sir: your is a common problem,retirement was not really something you were prepared for emotionally. the caveat is you think you know when your 'sell by date' is more than most as a function of your prognosis. of your readers, driving the roads, taking baths on slippery floors, aneurysms hidden and as scottie said 'readta blow!!', advanced age, drive by's, the next covid, i'd go on but i'm tired of typing... there will many readers dead before you call it even...a good thing as we ALL share mortality. we all live in form of denial until we can't..keeps us kind of sane. a friend of similar back ground politically, financially, educationally gave me a gift..i expressed similar angst to yours and he said 'it is ok to do nothing...' i needed permission from a source i considered highly reasonable. he was kind of from the buddhist persuasion, those guys think of that stuff.. time is not just about getting stuff done, amusing one's self, worrying about the others, gaining or losing control..it's about breathing, and then again breathing and awareness of the specialness of that opportunity. here, now is very improbable..makes the biggest lottery tinier and tinier.. time is an currency we can't print more of but that underscores it's value. the present is exactly that. the gift......
a caveat is that money, especially large dumps of it, is not useful to the unprepared, the batshit crazy and the whims and conceits that it can produce are not good for the individual or to society. John du Pont is a good object lesson...'He was ruled to have been mentally ill but not insane and was sentenced to prison for thirteen to thirty years. Du Pont died in prison at age 72 on December 9, 2010. To date, he is the only member of the Forbes 400 richest Americans to be convicted of murder.' money or debt owned to a society is a resource..like water or air or pork bellies or beaver pelts...it has no soul or virtue and is vulnerable to conceits and whimsy. when you have money people tend to do as you wish, tell you you're great and you might start to believe it.. 'pride comes before a fall' is not just wisdom, it is a disclaimer. our job if we have resources to pass along is to not just acquire but prepare, to context and judge as best we can decide where the resources go and how best to utilize. good luck.
this one is easy...flip the thought. being rich is function of how much?..an accounting. being wealthy is a function of how long?..a measure of time--food, shelter, lodging, comfort, extravagances and choices ongoing? the object of wealth is is inter-generational..me and mine will prosper ad infinitum. shaquille o'neal said 'you called me wealthy?..i'm rich, the guy who signs my checks is wealthy' and then took steps to move to that vaunted category: 'Shaquille O'Neal's net worth is estimated to be $500 million, primarily from his successful NBA career and various business ventures. He continues to earn around $60 million per year from endorsements and other investments.' https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/nba/shaquille-oneal-net-worth/
great post...financial acumen should probably be taught (not offered, taught) in middle school, certainly high school and it might be too late in college.. more useful than logarithms...whatever the the hell they are... ;->
'OSCAR WILDE ONCE made this observation: “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”' school is a great adjunct to education...shared knowledge base, specific skills and self advancement in a personally desired or rewarded direction. but it is the smallest part of learning..walking, talking, socialization, values, etc...all are the real education. that plus the desire to learn to think too as you referenced w einstein to explore...science has been defined as thoughtful observation..i believe that represents the best model for education. and then build on that.....
you don't need to pay any attention to 'what they think you should buy.' to me the value of a porsche is to make you examine the question of 'why i want a porsche?' same tugs as everybody else...we all have our triggers.. intellectually we may need little, couple pair of pants, shoes, shelter, enough in the bank to stave hunger for variable lengths of time...health and happiness of loved ones, a stable future... then YOU get to decide...is having a bigger dragon's hoard more important than the porsche? up to you. i use money as insulation after the necessities. i treasure the illusion of stability a couple of bucks brings...my choice. money is rarely stuff...but it IS feelings.. the value of a porsche is to make you wonder why you want a porsche...especially with a functional honda in the driveway.. it is the self awareness that is the real treasure and that was 'for free..'. you can't separate the feelings from the decision points but can be aware of the tugs...then buy it or don't.
you gave him your best 'mirror' of reality, not the funhouse mirror that commissioned brokers and financial advice that works best for the 'advisor'. you did it without judgement and having no agenda other than to advantage your friend... that's what friend are for.
numbers are 'juked' to produce an outcome, to provide a desired result... in the case of the 95% there was emphasis on producing attention, to attract money, and could be rationalized after the fact to excuse variation from obvious reality (ex: it was biden's economy--i am not culpable) the 75% was trying to be rational and escape the inevitable disappointment of irrational expectations, assuming there IS disappointment, we seem to have the deep-dive memories of drunken gerbils these days. i'm not convinced it matters, the sources leading to that disappointment can be confused, obfuscated... (who could have predicted X??) both camps are using the same data coming to different conclusions... worrying about materials and methods to come to financial conclusions is to me less convincing then what they are trying to do!! quo bono, que bene? what are they trying to do? then realize the locked door room puzzle with a can of beans for the hungry economist says 'assume a can opener..'
'why me' is best answered 'why not me?' mortality is our lot....a terminal diagnosis is a guess 'when'... we can plan and posit but we can also just breath; just did that, i'll do that again....yeah, that was nice.
