And here’s a few more of my favorites. Links followed by excerpts. Enjoy!
As a kid, I used to tease my dad on road trips for tuning in to the classic rock station. It just seemed so stereotypically old-man-ish.
Yet as I approach my 40th birthday, and the inevitable midlife crisis that comes with it, I found myself dusting off my old Metallica And Justice for All CD for the first time in nearly 20 years – and testing the limits of my car stereo.
Hey, it could be worse. At least I didn’t blow my retirement savings on a Ferrari or run away with the secretary.
While I reminisced about my youth, our editorial director, David Dittman, mentioned that he and Metallica frontman James Hetfield both graduated from Brea-Olinda High School in the Los Angeles suburbs.
It seems that, as a young man, Mr. Hetfield already had his life mapped out. In the school’s 1981 yearbook, he listed his future plans as “Play music, get rich.”
Learning From the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived
Ted Williams was arguably the best hitter in the history of baseball.
The Boston Red Sox leftfielder finished his 19-year professional career with a lifetime batting average of .344 and an on-base percentage of an incredible .482, and this despite taking time off in the prime of his career to fight in World War II and the Korean War.
He also won the Triple Crown, meaning he led the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in… and he did it twice.
To put that in perspective, there’s only been 16 Triple Crown winners in the history of baseball, and two of those belong to Williams. And to cap it off, Williams was also the last Major League Baseball player to bat .400 in a season.
It’s safe to say that Ted Williams knew a thing or two about hitting a baseball.
Interestingly, we can apply a lot of his same insights to investing.
A Look Inside My Retirement Portfolio
I pay my bills by telling other people what to do with their money. But I’m often asked: What do I do with my own money?
Well, that’s a very legitimate question, and I’m happy to share.
Before I get into it, I have to throw out a few common-sense caveats. Remember, I’m 39, have two young boys in the house that can clean out a pantry faster than a swarm of locusts, and a stay-at-home wife. I’m also in the prime of my career and trying to stash as much cash away as possible for retirement.
You might be in a very different stage of life or have a very different situation. What makes sense for me might be absurd for you.
So with that said, let’s get into it.
Deflation: There’s an App for That
Once in a while I see a financial news headline so obviously ridiculous, I feel I should look at the writer with pity in my eyes and pat them on the head, the way you might comfort a child that just dropped his ice cream cone on the floor.
“Inflation is Right Around the Corner, Yellen Insists.”
Of course it is…
In defense of the columnist who wrote the story, these weren’t necessarily his views. He was simply relaying the Fed Chair’s comments from Wednesday.
My real pity is reserved for Ms. Yellen herself. If she actually believes that inflation is on the horizon, she’s clearly not very good at her job. She might even be delusional.