Happy Tax Day! Now, Let’s Shred the Old Stuff
By Jon Aldrich Happy Tax Day! That dreaded day when all of us here in the United States need to make sure that we have settled up with Uncle Sam for the previous year’s tax bill. Maybe you were one of the roughly 72% of taxpayers that received a refund, if so, then this day…
Read MoreThe Curse of Single Use Plastic
By Jon Aldrich I am not a hard-core environmentalist by any means, but I love nature and the outdoors and I often dream about what it would be like to go back in time a couple thousand years to see how pristine things were before man left his mark and just view how unspoiled this…
Read MoreHere is Your New “Post Card” Size Tax Return
By Jon Aldrich So, how do you like the new “Post-Card” size tax return for 2018? Well, it is a little bit larger than a post card, it is still 8-1/2 x 11 inches, so it is a really big Post Card, but it is supposedly simper. Due to the new Tax Cuts and Jobs…
Read MoreWhat Do You Mean My Health Insurance Won’t Cover Me Outside the Country?
By Jon Aldrich Have you traveled outside of the U.S. without travel insurance which includes a provision for medical costs? If you have and did so without incident, congratulations, you rolled the dice and may have dodged a financial nightmare. I know I have traveled with my family out of the country several times over…
Read MoreEmergency Planning
Are you at least minimally prepared if a calamity strikes? By Jon Aldrich We plan and prepare for retirement, vacations, parties, sending kids to college and for dinner. But how many of us are prepared for a major disruptive event such as a natural disaster (flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, wildfire) or a man-made event such…
Read MoreHappy New Year 2019
(Good Riddance 2018) By Jon Aldrich Happy New Year 2019! Don’t let the door hit you in the behind 2018. Now I say that partially in jest, but also because 2018 seemed like a difficult year not only for me, but also for many of those that I know. I am also aware of many…
Read MoreLong December
By Jon Aldrich For investors this has sure been a long December. Thus, I couldn’t resist one of my favorite songs by the band, Counting Crows as the lead picture. As I write this, the S & P 500 is on track for its worst December since 1931 and is having another “off” day. You…
Read MoreWild World
by Jon Aldrich It was yet another wild week in the stock market. As Cat Stevens a.k.a. Yusuf Islam penned in his 1970 album “Tea for the Tillerman” it sure has been a Wild World in the stock market lately. On Tuesday the Dow dropped 799 points (Geez, couldn’t it have squeaked out another point to make…
Read MoreGobbled Up
By Jon Aldrich Just like the turkey at your Thanksgiving Dinner, any gains that the S & P 500 had for the year have been gobbled up by the ongoing market correction that has lingered throughout October and November. The volatility in the markets we have been expecting and are now experiencing after such a…
Read MoreWell, At Least October is Almost Over
By Jon Aldrich October can be a great month. Fall is in full swing, and the colors and smells of fall here in the Midwest make it a great time of year. It’s that time for the smell of burning leaves and cider donuts at the orchard. It’s the time for kids to jump in…
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