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Occupy 401(k) Plan

Occupy 401(k) Plan

The "occupy" crowd led a revolt against against Bank of America over a $5 debit card fee (I know, it wasn't just about the $5), and BofA changed their minds. Netflix lost about 1 million subscribers when they raised their prices by 60% on one of their programs. A few months later, their ...
The Parent Talk

The Parent Talk

Mom tells me that we had the "birds and bees" talk right after a tv special on teen pregnancy. I must have blocked it out. While I don't recall discussing the beginning of my life, that won’t stop me from having “the talk” about the end of hers.  I trust it will be difficult, but when I imagine
No kids, no pension, no social security, oh my!

No kids, no pension, no social security, oh my!

The advice I was giving to my 48-year-old client (let's call him Joe) about the dangers of having half of his total investment portfolio in one stock was starting to feel like nagging. Joe had every intention of selling once it reached his desired price point.  If he could get a big pop on this
The Charity Challenge (Part II)

The Charity Challenge (Part II)

My last post discussed charitable giving, and how to create a system for making the experience easier and more rewarding.  But how do we decide when our giving should be spontaneous (the "save our forests" volunteer at your front door), when it should be premeditated, and when to do ...
The Charity Challenge (Part I)

The Charity Challenge (Part I)

So there I was cruising the silent auction at the big gala to celebrate and raise money for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Finally, a piece of art that actually, pardon the cliche, talked to me. At last, I would have some cool art on the blank space in my new living room. As I continued playing a
When the wrong beneficiary benefits

When the wrong beneficiary benefits

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. - Don Marquis John and Mike (fake names to respect my friends' privacy) fell in love about 10 years ago and, to my eyes, were very much still in love when I helped them recently celebrate their 40th and 50th birthdays.  Mike was ...