Running Out of Options
Wendy and I were taking a trip to Alma, a small town in South Georgia, to visit her aunt. The driving time was over 5 hours, and we needed to leave on a Friday evening. We therefore agreed to stay at a hotel along the way to avoid driving through the night. I wanted to […]
Cabin in the Woods – Know What You’re Getting Into
Wendy and I were starting our vacation at a friend’s cabin in the mountains of Blue Ridge Georgia. The roads through the mountains were windy and very narrow, so we wanted to get there well before sunset. While driving on a dirt road, we saw a marker with the cabin’s address pointing to the right. […]
The Wardrobe Malfunction
Wendy will correctly tell me that one of my biggest weaknesses is standard household chores. As such, she tries to make them as easy as possible for me, but she has learned that this is not a guarantee of successful execution. A past example happened when her dad was visiting us. Wendy wasn’t home at […]
The Value of 100,000
Wendy and I were on a trip to visit a client family reunion in South Georgia. Since there was going to be a lot of driving, we agreed to spend the night in Macon and make it a short weekend trip. As we were on the highway, I heard Wendy gasp. When she got my […]
A Financial Advisor vs an Investment Advisor
I often hear from folks that financial advisors are a commodity. They say you will get the same set of services no matter who you use. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are very few industries where there is a larger difference amongst providers in the number and types of service offered […]
My First Golf Outing
A little over a month ago, I went on vacation with Wendy and two good friends. We had a great time! It is always good to unwind with folks you enjoy spending time with. As part of this, I was asked to join my friends at a golf outing. It was my very first […]
Marriage, Metal Detectors, and our Seventh Client Story: capitalizing on a major tax deduction
In advance of our seventh client story, I wanted to share what can truly bring a marriage together. Wendy and I were sitting on the sofa, and she asked me to name hobbies that we could do together over the weekends; activities that would be “ours.” I immediately suggested bowling and even got […]
The Grinch and our Sixth Client Story: Social Security Claiming Strategy
This year, she decided to dress up like an elf while making the deliveries. She then asked me to don a special costume. As a 48-year-old Jewish guy from Brooklyn, NY, I agreed to wear a onesie Grinch outfit while on our delivery route. I walked in costume throughout our subdivision at constant risk […]
An Opportunity to Protect Against Inflation and Our Fifth Client Story
In advance of our fifth client story, I wanted to respond to one of the most common investment concerns I’ve heard. How can someone structure their portfolio to at least keep up with inflation? Challenging investment environments like this one will always create opportunities. In this case, one of these opportunities can be for conservative […]
Don’t Let Adversity Mask Opportunity and Our Fourth Client Story
In advance of our fourth client story, I wanted to comment about the current investment climate. This has undoubtedly been a very difficult environment for everyone. Having a more conservative allocation than the stock market and having a well-diversified portfolio has helped a lot. However, neither strategy has prevented portfolio declines. Most asset classes have […]
