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What passes for financial advice is easy to find without paying a cent out of pocket at the time. Often it is not free, at least in the long run. Advice is a well-defined and regulated concept in the world of financial services. Between two laymen, the law doesn’t get in the way of dispensing […]

For decades, Congress and several successive Administrations have encouraged individual financial responsibility by authorizing tax-favored Retirement Accounts. Over time, tax benefits from participation in retirement plans have evolved, but the final goal remains constant – encouraging personal retirement income to supplement government-based benefits. In exchange for tax deferral, or tax elimination on the growth of […]

Decades ago, and repeated periodically, increases in gasoline prices elicited demonstrations of our political and public lack of economic understanding. Over and over, “Big Oil” took a very public whipping from politicians and “progressives.” Remember Hillary Clinton in the 2007 Senate saying, “I want to TAKE those [oil company] profits?” Shameful rants by politicians filled […]

“The coal industry is evil. Fracking must be stopped. Oil companies are ripping us off. Carbon-based energy is the bane of man’s existence, and will soon cause the death of us all. We need renewable energy sources to save the world. We need them RIGHT NOW.” Blah, blah, blah. Lather, rinse, repeat. Underlying the push […]

The first known Reverse Mortgage was written in 1961 in Portland, Oregon, to help a widow save her home after losing her husband, a popular coach. In 1969, the concept reached the U.S. Senate, when the late Senator John Heinz proposed a concept that evolved into today’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage or HECM. The more […]

Five months ago, in this very Blog, we discussed the emergence of I-Bonds as a safe investment with an excellent yield. Backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S Government (read: printing press), and, following years of nearly non-existent yields, I-Bonds suddenly began to advertise eye-opening interest rates. Increased interest rates stirred investors, […]

Every day in contemporary America, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers reach Medicare age. Many of them are leaving the workforce for a variety of reasons, including health issues, as well as voluntary and involuntary retirement. As they attain Medicare Age (65), most will become Medicare participants, which requires payment of a monthly premium for Part […]

When was the last time you looked at your paystub? Yes, I realize that there is no stub attached to your nonexistent paper paycheck, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. It is probably available online, or you can ask your employer for the details. Physical paystubs are antiquated, so most people fail to examine […]

In our current inflationary environment, finding a bargain should make our day. And so it seemed recently, when Medicare announced a price decrease for Part B premiums, starting in January 2023. However, 2022 pricing was excessive, having been predicated on an extremely high estimated cost of the new drug Aduhelm, which everyone was forced to […]