Barron's had very good, plain language explanation of the differences between regular Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. Not all questions were addressed but it's a worthwhile read. The very short version is Medicare Advantage plans are much cheaper with the tradeoff being you might have trouble getting the approval you need if something serious goes wrong with your health.
I will pound the same drum about lifting weights and cutting carbs. The number of benefits from and maladies staved off seems to be endless...endless. Follow @mangan150 on Twitter.
Another very good, plain language look at 0DTE options. If you're unfamiliar, 0DTE stands for zero days until expiration. These have become popular lately as a form of speculation, maybe replacing the meme stock mania. There are questions about whether they have become the tail that wags the dog although that seems unlikely. I think understanding what is going on here even if you have no plans to speculate in this market is productive.
Yahoo had a story about wealthy people having concerns about running out of money in retirement. Really, this applies to everyone. I'll say up front that a lot of commenters were critical that this was really just an add to hire an advisor and maybe it is.
The biggest takeaway I had was to try to not be overly reliant on just two income sources, Social Security and your portfolio. I realize that having an investment portfolio will be beyond many people but I would still try to add an income stream or two beyond the two big ones. This could include rental property, monetizing a hobby, consulting in your old profession, monetizing a volunteer endeavor and so on.
Over the years, we've made some fun of CalPERS for seeming to change their asset allocation strategy every couple of years such that they end up chasing heat, that is chasing the thing that worked last year. It turns out that the CIO role at CalPERS has turned into a Spinal Tap drummer situation, there's a new CIO every few months. Meb Faber has repeatedly offered to manage the fund for free using just a few ETFs.
The idea of simplicity seems to elude the CalPERS folks, it is beyond them some how. Managing money with a perpetual time horizon is not the same as managing for a 40 year retirement but clearly changing target allocations and CIOs all the time indicates somethin' ain't right.
I've written all sorts of posts about why I don't think a one or two fund portfolio is optimal even if that is probably valid. People make their portfolios very complicated sometimes, unnecessarily so. Managing your money can be as simple as two or three buckets. A few thousand in an emergency fund, some number of months of expected expenses in cash to avoid sequence of return risk and an investment portfolio you think of as being relatively simple.
I've come to have a much different opinion of Deion Sanders in the last few days. It started with this article from The Athletic. Apparently, he was a great teammate. There were plenty of anecdotes from teammates but the manner in which he spoke up for strike busting, journeyman pitcher Rick Reed was impressive. He said that no one in the clubhouse knew what Reed might have been going through (neither did Deion) and Reed did have some serious life stuff going on with family and the money he'd get was desperately needed.
He of course had a hall of fame NFL player and gained notoriety as a 2 sport player with a stint in the MLB. Recently he did a great job as the coach at FCS level Jackson State and this year is coaching Colorado. The Buffaloes were 1-11 last year. He came in, controversially cleaned house and the team is 3-0 out of the starting blocks.
He's had a persona of being loud and flashy but apparently it was just that, a persona. Some things from Saturday which included beating rival Colorado State. He was on college game day on ESPN and during his segment Duane The Rock Johnson made an appearance. I saw it after the fact but Sanders appeared to be genuinely excited to see Johnson. The Rock is a bigger figure, culturally and Sanders was thrilled. There was the one play during the game where a receiver dropped the ball in a key situation. Sanders did not yell or appear to even be upset, it looked a real heart to heart where Sanders did some actual coaching. The team came from behind to win which is never easy. The 98 yard drive in regulation to send it to overtime was so well coached that they didn't even need all their times out. They were clearly prepared for that moment and they executed. Coaching. In the post game interview with Quint Kessenich, Sanders was asked what he learned and he said patience which I though was a helluva an answer.
He's a different person than the high stepping guy running back punts and interceptions and he's a different guy from the loud analyst on the NFL Network. I don't know how good Colorado really is but I'll be rooting for them unless they play San Diego State or Boston College.
It is important to have the ability to change your mind about people and opinions you have.
The information, analysis and opinions expressed herein reflect our judgment and opinions as of the date of writing and are subject to change at any time without notice. They are not intended to constitute legal, tax, securities or investment advice or a recommended course of action in any given situation.
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