Comments
sir: your is a common problem,retirement was not really something you were prepared for emotionally. the caveat is you think you know when your 'sell by date' is more than most as a function of your prognosis. of your readers, driving the roads, taking baths on slippery floors, aneurysms hidden and as scottie said 'readta blow!!', advanced age, drive by's, the next covid, i'd go on but i'm tired of typing... there will many readers dead before you call it even...a good thing as we ALL share mortality. we all live in form of denial until we can't..keeps us kind of sane. a friend of similar back ground politically, financially, educationally gave me a gift..i expressed similar angst to yours and he said 'it is ok to do nothing...' i needed permission from a source i considered highly reasonable. he was kind of from the buddhist persuasion, those guys think of that stuff.. time is not just about getting stuff done, amusing one's self, worrying about the others, gaining or losing control..it's about breathing, and then again breathing and awareness of the specialness of that opportunity. here, now is very improbable..makes the biggest lottery tinier and tinier.. time is an currency we can't print more of but that underscores it's value. the present is exactly that. the gift......
Post: Tasting Retirement
Link to comment from April 26, 2025
a caveat is that money, especially large dumps of it, is not useful to the unprepared, the batshit crazy and the whims and conceits that it can produce are not good for the individual or to society. John du Pont is a good object lesson...'He was ruled to have been mentally ill but not insane and was sentenced to prison for thirteen to thirty years. Du Pont died in prison at age 72 on December 9, 2010. To date, he is the only member of the Forbes 400 richest Americans to be convicted of murder.'
money or debt owned to a society is a resource..like water or air or pork bellies or beaver pelts...it has no soul or virtue and is vulnerable to conceits and whimsy. when you have money people tend to do as you wish, tell you you're great and you might start to believe it..
'pride comes before a fall' is not just wisdom, it is a disclaimer. our job if we have resources to pass along is to not just acquire but prepare, to context and judge as best we can decide where the resources go and how best to utilize.
good luck.
Post: Giving Advice
Link to comment from April 5, 2025
this one is easy...flip the thought. being rich is function of how much?..an accounting. being wealthy is a function of how long?..a measure of time--food, shelter, lodging, comfort, extravagances and choices ongoing? the object of wealth is is inter-generational..me and mine will prosper ad infinitum. shaquille o'neal said 'you called me wealthy?..i'm rich, the guy who signs my checks is wealthy' and then took steps to move to that vaunted category: 'Shaquille O'Neal's net worth is estimated to be $500 million, primarily from his successful NBA career and various business ventures. He continues to earn around $60 million per year from endorsements and other investments.' https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/nba/shaquille-oneal-net-worth/
Post: I don’t feel comfortable being “wealthy”
Link to comment from April 5, 2025
the old saw 'I have some definite ideas about brokers! every time i call my broker i am...
Post: Paying Your Tuition
Link to comment from March 29, 2025
great post...financial acumen should probably be taught (not offered, taught) in middle school, certainly high school and it might be too late in college.. more useful than logarithms...whatever the the hell they are... ;->
Post: My Five Mistakes
Link to comment from March 29, 2025
'OSCAR WILDE ONCE made this observation: “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”' school is a great adjunct to education...shared knowledge base, specific skills and self advancement in a personally desired or rewarded direction. but it is the smallest part of learning..walking, talking, socialization, values, etc...all are the real education. that plus the desire to learn to think too as you referenced w einstein to explore...science has been defined as thoughtful observation..i believe that represents the best model for education. and then build on that.....
Post: Paying Your Tuition
Link to comment from March 29, 2025
you don't need to pay any attention to 'what they think you should buy.' to me the value of a porsche is to make you examine the question of 'why i want a porsche?' same tugs as everybody else...we all have our triggers.. intellectually we may need little, couple pair of pants, shoes, shelter, enough in the bank to stave hunger for variable lengths of time...health and happiness of loved ones, a stable future... then YOU get to decide...is having a bigger dragon's hoard more important than the porsche? up to you. i use money as insulation after the necessities. i treasure the illusion of stability a couple of bucks brings...my choice. money is rarely stuff...but it IS feelings.. the value of a porsche is to make you wonder why you want a porsche...especially with a functional honda in the driveway.. it is the self awareness that is the real treasure and that was 'for free..'. you can't separate the feelings from the decision points but can be aware of the tugs...then buy it or don't.
Post: When to spend money
Link to comment from March 15, 2025
you gave him your best 'mirror' of reality, not the funhouse mirror that commissioned brokers and financial advice that works best for the 'advisor'. you did it without judgement and having no agenda other than to advantage your friend... that's what friend are for.
Post: Among Friends
Link to comment from March 15, 2025
numbers are 'juked' to produce an outcome, to provide a desired result... in the case of the 95% there was emphasis on producing attention, to attract money, and could be rationalized after the fact to excuse variation from obvious reality (ex: it was biden's economy--i am not culpable) the 75% was trying to be rational and escape the inevitable disappointment of irrational expectations, assuming there IS disappointment, we seem to have the deep-dive memories of drunken gerbils these days. i'm not convinced it matters, the sources leading to that disappointment can be confused, obfuscated... (who could have predicted X??) both camps are using the same data coming to different conclusions... worrying about materials and methods to come to financial conclusions is to me less convincing then what they are trying to do!! quo bono, que bene? what are they trying to do? then realize the locked door room puzzle with a can of beans for the hungry economist says 'assume a can opener..'
Post: Assumptions matter most
Link to comment from March 15, 2025
'why me' is best answered 'why not me?' mortality is our lot....a terminal diagnosis is a guess 'when'... we can plan and posit but we can also just breath; just did that, i'll do that again....yeah, that was nice.
Post: Asking the Editor
Link to comment from March 8, 2025