Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

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How You Livin’? Crossing on the Queen Mary 2

By

By Rikke @ Adobe Stock

Happy Friday. As my nephew asked me the other day, home from college and all the stuff one learns: “Uncle E, how you livin’?”

“How I’m livin’?” I thought to myself. I haven’t thought about it. But it gets right to the point, doesn’t it? Which brings me to my conversations with you. I know how you’re livin’—quite well—because you tell me.

Here’s what you’re doing. Fly fishing the Keys, catching some rays in St. Somewhere, hitting the powder out West, spending plenty of time relaxing on the beach, paying exorbitant prices for boat drinks, building houses and dreams, planning more trips, and seeing family.

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“Send reinforcements, Survival Guy,” are words I’m accustomed to hearing. Hey, you gotta eat, right? I’m with you. But it’s not all fun and games. You’re working, too. Working on stuff you want to do, not actually working. Work? That’s in your rearview mirror.

You’re developing your skills. In one conversation this week, you told me about a recent excursion to Sig Sauer in Epping, New Hampshire, with your son and how you both signed up for a class at my favored academy (Read more about Sig Sauer Academy here, here, and here). Word on the range is that classes are filling up fast, so beat inertia and get out there. As they say, you don’t rise to the occasion, but instead, you fall to your level of training.

How’s the skiing? If you’re anywhere out West, it’s excellent. From the Silicon Slopes in Utah to Copper, Vail, Aspen, and Steamboat in Colorado, up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the private powder in Montana, the snow has been abundant. Just try to ski during the week because the lines at some can be crazy on the weekends. As a side note, if you’re going off-piste, make sure you know where you’re going. There have been too many avoidable “accidents” (a dozen or so lost their way at Killington, VT), and watch your back. You’re not alone.

And me? Glad you asked. After a couple of weeks at my southernmost outpost in Key West, I’m back on the frozen tundra. Feels like negative eight this morning. Your Survival Guy will be making an Atlantic crossing later this spring on the Queen Mary 2 to London (then Paris). Did you know the Captain of the Titanic was named E.J. Smith? I’ll suffer through any anxiety up in the Queen’s Grille since it’s a longer voyage than my favored Global Express 7500, but I’ll survive.

Action Line: Get out there. Spend your money. You only live once. When you’re ready, let’s talk.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.

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