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I read Newsday and some other newspapers on my phone every day.  It’s a Long Island, NY paper if you’re not familiar.  Yesterday I opened the app to the headline page.  One of them  said “Tree cutter dies after fall”.  It’s not the kind of story I will usually open or read but for some reason I did.  I glanced at the story an

Once a month I play poker with some friends.  One of the things a poker player always looks for is a “Tell” in the other players.  A Tell if you don’t know is a change in behavior by another player that gives clues in their assessment of their own cards.  If I have a good idea of the strength of your hand I can bet accordingly and hopefully improve my odds and r

When you create a trust, selection of the Trustee should be as important as the language contained in the trust.  While some Founders select corporate Trustees, especially with large complex trusts, most select a family member.  Selecting the wrong person can create chaos at best and harm the beneficiary’s interests at worst.  There are three attributes you should be seekin

The estimated value of tonight’s Powerball Lottery currently stands at $1.5 Billion if the winner takes a 20 year payout.  A lump sum would generate an estimated $930 Million.  That exceeds the cost of buying every single ticket.

It’s traditional to give gifts in this holiday season.  Uncle Sam however just took a few away.

An elderly relative of mine died recently.  Her death certificate says she died from complications of an existing chronic health problem.  However, I would argue that the real cause of death was entering into a late in life 2^nd marriage.   Let me explain…

Yesterday the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) experienced a technical "glitch", and all trading was halted for a few hours.  Yet to the average investor, this was a non-event.  Had this happened a decade or more ago, this would have been a major disruption, as it would have brought a large part of the US financial system to a complete stop.  But in the last dec

Last week, the Department of Justice opened an investigation of the airline industry to determine if the major carriers are colluding to keep fares high.  I have no idea if they have colluded, but one thing is for sure, there is far less competition due to decades of carrier mergers.  These mergers were sold to the public as ways to cut costs and deliver better service.  Does any

Conventional wisdom says that it’s best to wait until retirement to convert a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, which allows money to grow tax free.  The theory is based on the belief that most people will have lower incomes and be in lower (certainly not higher) tax brackets.  And that much is usually true.