Behavior

WE MAKE CONSTANT tradeoffs as we allocate our time and money across our life’s many competing demands. What if we feel like all is not right in our world? We may be confronting the seven choices below—and favoring one option at the expense of the other, leaving us with what feels like an unbalanced life.
1. Between doing what we should and doing what we want. Here, I’m thinking about taking care of ourselves physically.

FORMER NEW YORK CITY Mayor Ed Koch used to frequently ask the city’s residents, “How am I doing?”
When I was younger, I’d ask myself that same question. I was always trying to keep up with others, whether it was socially, academically, athletically or financially. My big fear was that I wasn’t going to make it. I could never let down my guard, relax and take it easy. I was always having to compensate for whatever I was deficient in.

When I was a freshman in high school, my earth science teacher once started out a class by playing Pink Floyd’s song Time, from their album The Dark Side of the Moon. He played the uncut version, which runs almost seven minutes. His reasoning for having us listen to the song was that musicians probably know more about time than the typical person. Two years after that science class, a song called Time Passages by Al Stewart became popular.

ANY BABY BOOMER WHO grew up around New York City is probably familiar with the name Robert Moses. He was the city planner who wielded enormous power over the development of New York from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Having grown up on Long Island, I saw his work firsthand in two main highways, the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway. They were designed to appear park-like, with arched bridges, wide grass run-offs and trees alongside the entire route.

WHEN I LOOK BACK at my career, I see that the key to my long tenure with one employer was my desire to learn new skills and help expand the business. That mindset, I believe, helped me survive multiple rounds of layoffs.
I’m hoping that same mindset will help with retirement.
Many retirees say, “I just want to relax. Get rid of the alarm clock. No more classes or schedules for me.” While that feels good for a while,

I’ve written before that I’m an introvert. My personality has controlled my social life for as long as I can remember. I’ve always preferred spending time alone to spending it with others. But I’m convinced my personality has affected many aspects of my financial life as well. 
Some HumbleDollar readers might be familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test. Years ago I took the test. I am classified as an INFJ. When I read a summary of the traits typically exhibited by people with this personality type,

There has been a time or two I wanted to continue conversations started in discussion threads that may not be of general interest (e.g. swapping backpacking stories with Jeff Bond. Jeff. Look for my LinkedIn invite:-))
Asking someone publicly for contact info seems inappropriate (opening up to spammers etc).
It would be useful if messages could be marked private to a single member.
Other options? New feature (Jonathan?).  Personal friendships often grow out of meeting in group settings.

WE MAKE FOREVER PLANS—and often end up shredding them in a few short days.
Think of the folks who hike their portfolio’s allocation to stocks, only to turn tail when the next market downdraft reminds them of their true risk tolerance. Or the families who are forced to move because of a job change, or the arrival of children, or the need to help aging parents. Or me, who thought he might have 30 more years,

I have become somewhat addicted to Threads. It is similar to X, but simpler and with generally shorter posts, but it is scary.
The misinformation and lack of understanding about taxes, wealth, Social Security, economics, and investing is staggering. If the posts reflect even a modest segment of our population, the financial challenges people face are easily understood. 
Nothing is fair according to these folks. Here is a recent complaint. I just paid $4 for a Gatorade at 7-Eleven…Why is everything so expensive?

Losing money was a great shame in my family, worse than not making any money at all. It was a shanda, Yiddish for disgrace. It didn’t take me long to learn the program. I’ve spent a lifetime trying not to be someone’s financial embarrassment, which includes managing money in my own family. I suffer from FOLM, or fear of losing money, not to be confused with FOMO, shorthand for the daredevils of the investment world afflicted with the fear of missing out on stocks hurtling toward glory.

Please give 5th (maybe 3rd) grade level sign-in instructions for your site to me. I don’t seem to run into this with other sites so, please help an old Hoosier farmer out. Provide really simple step by step instructions for me. Thanks!

I recently asked HumbleDollar Forum readers if they talk about money with friends and family members. Though the sample is small, the answer is clear. It seems nearly everyone except me keeps their nose where it belongs–out of other people’s business
Perhaps my work as a physical therapist has dulled my sense of relationship boundaries. I’ve asked thousands of patients personal questions such as “Do you need help bathing?” Apparently, it’s just a small step from there to quizzing a close friend about her retirement plans.

I HATED SCHOOL. There, I said it. From reading the bios of other HumbleDollar contributors, it appears most, if not all, enjoyed their academic experience. Many have gone on to acquire advanced degrees. I, too, went on to acquire post-college education, but only when my employer paid.
But the best education I received wasn’t found in the classroom, but in day-to-day life. It came from observing what others did or didn’t do.

Is being rich the same as being wealthy? Nope. Being rich means you have a high income, live well, perhaps lavishly. Being wealthy means you have accumulated growing assets.
You can be rich, but not wealthy and you can be wealthy, but never rich. 
The secret to accumulating wealth is accumulating stuff- stuff that grows in value – not luxury cars or designer clothes or even tattoos. My wife’s engagement ring has increased in value ten fold –

I have just read a guest post dated 7/25/2024 to Collabfund.com titled Fill The Bathtub by Ted Lamade the managing Director at the Carnegie Institution for Science. I recommend reading this thoughtful article about trust.
A link to the article is –
https://collabfund.com/blog/fill-the-bathtub/
I have been thinking a lot about why I read HumbleDollar most every day. I think the key for me is the trust I have that what is posted is the truth as experienced by the writers whether the source is the editor,