Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

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Newport Folk Festival 2022: Surprise Appearances by Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell

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For over six decades, the Newport Folk Festival has been a key point of Newport's summer festivities. There have been legendary performances given on its stage and memories made that last a lifetime. This year, Paul Simon made his Newport Folk Festival debut, joining Nathaniel Rateliff's American Tune Review to perform four songs, "Graceland," "American Tune," "The Boxer," and "Sound of Silence." According to StereoGum's James Rettig, "He was joined by Rhiannon Giddens on 'American Tune,' and a whole bunch of performers came out for 'The Boxer.' "What a joy working with Nathaniel and his … [Read more...]

Your Retirement Life: This State is Dominant Once Again

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Originally posted on December 9, 2019.  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 … [Read more...]

PREPARE: No Go Zones Coming to Your Neck of the Woods

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Your Survival Guy’s Super States map gives you a bird’s eye view of where to immediately look for a better America—one where you can raise your family, own a house, and have a job with the peace of mind you deserve. The American dream. But simply putting your finger on a map and moving is easier said than done. Your Survival Guy’s 2022 Super States: #1 New Hampshire We’re talking about a moving target here, where one election could make or break how life moves ahead in your neck of the woods. Believe me, there are plenty of nice places to live in blue states like Newport, RI, but the … [Read more...]

How to Avoid Going Back to Work after Retirement

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Where did all the workers go? In what’s being called the “Great Resignation,” there’s nothing great about it, especially for investors who thought they had “enough” to retire on. It’s a terrible situation to be in, not knowing when to “get back” in or how to invest with safety in mind. That’s why you need a plan well before times like these, because a failure to plan is a plan to fail. In my conversations with you, the first area we cover is risk. We talk about diversifying your portfolio with an eclectic mix of dividend payers and allocating for income/safety with bonds. We don’t use just … [Read more...]

Red States Churning Out Jobs While Blue States Lag Behind

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You have seen my advice throughout the pandemic, the riots, the inflation, and war: Escape the City. Get out of big blue blob states and move instead to one of my Super States. You can do it. Many people have. The economies of America’s red states (the free states where Main Street businesses are encouraged and families are valued) are soaring, while the other states—I call them the Escape States—are struggling. Josh Mitchell reports in The Wall Street Journal: The pandemic has changed the geography of the American economy. By many measures, red states—those that lean Republican—have … [Read more...]

“Talk to Me, Goose!” Time Flies in Top Gun: Maverick

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“Talk to me, Goose!” If you haven’t seen the sequel to Top Gun, then this is your chance to see it in a movie theater and realize how fast time flies. Because with the opening scene for Top Gun: Maverick, you’ll be brought back in time. It’s hard to believe it’s been 36 years since the first one. And yet, Tom Cruise looks about the same. Incredible he turned 60 over the Fourth of July weekend. You’ll want to see Top Gun: Maverick at a movie theater because one of the best parts is the applause from the audience when the closing credits roll. It’s been years since we’ve been to a theater, … [Read more...]

Your Survival Guy: Clearing the Decks, Buying a Boat, Seeing the World and More

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OK, some updates for you from Your Survival Guy to clear the decks. The new Grady White is in (engines too) and ready for delivery. It’s a Canyon 306 with twin Yamaha 300s. The name: Tom Sawyer. I’ll send you pics next week. Here’s how to buy a boat. Had lunch with clients yesterday here in Newport, RI overlooking the water on a beautiful June afternoon. We’ve been working together now for twenty years. Over that time, the relationship has expanded, through referrals, to six other relationships with their friends and family. If you feel someone you care about would like to talk with … [Read more...]

Get Out the Map, Make a Plan, and MAKE IT HAPPEN

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OK, it’s a busy summer. What can I say? Deal with it? OK, fine. Here’s what I’m doing. You know I’ve enjoyed my training at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, New Hampshire. It’s about a two-hour drive. Nothing major. I’m up and out by 5:30 am and back by 7:30 pm. No big deal. It’s a staycation for me. No planes, trains, and rental automobiles. Take a look at a map of your neck of the woods. Where could you go within a four-hour radius? Action Line: The hard part about going to Sig Sauer, deep-sea fishing, skiing, hiking, or any other trip that requires a little planning is getting out the … [Read more...]

If You Have a Plan, I Believe You’ll Get to Where You Want to Go

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When Your Survival Guy was 12-years old, my family traveled across the country in a 21-foot Winnebago Brave. Winnebago was on to something with the name because we saw the country all right, including the major national and state parks. But we also saw a lot of gas stations and even a few friends for an unexpected, extended stay in Cincinnati, OH. But that’s what’s great about RVing. You remember stuff you never planned on seeing. When we were “stuck” in Cincinnati, we went on a riverboat, played Wiffle ball, went to the club pool, and to the Kings Island amusement park where we rode “The … [Read more...]