Do you remember the 70s? I do. I remember that I could ride my bike to the pharmacy and get a candy bar for $0.25. My mom would tell me she could get five for a quarter when she was a kid. I’d think, "How can that be possible?" Nowadays, it’s not even close. But I haven’t bought a candy bar in a while. Scooping ice cream in the 80s, I would serve two scoops for $0.50. Later when we’d take our own kids out for ice cream, I’d spend about twenty bucks. Inflation is a thing. But it means different things at different times in your life. Imagine if you could have locked in interest rates … [Read more...]

Tom Brady has announced, again, that he will retire from the NFL. At 45, Brady is much younger than the average American retiree, but also much older than the typical NFL retiree. ESPN reports: Tom Brady says he is retiring "for good" from football, ending a storied 23-year NFL career during which the star quarterback won seven Super Bowls and set numerous records. Brady announced his decision Wednesday on social media, saying he "wouldn't change a thing" about his career. Brady, 45, also announced he was retiring on Feb. 1, 2022, before changing his mind 40 days later and returning to … [Read more...]

Life throws you a curveball when you least expect it. Which is where I found myself recently when I came home from work. “I’m doing a liver cleanse,” she said. “You can join me or fend for yourself.” Bam! No warning. No time to grab a snack at the office before heading home for dinner. Just trapped like a rat. Cornered. What was I going to say, “No, you do it alone. Take care of yourself. I’ll be fine.” No. I like sleeping in my bed. We’re in week two. I’ve strayed here and there. Don’t tell anyone. One of the problems with the internet is you have all sorts of personalities in your … [Read more...]

All you skiers out there probably know the work of James Niehues but never knew it. He’s the guy who paints the ski mountain images used for the trail maps we all gaze at over hot chocolate at the picnic table in the lodge or on a chairlift (dropped gloves or poles to boot). It wasn’t until Niehues was in his 40s that he realized his success. His book captures the trails we’ve skied or hope to ski someday. Check out his work here. Legendary Trail Map Artist James Niehues Announces New Original Work Collectionhttps://t.co/LlckBjdxgX pic.twitter.com/y8hGMy7sWo — SnowBrains (@SnowBrains) … [Read more...]

Turns out you don’t need to be young to be a success. As I wrote to you this week, there’s nothing wrong with being a beginner at different times in your life. Don’t just take my advice for it. Look at what this 93-year-old writes in the WSJ. No one has seen entrepreneurship help minorities improve their economic circumstances more than I have—and that’s not only because I’m 93. I saw the power of entrepreneurship firsthand after co-founding the Home Depot. My experiences led me to believe that preserving and expanding entrepreneurship is the key to advancing racial and economic … [Read more...]

Your Survival Guy just finished reading the first draft of a client’s novel written over the last several months. It’s remarkable what she got done in less than a year. As an accomplished writer, she doesn’t need the money. She has plenty of that. But when her daughter suggested she get back into writing, she decided to put pen to paper, and the fun (hard work) began to jump off the pages. How rewarding. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to start (or restart) something you’re good at or interested in. You have skills you honed during your career, making you the success you are today. … [Read more...]

Being a successful investor is hard. Why? Because if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. And clearly, they’re not. I don’t need to tell you. You already know this. You hear it from friends and family who ask, “Why are you so cool?” when markets are crazy. Don’t worry, I won’t tell them our secret. You understand from here, here, and here that “doing something” rather than just standing there is easier said than done. When the world is crazy, that’s when it’s time to hunker down in your cave for the winter. Like a broken record, investors learn the hard way. They did in the tech bust, … [Read more...]

No surprises here with the latest results from United Van Lines’ 2022 National Movers Study. What stands out most to Your Survival Guy is my favored New Hampshire being a beacon of freedom from blue Massachusetts. Let’s not forget that New Hampshire and Vermont protect your Second Amendment rights. Contrary to what progressives would have you believe, despite their pro-freedom gun laws, the two states have America’s lowest homicide rates, according to the CDC. Both states were recipients of net migration inflows in 2022, according to the United Van Lines study. Then obviously, there’s … [Read more...]

As reported in the WSJ: New legislation raises the age taxpayers generally have to start taking required minimum distributions, known as RMDs, from their retirement accounts from 72 to 73 years old, beginning in 2023. That means if you turned 72 in 2022, you have until April 1, 2023, to take your first RMD, the one for 2022, and you’ll have to take another for 2023 by Dec. 31, 2023. If you turn 72 in 2023, your first RMD will be for 2024, the year you turn 73, due on April 1, 2025. Unfortunately, the legislation doesn’t do anything to address the confusion surrounding the new 10-year payout … [Read more...]