Is the US Debt as Dangerous as Some Believe?
Believe it or not, I was not a typical kid. Case in point: as an 11-year-old boy, I became obsessed with the 1992 election, and Ross Perot was my guy. I vividly remember watching him hold up his charts as he warned of the dangers of our national debt. In [...]
When the Storms Come
I am writing on Tuesday afternoon from Uganda in Central Eastern Africa, learning and hopefully helping in the work of His Voice Global. You can view their efforts at www.hisvoiceglobal.org. Today we learned about supporting local and refugee college students and helping them find worthwhile employment or to become entrepreneurs. [...]
Tax advantages to ROTH accounts can be substantial
There’s no denying it. We are in the midst tax season once again. That time of year when we’re all reminded of how much of our hard-earned money is going to those who govern us. If you’re anything like me, it’s also the time when you start thinking about ways [...]
What is being done now in NC
A couple weeks ago, I traveled with 9 other volunteers from Greater Kansas City to Burnsville, Yancey County, North Carolina, to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Although it has been over 4 months since the area of Western NC and Eastern Tennessee was hit with what could be [...]
Many nonprofits threatened by new government edicts
In a sweeping move that sent shockwaves through the nonprofit sector, President Donald Trump issued a memo pausing federal funding for nonprofit organizations shortly after being sworn in as the 47th President. While the policy was temporarily halted by a court order, and ultimately rescinded by the White House, it [...]
If diversity is the goal the S&P maybe shouldn’t be the solution
Often you will hear investment advisors stressing the importance of a well-diversified portfolio. While the phrase can sound quite complicated, all it really means is that within your investment accounts it is usually wise to be invested in lots of different things so that if one company or industry falters [...]
Changes in Social Security could mean more money in your pocket
Many of you have likely heard rumblings about changes that were made to Social Security in the final days of the Biden Administration. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law on January 5, 2025, eliminates two provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO)—that previously disqualified millions [...]
Eat better and save money by cooking at home
Last week while meeting with a couple who were looking to get serious about their finances, one of them asked me for advice on how to cut spending from their budget without feeling it. I had to think about that for a little while because the reality is reducing expenses [...]
Looking Backward and Forward
Harry Truman said, There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know. (brainyquote.com) Therefore we first look at some of the financial big picture occurring in 2024. Regarding stocks, the top three sectors were technology, consumer cyclical, and financials. No surprise about technology with the [...]
Excluding medical debt reporting increases risk for both lenders and borrowers
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a new rule that will exclude all medical debt from credit reports. According to the CFPB, this change will erase nearly $50 billion in unpaid medical bills from roughly 15 million Americans' credit reports and boost their credit scores by an [...]