Being properly insured is one of the most important steps anyone can take toward financial security. Yet it is also one of the most confusing areas of personal finance. The combination of high stakes and high complexity often leads people to make poor decisions about how best to protect themselves [...]
I have been a member of AAA of Missouri for about 28 years, I think. I am surprised that it has not been even longer because I am one of those people who needs a lot of help related to automobile mechanics. At times, they have hinted that I am [...]
Have you ever had a serious medical procedure and asked what it would cost you out-of-pocket only to be told by the provider that they have no idea and you’ll “just have to wait for the bill”? In virtually no other industry is this kind of opaque pricing acceptable. Imagine [...]
A while back, my parents and I had a conversation about long-term care (LTC) insurance. Talking about the possibility of one or both of them needing this kind of care wasn’t fun for any of us, but that made it no less important. It’s one of those decisions many people [...]
The past few weeks have seen multiple hurricanes ravage the southeast portion of the United States, with states like Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas worst hit. I wish I could say the severity and frequency of these storms are anomalies, but sadly they are becoming the norm. According to the [...]
DIY Anyone? Recently I wrote about investors who have an advisor obtain much better results over time than those without one. I referenced the study by Vanguard about this, but I have noticed a newer one by the Russell Investments organization today. It attempts to quantify how much value can [...]
This past Sunday morning, someone was in a hurry. On I-70 in Kansas City, a driver sped in and out of east bound traffic until he struck the rear end of another vehicle, lost control, was thrown out, and died. We will probably never know what was so pressing or [...]
The past month or so have been quite volatile with the recent failures of several regional banks include Silicon Valley Bank. While things have seemed to stabilize in the past couple of weeks, it did serve as yet another reminder that the world of finance can be a scary one. [...]
With my wife Rebecca’s birthday being on Valentine’s Day, the holiday holds a special significance to me. Not because if I forget about it I am in twice as much trouble as other guys, but because I truly love my wife with all of my heart, and this day gives [...]
Don’t laugh, but I prefer watching classic shows from over a half century ago over most of what I see on network TV today. The Andy Griffith show (or as my kids describe it, the “barney” show is a particular favorite in our home, and is watched nearly every evening [...]
