Posts by Barry Spencer

Consumerism Drives Our Economy Dine. Shop. Travel. Spend. This is what drives our economy and increases the value of equity holdings (to over-simplify things a bit). It is also what has been missing for the last year. What happens when it returns? Americans did the smart thing of saving the money they had, and the…

This Is What People Want to Know When it comes to retirement, people want to know the answer. They want to know, “Am I okay?” This is true for most, whether they have $500,000, $1,000,000, $5,000,000 or more. The financial industry tends to answer the question with an investment return and withdraw percentage. But this…

The Trap is the Prioritization of YOU Have you been to a gathering where there is that one person who walks around acting like the smartest person in the room? Maybe for a while it’s kind of interesting, listening to the person pontificate about what they know, and if you listen long enough to their…

Because What Gets Your Attention… MSNBC, CNBC, Fox Business, CNN and all the others are in the same business. You are led to believe they are in the information business, but they are NOT. They are not running content over the airwaves to inform, in order to help you make wise and confident decisions. Nope!…

Taking a Breather Is a Natural Part of Life I’ve been a tennis enthusiast over the years, which means I’ve played some from time to time. Yet, I’ve been fascinated to watch the best in the world compete. In reading about tennis strategy, I’ve noticed that the time spent between points is not wasted at…

Where Do You Go for Insights? At the start of my Monday morning workout, I flipped on one of the financial news channels. A wealth manager was a special guest of the program, who, in 60 seconds, gave his predictions about the economy, stock market, interest rates, bond returns, and taxes. In the next 60…

What Is to Come… The talking heads in the media like to appear so smart. They talk so confidently about what is going to happen in the market and economy. But “they” do NOT know what is to come! They even interview guest with degrees, credentials, and titles that are supposed to give you confidence…

Being Prepared Is Important Are you prepared? When our kids were babies, my wife always left the house prepared. In fact, I often wondered how she seems to be ready for any situation. Whether it was a runny nose or something more serious, she was always prepared. Are you prepared? Many looking toward retirement, and…

Your Biggest Expense in Retirement It’s most likely not what you think. It’s not your mortgage. It’s not travel. It’s not gifts to family or charity. Your biggest expense in retirement is far more sneaky. Did you know that the top ten percent of income earners pay nearly 70% of the federal income taxes in…

What Happens Next If you are watching the market news… beware. The media headlines are written to grip your attention but not inform sound decision making. What it ultimately does is create unnecessary anxiety and stress. This leads to poor health, low energy, and mental fatigue. The investment industry would lead you to believe that…