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Carl is a retired professor of ethics and religion who served 28 years in various educational and administrative roles at at Concordia University Texas in Austin. Originally from Minnesota, he and his wife live most of the year in the mountains of Colorado. His professional interests included public theology and ethics, leadership and ethics, ethical philosophy, the mission of Church-related Universities in the United States, environmental ethics, ethics of technology, Latino/a Studies, History of Mexico, Liberation Theology, and human migration. In retirement since 2025, he and his wife enjoy hiking, birding, reading, visiting our two children, and world travel. Your Money or Your Life and Personal Finance for Dummies, along with parents, deeply shaped his early financial education and beliefs. I have begun to write at Carl's Musings.
Comments
Thanks, Bogdan. I thought this was a scam, too, but I did the research and discovered I’ll get $132 back.
Post: State Farm Dividend
Link to comment from September 3, 2026
Great article, William! Your comments reminded me of Joe Madden (who managed the Chicago Cubs from 2015–2019, including their 2016 World Series championship). His philosophy was to succeed through "the relentless execution of fundamentals." Seems to work in every aspect of life, whether listening in personal relationships, gluing your butt to the chair when trying to write, or planning for retirement. There are two elements to success: First, people actually knowing what the fundamentals are, and secondly, people acting on that knowledge. Your overview is a powerful and simple statement of the fundamentals of investing.
Post: Investing Fundamentals: A Simple Guide for Beginners
Link to comment from April 25, 2026
It has worked out very well for me. It is especially nice being able to test different income scenarios and see what effects on taxes they have.
Post: Tools/calculators for monthly retirement cash flow and tax estimation
Link to comment from April 12, 2026
Excellent use of Claude, Mark. I have disliked spreadsheets my whole life but they are great for these sorts of projects. I, too, could never build something like this in my own. I could learn, but I rather be out hiking or reading a good book.
Post: Tools/calculators for monthly retirement cash flow and tax estimation
Link to comment from April 12, 2026
I did something I thought I would never do. I asked Claude to create an Excel spreadsheet to do this. I was impressed with the result. Just made a few adjustments. Here was my prompt: "I am retired and need to plan out my taxes for the coming year. What is the best way to do this, including pension and investment income so that my wife and I, who are married and file jointly, can stay in the 12 percent tax bracket? Do you have an example of a spreadsheet for tax planning?" I also use Boldin and Empower to help in my longer term planning and asset location planning.
Post: Tools/calculators for monthly retirement cash flow and tax estimation
Link to comment from April 9, 2026
Very helpful, James. I took everyone's advice and looked up Boomer Benefits, and I am impressed.
Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?
Link to comment from March 19, 2026
Thank you! I appreciate the link, and suggestions.
Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?
Link to comment from March 19, 2026
Thanks, Chris. Great advice. I will plan to chose a carrier highly rated in Texas and Colorado. You chose a Medigap plan for the same reasons I will be.
Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?
Link to comment from March 19, 2026
Thank you, Doug, for the link. Very helpful. All my best.
Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?
Link to comment from March 15, 2026
Thank for the suggestion, Dan. I will reach out to a broker.
Post: What happens to Medicare Supplement coverage when moving to a different state?
Link to comment from March 15, 2026