I trust this email finds you well?  As I’ve written about several times over the last several years, the only Certainty in Life is Uncertainty and we are definitely experiencing an Uncertain Environment!   I thank God no one, I personally know has contracted the virus and several people who I’ve spoken with knew people who had it, but thankfully they have all recovered.  However, that is of little or no comfort when many have experienced sickness even deaths of loved ones, lost jobs, been furloughed, Continue reading →

How many of you remember when kids were growing up and they had hissy fit or yell session with you or their sibling and the statement was made “it’s not fair!” Well guess what – Life is not fair!  How can we as a country or as individuals have true fairness when none of us are perfect, nor will we ever be!  It’s an acceptance that we are all flawed and will always be so, while we’re on this earth, that is the price of Continue reading →

“Most decisions we make are under Uncertainty—they’re heavily influenced by luck, or by hidden information.  We fool ourselves into thinking that it’s not so Uncertain.  The Coronavirus is so clearly uncertain that people are more open-minded today, and because of that you can actually learn.  We’re always balancing time and uncertainty.”  Barron’s Magazine – Anne Duke, Poker Champion Every month I look for an idea, revelation or tidbit to write about as it relates to Social Security.  Some months are easier than others and ideas Continue reading →

A Black Swan – The disproportionate role of high-profile, hard-to-predict, and rare events that are beyond the realm of normal expectations in history, science, finance, and technology It always amazes me the things that I / we take for granted   What a month we’ve just experienced and continue to experience!  Since the pandemic broke out, we are all searching for a return to a sense of normal, but that doesn’t seem likely in the near term.  The desire for a cure, not just medically, but Continue reading →

It was just over a month ago I was speaking on behalf of the Alliance for Lifetime Income in Del Mar, CA to 300 financial advisors.  Right before I spoke, I listened to the head of their Wealth Management Division highlight last years 42% gain in their equity portfolio, he went on to highlight that all signs looked good for a repeat performance in 2020.  Following such an optimistic forecast I mentioned that we were overdue for a correction and it might make sense to Continue reading →

If I only knew one’s check out date (DOD) it would be so much easier recommending when and how to claim one’s Social Security benefits!  Since that option is not currently available the only thing we can do is make an educated guess based upon life expectancy tables, current health and family history for both spouses.  As you are quite well aware this is definitely not an exact science and entails a great deal of guess work and I’m positive most of you can appreciate Continue reading →

  Seems like only yesterday we were all worried about Y2K, hard to believe it’s been 20 years!  Time goes fast when you’re having fun! What’s New in 2020 Amount of Earnings Subject to the FICA tax – in 2020 it will be $137,700 – in 2000 it was $76,200 the good news is that the percentage tax amount remained constant at 6.2% but the amount withheld will be $8,537 vs $4,724 in 2000. Self employed however will have a maximum withholding tax in 2020 Continue reading →

As I write my last newsletter for the year, I struggle to capture any specific topic, so I’ll call this my potpourri newsletter:  Things to consider for our clients and ourselves: DIVORCE HAPPENS – I received an email from a CPA in Dallas this morning regarding a client of his.  She recently got divorced after 10+ years of marriage and is in her mid 50’s, during the marriage SHE had a small Sch C business that she operated out of their home.  For whatever reason Continue reading →

Each month when I sit down to consider the topic for my monthly newsletter, I pretty much let the topic come to me and see where it leads me.  This month several sources pointed me to this month’s topic.  On Saturday I spoke with my brother in law and he told me they just got back from a wedding in Maine for one of their friend’s daughters, and the father of the bride and another friend discussed their recent retirements.  They shared that after an Continue reading →

2006 “‘cover your nut’ is an accounting term meaning to sell enough goods or services to meet your expenses. The term originally came from the Old West, he said. When a peddler came into a hotel and needed a room but didn’t have any money, the hotelkeeper would take their hub, or ‘nut,’ from the wagon wheel as a deposit. If the peddler sold enough, the nut was covered.”—Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska), 6 August> I was recently hired by one of the largest car dealers in Continue reading →