Joy. Gratitude. Contentment. These words often seem alien to modern life in America. “Discontentment" is a multibillion-dollar industry. "Advertisers get discontentment,” writes Annie Leigh Edwards for The Grit and Grace Project, an online magazine and podcast. If I...
knoxville news sentinel
A Dozen Financial Life Lessons as 2018 Wraps Up
From Thanksgiving to the New Year, we often pause to give more charitably, to express our gratitude, and to reflect on life lessons learned. The life lessons resounding in my mind play like a Jim Croce song, “You don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the...
It’s not too late for a financial strategy for Christmas shopping
Bah humbug! After the holiday cheer has faded, will you feel like a holiday chump? In the new year, some households may reel after opening their credit card statements. So is there still time to both enjoy the holidays and be fiscally responsible? As I flip the wall...
Midterm elections, trick or treat?
With stocks in a recent slump, there is growing fear that November's midterm elections are going to generate new chaos in the investment markets. Will the Democrats take over Congress and the Senate? If so, will they immediately begin impeachment proceedings against...
How to Follow the Recipe for Retirement Survival
Have you been wondering how to make your money last through retirement? Dr. Wade Pfau has a recipe for retirement survival. Dr. Wade Pfau, professor of retirement income at the American College of Financial Services and director of retirement research at McLean Asset...
Enjoying the free steak or being the mark in the room?
Featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel: August 29, 2018 Recently, a friend asked me to review a sales pitch for an alternative investment product. As he repeated the “Financial Adviser" sales terminology, I cringed. Any time I hear words like “guaranteed” or “low...
The cost of pet health care and my family’s love for Mabel
Featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel: August 21, 2018 Mabel is the youngest member of our family. She is 8 years old. We love her and she enthusiastically and unconditionally loves us. She is a dog. We bought Mabel on Craigslist - she is a 70-pound, mixed-breed. In...
Have ‘The Talk’ with your family, and not the one you think
Featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel: July 17, 2018 Do you need to have “The Talk” in your family? No, not the birds-and-the-bees talk, I’m referring to the talk with an aging parent about their finances. According to one survey, 54 percent of baby boomer...
KNS: How much money do you need for retirement?
Featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel: May 29, 2018 How much is enough? Obviously, it is a subjective question. Enough to just get by? Or enough to be “comfortable?” According to a 2017 Charles Schwab survey, respondents said they would be financially comfortable...
Knoxville News Sentinel: Looking for the Next “Hit” in the Market?
My youngest child, a college freshman, recently sent me a long text discussing the potential opportunities for Bitcoin miners. As we know, last year, Bitcoin rocketed from $1,000 to $20,000 before splashing down below $9,000. I know an 80-year old investor who has...