Are you falling for the oldest trick in the book? Here’s how it reads. Managers today draw you in with low-cost index funds and past performance—not necessarily in that order. Then, once you’re in the door, they sell you on other stuff, like toxic variable annuities, until you’re blue in the face. It’s hard not to fall for the sales pitch. I get it. Here’s what happens. It’s Sunday morning. You don’t have a care in the world. Frank Sinatra is playing in the background. Life is good. Then you peel open the quarterly funds report in the Journal and look at the performance like a box score … [Read more...]
Californians Desperate to Escape: Look for the Island Life
You can't enjoy life with wildfires, high taxes, crippling regulation, unchecked rioting in the streets, and a pandemic working through your overcrowded city. Yet, that's the situation many Californians face every day. That's why so many Golden Staters are looking to escape the city, and instead, live the island life. Many are looking to Hawaii as a refuge from California. Trevor Boyer of the Daily Mail reports "From January to June 2020, Californians have bought $587.6 million worth of Hawaii real estate, or 41 percent of the total from U.S. buyers." He writes: Beset by fire and a … [Read more...]
To Where Will You Flee?
Do you have an escape plan? Do you live the island life? Getting prepared for the worst is a way of life, even if it looks out of place. This summer, a friend was standing in my garage and saw all of these blue 55-gallon water barrels and said “Looks like a scene out of Breaking Bad.” That’s the price of being prepared. Here’s what I did, I hope you are with me. Storing Water for the Winter You don’t have to be crazy to store water. Over the weekend I completed my winter water storage. Below is a great video on how you can do it with 55-gallon barrels. I too bought mine at … [Read more...]
“They Stick a Q-Tip So Far Up Your Nose, You Can See it Through Your Eye”
“They stick a Q-tip up your nose so far, you can see it through your eye,” I thought, as a friend described what it was like to watch his daughter squirm in pain and holding her in place as the doctor performed a COVID-19 test. No thanks. But Rhode Island requires school children showing two signs of COVID-19, which we all have when we get a cold, must be sent home. They can return with either a doctor’s note saying in writing he doesn’t believe a test for COVID-19 is necessary, or take the traumatizing test and wait at home for the results. Both options stink, and are disruptive to say the … [Read more...]
Who Wants to Live the Island Life? You Do: Part II
You read yesterday about how to live an "island life," whether that be on an actual island, or by simply protecting yourself from the dangers around you. One of the best parts of living on an actual island is access to the beach. But many islands with top beaches come along with a high cost of living. Thrillist has put together a list of the "World's Most Beautiful Beach Cities Where You Can Live for Dirt Cheap." There are some nearby places like Las Terrenas in the Dominican Republic, and some further afield like Canggu, Bali. The author writes: More than a few Americans fantasize … [Read more...]
Who Wants to Live the Island Life? You Do
Imagine sitting under a palm tree, toes in the sand, gazing across a turquoise sea with not a care in the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to feel like this most days of the week rather than only on vacation, especially in times like these? Now, I know it’s not exactly practical, even if you have a tropical island as the backdrop of your Zoom calls. But you’d be surprised at how much island life is right in front of your eyes. For example, when it comes to investing, my favored Prudent Man certainly stands alone as an island far away from your everyday stock traders: For years my father-in-law … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Survival Checklist: Move to an Island
In times like these, your safety tops the retirement survival checklist. If you can live on an island (Newport, Key West for example) do it. Islands can be easily defended, period. Your island doesn’t need to be surrounded by water. I like the idea of a cul de sac or some high elevation retreat. You get the point: Easily defendable and easy to shut down access. Making the thugs think twice is the point. They aren’t looking for “hard” targets. It’s why I love the work Lauren Boebert is doing in Rifle, CO (can you think of a better name for a town?) at her Shooters Grill restaurant. If … [Read more...]