Debbie Williams

Comments:

• My Dad was born in '33 and had a lot of memories about growing up on a farm in lean times. I still hear those stories in the back of my mind...like when my Dad's older brother was given a dime to buy a loaf of bread and whatever else (!) but as he was walking to the corner store, and was tossing the dime up in the air and catching it in his mouth...he swallowed it. They had to wait to get that dime back before they could get the loaf of bread. And they only had an outhouse. So, I like to think my grandparents are looking over my shoulder smiling as I refuse to throw away the heel and I make toast with it!

  Post: Fearing Nothing

  Link to comment from March 13, 2024

• We had a "fake" dog-bite claim a few years ago. In Florida, every personal injury attorney in town has a billboard claiming you can get rich by suing someone. Turns out our homeowner's policy did NOT cover dog bites! Fortunately, our umbrella policy did. Eventually the case was dropped (it was a total scam) and the guy did not collect. We have jacked up our coverage to a few million based on advice of our attorney--cheapest coverage you can ever buy. And it gets progressively cheaper as you add more coverage, but you do have to show the insurance company your net worth to qualify for the coverage, fyi.

  Post: Easily Avoided

  Link to comment from February 21, 2024

• My Dad fell on Friday the 13th and passed away on April 1st--April Fool's Day! He was a jokester with a good sense of humor and he loved his email jokes, that he forwarded to his friends. I flew back home and just before the funeral I fired up his computer. He must have had some of his email jokes sitting in his "out" box that fired off when I turned on the computer. His friends thought he had sent one last joke from beyond the grave...it was a great story at his funeral!

  Post: Forget Me Not

  Link to comment from February 18, 2024

• I have a binder and comprehensive legal documents and instructions in our safe that our son has access to. All he has to remember is the access code! If he ever has to open that safe, we won't be there to answer his questions, so I try to be pretty detailed. And everything is in a trust, so he doesn't have to divulge to any other family members what he inherited either!

  Post: It’s a Secret

  Link to comment from February 7, 2024

• I clipped a LOT of coupons, shopped a lot of clearance racks, and tried to be smart with our finances over the years. We retired, bought a huge RV (not so thrifty) and have had some AWESOME trips across country (Alaska!) and have plans for more RV trips for as long as we can manage the RV. This spring we are also doing two months in Europe. I just got back from Goodwill where I bought several pieces that will be perfect for the trip! Some habits are enjoyable and I'll keep right on thrifting! My sweetie had knee replacement a year ago, still needs the other knee done...so we are doing as much as we can, while we can. (Your car complainer should go read Mr. Money Mustache. He thinks almost ALL cars are wasteful and rides a bicycle. There are extremes, and then there are extremes!)

  Post: A Time to Spend

  Link to comment from January 13, 2024

• My father was my mother's caretaker for ten years, then he declined and passed away. I had NO help and she was established in a nursing home back home...1,000 miles from where I lived. She had strokes/dementia (think Bruce Willis) and we had no plans to move her. I had all the legal documents I needed, and my Dad had done estate $$ planning to care for her. The help I REALLY needed was provided by an excellent elder care attorney. He provided assistance in finding and applying for VA benefits she was eligible for, he provided a Medicare spend-down plan and Medicaid application, and most importantly, he provided a nurse who checked on my mother at the nursing home, checked all their files and records and gave me regular reports on her care. I believe when they know a family member doesn't live close or ever show up...the care can slide. When they never know when a certified nurse inspector may pop in, or a family member show up unannounced, they might do a little better. And, to be fair, the facility was excellent and we never had any issues with her care. He and his staff were worth every penny, and that was $10K almost 15 years ago.

  Post: Taught by My Parents

  Link to comment from November 1, 2023

• No, we never did go out!

  Post: Movin’ On Up

  Link to comment from October 28, 2023

• One of my first secretarial jobs was to an elderly attorney in a law firm. The office was in an old-school building downtown. While I was taking dictation one day I heard a noise at the window and was distracted to see the window washer. We looked at each other--it was a guy I went to high school with. I jumped up, we opened the window, he climbed in and we had a nice chat, and he asked if he could call me sometime. The attorney wasn't amused...I left shortly after. (Ended up being in admin roles for 40 years with a blue chip company with an awesome...well, it used to be awesome...profit sharing program. A fortuitous job change that ensured a nice retirement!)

  Post: Movin’ On Up

  Link to comment from October 28, 2023

• Whatever you do...make sure your kid works and pays their own money towards school, at least a portion. If they don't have "skin in the game" it's too easy to get distracted and end up with NO degree. Pot and partying can derail getting a degree when they have not had to sacrifice anything or invest their own money towards school. Ask me how I know....

  Post: College Conundrum

  Link to comment from March 8, 2023

• Marjorie, thank you so much for mentoring others who might not otherwise have any exposure to the stock market. My parents were blue-collar and I thought stocks were for doctors and lawyers. I worked as a (new term) "Administrator" for one of your favorite blue chips. I retired after 40 years and was SO grateful for all those years of profit sharing and stock purchases! I worked for several different managers over the years--I was given piles of stock information to copy that they were sharing among themselves, which was my initial exposure to investing! My husband was also very interested in investing and we were able to retire relatively young three years ago. My retirement slide show had a lot of tips for my millennial co-workers who were spending themselves into the ground buying designer purses, expensive vacations, fancy leased cars, etc. Also, the Company started a financial education program for the new hires to help them understand what to do with their money (they made a LOT more than me!) and how to make sound financial decisions. Imagine what could happen to our economy if high school age kids received financial counseling before they even started their careers! I think they used to call it Home Ec.... :)

  Post: An American Story

  Link to comment from January 25, 2023