Congratulations to Boston Bruins great Tim Thomas, one of my all-time favorites, on being inducted this week into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Thomas’ stingy goaltending was the reason the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011. After the Bruins won, he refused to visit the Obama White House, turning him into a polarizing force within the organization. This is what Thomas said he believed in: I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is … [Read more...]

You’re familiar with my piece Rich Grandchild, Poor Grandchild. Now I want you to shift gears and think about which states are the rich states, and which ones are the poor states. “For each of the past 12 years, Arthur Laffer, Jonathan Williams and I have answered that question in ‘Rich States, Poor States,’ an index of economic competitiveness published by the American Legislative Exchange Council. Every year the top performer has been Utah,” explains Stephen Moore. Yes, that's right, the winner once again is Utah. On a recent ski trip to Utah, my family experienced firsthand why … [Read more...]

When Fred Cox retired from the NFL in 1977, the placekicker had scored 1,365 points. But his most famous score happened when he was approached by an entrepreneur named John Mattox in 1971, explains The Week. Entrepreneur Mattox wanted Cox to help create a backyard field goal kicking game. In response to Mattox’s prototype (a heavy football), Cox responded, “You’re gonna have a bunch of sore-legged kids.” “Cox asked a friend in the injection molding business to create a prototype,” explains The Week, “the resulting foam pigskin was light, aerodynamic, and a hit with neighborhood … [Read more...]

One of the best parts of helping people in retirement is getting to be a part of their retirement life. A client recently sent me this picture, and said: "Above is a snap of Rainbow Bridge taken from a nearby alcove that held some old signatures." It was great to be able to share that moment he had worked for his whole life. The beautiful Rainbow Bridge National Monument is in Utah on the edge of Lake Powell. If you want to make it part of your retirement life, you can learn more about it here. Originally posted on Your Survival Guy. … [Read more...]

Some retirees want it all, and by that, I mean a state with warm weather, firearms freedom, and low costs. Catey Hill, an editor at MarketWatch, was asked for just that by a retiree living in California. She responded with some ideas for locations offering just that. She wrote (abridged): You’re not alone in wanting to flee California in retirement — and for you, the costs make it hard to live anywhere in California on your Social Security checks alone. Though you’ll be hard-pressed to find a state with weather as good as it is in many parts of the Golden State. That said, I’ve found some … [Read more...]

If you think the Dems are only after billionaires (and I know you don’t) then think again. Here you get a look at how they’d treat an estate worth $3.5 million, which will cast a huge net capturing savers like you. Anna Sulkin writes at WealthManagement.com: Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.)recently introduced legislation, For the 99.8% Act (the Act), aimed at lowering the estate tax exemption amount and increasing the tax rate for some of the wealthiest Americans. The Act is identical to the legislation introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) earlier this year. Under the Act, estates would … [Read more...]

You may have read that Vanguard is moving into a digital robo-only service. My take? Well, first off, when you sign-up for Vanguard advisor services you’re only going to be offered Vanguard funds. You will not be investing in my preferred, dividend centric stock approach. You are treated like all of the other sheep loaded into the mutual fund pen. Second, I believe Vanguard is essentially throwing in the towel (they’d never admit it) about their index funds and the problem with how big they’ve become. Offering a robo-only service will be a backdoor way for Vanguard to steer investor … [Read more...]

Here in New England, you can already feel the change in seasons approaching. You can smell it in the crisp, dry, morning air and see it from the lower sun angle. You can hear it as noisy cicadas whir and squirrels busy themselves in the trees, signaling a change from Summer to Fall is near. You can even feel it, like when you’re wondering if your family is well prepared for the Fall and Winter. That kind of thinking is good. It means you’re alive, you want to stay that way, and you still want to live your life. A Terrible Foe Can Hold You Back There is one thing that keeps more … [Read more...]

If you live in Hawaii, California, or New York, your state is costing you a lot of money. According to the Tax Foundation, in those states respectively, $100 will only buy you 84%, 86% and 87% of what you can get in an average cost of living state. Meanwhile, if you live in Mississippi, Arkansas, or Alabama, your dollar will last you much longer, with a buying power of 117%, 116% and 115% of average in those states respectively. If you're retired and living on a fixed income, the boost in purchasing power could make a major difference in your standard of living. Analysts from the Tax … [Read more...]