As I write this commentary, there is still no solution to the Fiscal Cliff situation. In all my assumptions about our budget for next year, I have decided to be realistic and assumed that our taxes will go up. Thank you Washington for dropping the ball. Despite whatever efforts have been made, I question if any solution would really fix the problems that revealed themselves in 2008. In a sense, I wonder if we’re simply putting duck-tape on a leaky pipe. Are we actually addressing the real problem? Consider the facts: … [Read more...] about The Future of the U.S. Economy and Why We’ve Still Got a Long Ways to Go
Archives for December 2012
The Christmas Break and My Blog Updates
I hope everyone had an outstanding Christmas! We’re really digging having the week off. I couldn’t believe how quickly the holiday flew by. Didn’t we just buy all those presents? This was the year of the Lego sets for my kids. They got just a ridiculous amount of them. Does anyone else’s kids have those Monster Fighter sets? They’re kind of cool … My Blog Updates: You would NEVER guess it, but I’ve been really busy behind the scenes working on My Money Design. Here’s a few of the things that have been going on: … [Read more...] about The Christmas Break and My Blog Updates
My Stocks with High Dividends Income Report – December 2012
What a great time of the year to receive the next installment of my “truly” passive income. By luck, it just so happens that my next series of payments from my dividend paying stocks was scheduled to be paid in December. Couldn’t we all use a little extra cash right before Christmas as the bills start rolling in? Over on the left are the results of my third batch of quarterly dividend payments received for Quarter 4 (Q4). … [Read more...] about My Stocks with High Dividends Income Report – December 2012
What I Want for Christmas
Now that my wife and I have been married for more than 10 years, picking out Christmas presents has become somewhat of a challenge for each other. She’ll ask me what I want for Christmas, and I’ll do the same. But neither of us can really think of many things in particular. It’s not that we’re fussy or don’t know what to get each other. We’re both got a lot of things that we really want to do, but they’re not really your classic “under $50 and under the tree” variety. Part of the problem (if you can really call it that) is that we’re both pretty realistic about what we want. We don’t get too carried away. Plus we’re both working professionals, and so we’re accustomed to buying the things we need when we want them. But then there’s the … [Read more...] about What I Want for Christmas
What Do You Think is the Worst and Best Christmas Song?
What would the Christmas season be without the huge variety of Christmas songs out there. You’ve got your classics, your modern ones, funny ones, religious ones – there’s a little something for everyone. So which one do you think is the best Christmas song? Which one do you like the least? … [Read more...] about What Do You Think is the Worst and Best Christmas Song?
Why You Need to Get Your Full 401k Matching as Early as Possible
Not too long ago, I was trying to demonstrate how NOT taking full advantage of your 401k matching contributions offered by your employer was causing you to lose out on more money over the course of your career than you probably thought! While it’s never too late to get your personal finances in order, one simple mistake I see people making all the time that kills me is when they wait as late as 5 to 10 years before they finally get with the program and start contributing enough to their retirement plan to get the full 401k matching from their employer. I beg you - Please don’t waste another year! Remember time is one of your greatest assets as an investor, so don’t squander it! In this post, I’ll show you just how powerful taking … [Read more...] about Why You Need to Get Your Full 401k Matching as Early as Possible
Goal Setting Activities for Your Personal Finances
Very shortly it will be a brand new year and a chance for brand new beginnings. So with that, I ask: What are you going to do differently with your finances than you did last year? Not sure? That doesn’t surprise me. We all want the best for our money and our future, but it’s pretty hard to figure out how to go somewhere if you don’t even know where it is you’re going. To really understand what it is that you want, you need to expand your financial perspective through a series of goal setting activities that help you figure out how you feel about yourself and your money. Once you’ve had the chance to visualize what it is you really want for your money, I think you’ll be surprised by how easily things will come together. Please take … [Read more...] about Goal Setting Activities for Your Personal Finances
A Moment of Silence for the Connecticut School Shooting
I was originally planning to post something fun or entertaining this weekend for my usual wrap up. But given the recent events with the Connecticut school shooting, I really didn’t feel very comfortable doing so. Instead, let’s take a moment of silence to extend our hearts out to those who were affected by this hideous tragedy. … [Read more...] about A Moment of Silence for the Connecticut School Shooting