Thing One Medicare Open Enrollment Begins This Week. Are You Properly Covered? Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) begins October 15 and runs through December 7. During this period, Medicare beneficiaries can review their coverage and make changes for 2027, with those changes taking effect January 1. Even if you're satisfied with your current coverage, this is a good time to make sure you understand what you're paying for, what your insurance actually covers, and pe

Thing One Is AI Making Your Portfolio Less Diversified Than You Think? Artificial intelligence has been one of the biggest investment stories of the last few years. Companies tied to AI have produced enormous gains, and many of them are now among the largest companies in the S&P 500. That has been great for investors, but it also creates an interesting question: Are you as diversified as you think you are? Consider what the S&P 500 looks like today. As of the end of Augus

Thing One The Stock Market Is at a Record High. Does That Mean It’s Too Late to Invest? There is something psychologically difficult about buying something today that you could have bought for less six months ago. That is particularly true with stocks. When the stock market is falling, investors worry that it will keep falling. But when the market is rising and making new highs, many of those same investors become reluctant to invest because they think they have already m

Thing One If I Could Be Like Mike, Or Clyde, Or Warren In the lead-up to the 1992 NBA finals, a reporter who was looking for an angle for a story about the opposing superstars asked Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trailblazers what the difference was between him and Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. Drexler, who fancied himself a shooter, in addition to being a high-flying showman like Jordan, took the bait and said the difference between them was “the three ball”. Wit

Thing One The Most Valuable Thing You Can Put Into An Investment Is Time I came across an example recently that does a good job explaining compound growth. Imagine two people who both invest $3,000 a year and retire at age 70. The first starts at 22, invests $3,000 a year for 15 years, and then stops completely at 37. His total lifetime contribution: 15 years × $3,000 = $45,000. The second does nothing for those first 15 years. He starts at 37 and invests $3,000

Thing One The Social Security and Medicare Issue Most people are aware of the ticking time bombs that are the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. The former is projected to be insolvent by 2035 and the latter by 2036. We believe that all options for addressing the impending crises should be on the table, including means testing, which would essentially reduce benefits for well-off “older people”. With that in mind, we share what WSJ writer, Marc Siegel said on th

Thing One Some Financial Trivia That's Not So Trivial Did you know that 35% of prime working-age adults (those between age 30 and age 55) have zero retirement savings set aside and that among the 65% that have put something aside, the average net balance is $73,000 (the median balance is $35,000)? And how about life insurance needs? Did you know nearly half of the people with life insurance only have coverage amounts of $100,000 or less and that 1 in 3 parents/families

Thing One The Market Doesn't Send Invitations One of the strongest arguments for long-term investing isn't based on optimism. It's based on mathematics. Every year, countless investors convince themselves they can avoid the market's inevitable downturns by moving to cash and then jumping back in once conditions "feel safer." It sounds sensible. Why ride the declines if you can simply step aside and return when the storm has passed? The problem is that the market doesn't

Thing One Has Bundling Your Home and Auto Insurance Finally Run Its Course? For decades, insurance consumers have been told the same thing: bundle your home and auto policies and save money. The pitch is simple. Put both policies with the same company and receive a "multi-policy discount." The insurance company wins. The agent wins. And supposedly, you win too. But in today's insurance environment, consumers should be asking a different question: Am I actually saving mo

Thing One The Free Market Is Not Perfect But It’s The Best Answer The following is from an article in The Wall Street Journal written by Barton Swain. The text in quotations is from two professors, Benjamin and Jenna Storey, at Furman University: "...Many critiques of liberalism and modernity quickly become critiques of the free market. It’s a tempting solution because the market is something you can change or rearrange by force of law. The Storeys don’t take that view.