Special Bulletins

Getting your finances under control can bring benefits to many areas of your life. First of all, being on a budget, having funds set aside for unexpected expenses, and putting away money for retirement means that you can be in a much better position to face life’s financial challenges (which

As you imagine retirement and the latter part of life, it’s natural to think of experiences you’d like to have that would carry great meaning. Maybe it’s taking all the grandkids to Disney World, visiting the town where your immigrant great-grandparents were from, or even playing a round of golf

You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you keep doing the right things, you’ll eventually get the results you want.” This wise advice applies to situations where you’re putting in a lot of effort but not yet seeing much result. It could be anything from golfing to parenting to working in

You have probably heard of friends or family who have achieved success in getting into shape with the help of an online fitness coach. These acquaintances had been trying to lose weight through diet and exercise, but for various reasons had not had success. But with the help of a

One of the biggest motivators for speculative investing remains hidden to most people. If you ask someone who buys and sells stocks with the goal of realizing short-term gains why they do it, they will probably say that it’s to make money. Of course, making money is the goal of

Did you ever watch America’s Funniest Home Videos?  It was a great way to laugh together as a family. But secondly, the show illustrated a lot of practical wisdom. For example, you could see why you should never jump off your roof onto a trampoline while holding a giant bouncy

One of the most intriguing mysteries of the sea is the phenomenon of ghost ships. These aren’t spectral crafts that haunt the waves, but rather fully intact boats that are found completely abandoned. Among the most famous (and baffling) of these is the Mary Celeste.1 In November of 1872 the

It’s been exactly thirty years since the story of an intellectually challenged man from Alabama took America by storm. Forrest Gump, with Tom Hanks playing the title role, was the top-grossing movie of 1994, taking in more than $678 million at the box office.1 The film was also a critical

Money comes with a lot of emotional baggage. Especially if you’ve ever been painfully aware of your lack of it. Unless you grew up in a wealthy family, you probably have a few stories of financial embarrassment. Maybe you felt like you were the only kid at your school who

It can sound cynical to say that the American Revolution had a financial motivation. After all, the writings of the Founders and the personal consequences most of them suffered because of the rebellion seem to belie the idea that they wanted independence just to make money.1 However, it’s also correct

Even if you’ve never heard of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, you’re probably familiar with her Five Stages of Grief.1 These are phases that we naturally go through after experiencing a significant loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. People tend to go through these stages in the order given, not because they

In some ways, planning for retirement is abstract. You talk about things like dreams, goals, and second chapters. But in other ways, it’s just simple math. You’re going to need X amount of dollars per month over Y number of years. It’s that second number, the Y variable, we have

We love our cars. They get us to work. Haul all our stuff home from the store. And allow us to enjoy those weekend road trips in comfort. But even more than that, a car is a powerful personal expression. For many people, what a person drives says a lot

In the 1970s Heinz Ketchup ran a series of TV commercials which highlighted an attribute of their product that many people saw as a frustration: It took a long time to pour their ketchup out of the bottle. Heinz, however, flipped this seeming negative into a defining positive. While you

“Hitch your wagon to a star,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.1 Many people take this famous metaphor to mean simply “aim high.” But Emerson possibly had more in mind. Your wagon (your life prospects) needs something to pull it. He was suggesting that rather than settling for the usual plodding horse,

If you want to start a lively discussion among a group of retirement experts, just casually toss out the question, “What’s the best age to start taking Social Security?” The reason the answer to that question is so debatable isn’t because Social Security benefits are some vague mystery. Studies have

One of the most famous movie lines of the past sixty years comes from the 1970 release Love Story. Ryan O’Neal’s character apologizes for an angry outburst at his romantic partner, played by Ali MacGraw. Her character replies, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”1 The line is famous