Continue reading Crystal Ball Predictions: Investor Club Input
Some people run triathlons, climb the world’s great peaks, or cycle across the country to raise money for charity. Me? No, I do dumb stuff no one else cares about. Yesterday, I did a dumb Disney thing. I slept in until about 10am and then decided I should go hop through all 4 parks at Walt Disney World in one day. Why? Because it’s there, … Continue reading Silly Feats of Endurance
Even before Trump “paused” his questionable trade policy yesterday, Wall Street analysts offered updated projections for where they thought the stock market would finish up the year. The S&P 500 started the year at 5,869 and had dipped below 5,000 (-15%) after Trump’s 10% minimum tariff and demand for balancing trade deficits. Still, most investment banks were quite positive in their forecasts for where the … Continue reading Crystal Ball Predictions
Plenty of people are running scared after the bears trampled -10.5% out of Wall Street on Thursday & Friday. I’m not sure what will happen to the S&P 500 on Monday morning (futures are -2.5% as I write this on Sunday night), but I’m keeping the faith that some order will be restored over the next few weeks, months, and years. If you saved for … Continue reading Staying The Course …
Just a short, early end-of-the-week post today. I’m trying to make sense of the headlines coming out of Washington DC. I think it’s safe to say that they are more nonsense than common sense. It’s no surprise that the market is in a bit of a free-fall today. How do these make sense …. ? I don’t follow this … If we’re getting $7T in … Continue reading Stormy Fiscal Headlines
Living in Celebration FL, has been a unique experience. While some people don’t like the idea of living in an HOA-managed community, Celebration really makes it work. The town was originally designed by The Walt Disney Company, and thanks to the dedication of our HOAs, it has largely maintained that original vision of charm, order, and community spirit. One thing that sets Celebration apart is … Continue reading HOAs Working Well In Celebration
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