Why We So Often Fail to Keep Our New Year’s Resolutions, and Why We Should Cut Ourselves Some Slack
Amanda Mull's father was a smoker for 20 years. When he became convinced that cigarettes were harmful, he simply quit smoking them. Later, when he decided he should take up running, he got up at 4:30 AM to get in five miles before work. And has continued this practice every day for more than 30 years. Mull, writing in The Atlantic, says that her dad's ability to adopt life-changing habits (or quit bad ones) was seen by her as the norm. For years she struggled to exercise [...]
What’s in Store for 2023?
A long time ago, when Woody Allen was known for writing funny books, he described a character named Weinstein who lay in bed feeling depressed about his age. “Next year I will be fifty-one. Then fifty-two.” Allen adds, “Using this reasoning, he could figure out his age as much as five years in the future.” While some of us have the advanced math skills to figure out our age 10 or even 15 years into the future, it’s one of the few things we can predict [...]
Data Threat: Don’t Automatically Scan That QR Code
You've just been seated at a restaurant and while you're waiting for your server, you see a little sticker on the tabletop that says, "Scan me for today's lunch specials." It would be great to save a few bucks. So you pull out your phone and point the camera at the little square. What could go wrong? According to mobile security experts, plenty.Even if you're not familiar with the term QR code, you've certainly seen lots of them. They're the square, maze-like graphic that businesses put [...]
How Bonds Work: What Retirees Need to Know
There is a lot of noise in the media about bonds currently. Many are wondering if they should stay in bonds, how safe bonds actually are, and what voices they should listen to for advice. Every situation is different, so you should always speak to an advisor.
Inflation: the good, the bad and the truth
Recently, a number of folks have asked me: So… we know you’re a pretty optimistic person. But what’s the most bearish or worst-case scenario for the stock market right now? There is a lot of bad news despite the media attempting to paint things in a good light. In truth, you have to balance being optimistic with being realistic. I’m a long-term optimist with an understanding that things can and will get really bad on occasion. See history. It’s just how things work when humans [...]
Why People Make Dumb Financial Decisions on Purpose
Do people really make dumb decisions.... on purpose?! That would actually be called 'cognitive dissonance'. And certainly, people can often work against their own best interests because they follow the wrong information, based on biases. However, the topic we're addressing today has to do with the fact that financial decisions are personal. As in, each of us has unique goals, concerns or interests. What might be okay for me, might be too risky for you because the perception of risk is also personal and experiential. Ben Carlson does [...]
If you have a Federal Employee TSP – Watch This Video
Do You Know How Your TSP Dollars Are Being Invested? What is Blackrock you ask? In January 2022, West Virginia Republican State Treasurer Riley Moore announced that the state would no longer be using BlackRock Inc. for banking transactions due to the company’s involvement in China and its policies related to coal and natural gas. Well, in June 2021, Tucker Carlson exposed how BlackRock and other investment firms like it, are "killing the dream of home ownership." Journalist Pedro Gonzalez reiterated [...]
Why it’s Harder to Pick a Winning Stock Than a Losing One
“The sky has finally fallen,” said Eeyore. “Always knew it would.” While you might not want to adopt the pessimism of Winnie-the-Pooh’s gloomy friend in every aspect of your life, when it comes to picking stocks, having a glass-is-half-empty attitude can give you a statistical advantage. It’s not because the market as a whole has been contracting. In fact, quite the opposite has been true over the past several decades. It’s because, for any given timespan, the number of stocks that underperform the market will outnumber [...]
A Simple Lesson in Discipline From a Legendary Baseball Coach
Chris Sperry, a consultant who works with young baseball prospects, tells about a lesson on discipline he’ll never forget. He was attending the American Baseball Coaches Association convention, where for two-and-a-half days more than 4,000 coaches (from Little League to Major League) attended seminars on every aspect of the game. After a day of learning about pitching mechanics, hitting philosophy, and team practice drills, Sperry felt it had been well worth his time to attend. But the session everyone had been buzzing about was an afternoon [...]
