“How’s it going?” I ask. “Good,” he replies. “I don’t know anything.” And with that, I know he’s good because he’s been telling me that for twenty years now. Now, I can assure you when he says he “don’t know anything,” he knows quite a bit. Because you see, he quit a lucrative job in his 30s to go to medical school simply to try his hand at being a doctor. He, we’ll call him Doc now, is still working part-time as a doctor in his 70s. When telling me the story, his brother-in-law, also a client, tells me Doc’s the smartest guy he’s ever met. Another client, the brother-in-law’s best … [Read more...]

Are you falling for the oldest trick in the book? Here’s how it reads. Managers today draw you in with low-cost index funds and past performance—not necessarily in that order. Then, once you’re in the door, they sell you on other stuff, like toxic variable annuities, until you’re blue in the face. It’s hard not to fall for the sales pitch. I get it. Here’s what happens. It’s Sunday morning. You don’t have a care in the world. Frank Sinatra is playing in the background. Life is good. Then you peel open the quarterly funds report in the Journal and look at the performance like a box score … [Read more...]

You know that when it comes to making money, my number one investment is YOU. You’re the one who’s saving money, doing less with more, and taking care of your family. You’re the one doing what it takes. But somewhere along the line, your success makes doing what you do just a little bit more difficult. Sure, you know how to make money. But now what? What you need to figure out is how to keep it, and get a little growth to keep pace with inflation. I know. Easier said than done. In my conversations with you, you’re telling me about the business environment in your neck of the woods. … [Read more...]

Your retirement life is sacred ground. You know my favorite advice, to your dismay, is to work as long as you can and put off retirement. That doesn’t mean you need to give up your dreams. You just need to be creative. Can you do remote work? Wherever you choose to go, familiarize yourself with my Super States, rent for a year to make sure it’s a good fit, and downsize. Don’t worry the kids will visit. Bankrate.com just came out with its annual ranking of the best places to retire, and you won't be surprised by the top three. According to Bankrate.com, the best three states for retirement … [Read more...]

In my conversations with you, you're telling me you liked Your Survival Guy Presents to Prestigious Med School. I turned it into a Special Report: How To Invest After Graduating College so you can give it to someone you care about who's just starting out with their career. If you haven't read the piece, you can read it here: Excerpts from my Wednesday presentation to recent grads and associates of an esteemed NYC med school. I love hearing from you. This week I'm choosing two emails to share with you because of their unique perspectives: One from a doctor client remembering when he first … [Read more...]

I hope you’re getting outside and enjoying some beautiful weather this spring. Here in New England it feels like a switch was flipped Sunday when temps jumped into the mid-80s and higher—too hot to walk the dog—but lately its been cool nights, warm days, and blue skies. Perfect for getting outside or launching your boat for the season. Will you be teaching a grandchild how to do something this summer? I hope you’re thinking about your investments and your life—where you are on your journey. We’re all in this together. Do you remember when you first started out as an investor? There’s … [Read more...]

You know that I encourage you to say "not yet" to retirement and that once in retirement you should continue to live an active life and do something. You should even keep working if you can. Phil Mickelson has embodied that idea, to become the oldest man to win the Wanamaker Trophy at 50 years old. WEEI reports: Phil Mickelson, who entered the week as the 115th-ranked golfer in the world, needed an exemption to gain entry to next month’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in his hometown of San Diego. After going one-and-done in the FedEx Cup Playoffs last summer, Mickelson competed on the PGA Tour … [Read more...]

Yesterday, a Wednesday in May, clients were in town. The Mooring restaurant in Newport, RI, was packed. I looked to see if there was a graduation. No, just a nice day. Imagine what 4th of July, the official start of summer in Newport, is going to look like. As an aside, I checked out Clarke Cooke House after my meeting to book a table for any Friday or Saturday night. No go. They’re booked well into June—as far out as Resy was accepting them. Better call direct. How about the dining experience? Yesterday, excellent. But, on a recent trip to Boston, we learned you need to guard your table … [Read more...]

Confidence among workers about retirement is nearing record highs, with 72% confident they will be able to retire comfortably. That's close to the record set in 1993 when 74% of the workforce was confident in retirement. Anne Tergesen writes in The Wall Street Journal: About three-quarters of U.S. workers and retirees believe they will have enough money for retirement, an increase from a year ago, according to a survey released Thursday. The survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute provides a snapshot of how Americans feel about their retirement prospects. Among workers, … [Read more...]

Who's got your back in the world of finance when the going gets tough? And some other thoughts. When Georgia changed its voting laws, and over 100 CEOs and business leaders signed a letter in protest, did they even read the law? File this under my "You Invest, They Win." Are you surprised to see BlackRock CEO Larry Fink or Vanguard? You can check out the list below. Sell in May go away? Has there been a better time to be a seller of real estate? 2006 comes to mind. If you're a buyer, stay off the beaten path. Here's Your Survival Guy's tip of the day. Keep a chunk of your stock … [Read more...]