Correction? It May Happen Soon

Today's decline in the stock market may be the beginning of the long awaited correction.  Maybe and maybe not.   However, it's best to be prepared if a correction should happen.   

I can't control the market or the economy.   I can control the actions I take to be prepared.  Simply, here's what I'm going to do:

• I will continue to hodl the equities, bonds and mutual funds that I currently own.  No need to sell at a discount.
• Continue taking monthly distributions of investment earnings (dividends, interest, rental) and combine with Social Security payments and determine what percentage of fixed expenses are covered in a downturn..
• Use money market funds, if needed, to weather an extended (say 1 year) downturn.  Expect to cover any shortfall caused by the decline.
• I won't be buying the dip, except if GOOGL drops to around $285.   I will wait until a 10% before adding an S&P 500 ETF or mutual fund, more municipal bond funds.   I plan to wait until the 20 year treasury exceeds a 6% yield before adding more.

Earlier I posted about what I would tell my younger self or do for my kids:

Stock Market Warning Articles. What to Do?

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday  for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock investment, investment, nor retirement income advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

HIghly Viewed Posts in August 2026

Here are the most viewed posts in August 2026 from My Wealth Builder:

Historical

These the three posts from the archives that received the most number of views in August 2026.

Financial Lessons from my Parents' Generation Re-Learned

Not Buying Things I Don't Need

Achieving Financial Freedom - I've Retired In My Forties

Current

These are the recent posts from August 2026 that received the three highest number of views:

Oh No, I Felt Brilliant This Week

Stock Market Warning Articles. What to Do?

Using AI to Cure Cancer

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as other readers have.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday  for a new segment.

This is not financial, parenting, retirement nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Some Mindset Hacks

Here are some mindset tips that I have read/seen/heard and like. The first one I've read recently.  The other three I have known for a while and try to follow as best I can.

• Love the life you have, not the one you want. 
  
  
• IMHO, I think this describes me.  For example, I drive a 2003 base (manual stick shift) 4.6 liter V-8 F-150.   I love the truck and have no interest in replacing it.  We've lived in the same house since 2003 and are happy.  No jealousy issue with houses of people that are wealthier than us, although we are doing some renovations.
  
  
• Don't be afraid to ask for something. If one doesn't ask, the answer is already a "no."
  
  
• For large purchases, I always check if there are discounts associated with timing or payment options.  This worked for our latest furniture purchase, where a holiday sale was ending soon and a discount given for paying by check instead of credit card.  For purchases at craft fairs or farmer's markets, I ask if there discounts for paying cash.   Sometmes yes and sometimes no.
  
  
• Control what one can control.   Don't worry about what one can't control.
  
  
• I don't worry about the economy and interest rate changes. Worrying about these factors is a waste, it is what it is.  There is nothing I can do.  Instead, I think about factors I can control.  What I do control is choosing strategies that minimize or benefit from interest rate changes.

• There are spectators and there are participators.  Be a participator.
  
  
• Spectators regularly offer personal opinions about what others (government, athletes, businesses) should do.  Spectators always know better.  Participators get involved, do the work and help deliver outcomes. 

Of course, YMMV.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor mindset advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Traffic and Drivers are Worse than Pre-Covid

Maybe it's my imagination, bad calibration, or alternate reality that I feel:

• Traffic is noticeably worse (crowded, backed up, or slow on highways) than before COVID.
• The percentage of poor and bad drivers is higher than before COVID.

Worse Traffic

Traffic used to be bad from during rush hours (7:30 AM to  9 AM and 4 PM to 5:30 PM) as one would expect due to work.  During COVID lockdowns, traffic was free flowing all day long.  When people returned to office, traffic was noticeably higher, but not like pre COVID times.

Nowadays, rush hour traffic has expanded to 7 AM to 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM to 6 PM.   In addition, traffic is now congested even from 10 AM to 2 PM, but not as much as during rush hour.   

What happened to make it worse?  I though more people are WFH now?

Worse Drivers

Recently, I've seen much worse driving than before.  Speeding, cutting drivers off, almost accidents and actual accidents, despite more advanced safety warning features on new cars.  This is an observation on my part and no idea of the cause.

My initial reaction is I need to be more vigilant and careful driving that before and that I have ever been.   My secondary reaction is that more tickets should be given out for drivers speeding or cutting off drivers.  My third reaction is to drive more back roads to avoid the inevitable rage drivers on highways.  My final reaction is to give myself 50% more time than needed and to stay calm during trips.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor driving advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Stock Market - Too Good to Be True?

"If it's too good to be true, it probably is." ~ old adage

The stock market is at all time highs despite:

• War with Iran since February 2026.
• Increasing Inflation
• Higher oil and gasoline prices
• Higher food prices
• Second highest Shiller PE ratio, with the dot.com era being the highest
• $40 trillion U.S. debt
• High company layoffs due to AI

Add to that my apparent brilliance:

• My buy the dip SAAS software stocks are up 20% on average since February 2, 2026, with the biggest gaining up to 145%.
• My tax loss harvesting strategy of buying first and selling later has worked to my financial advantage almost every time.
• Recently, all my accounts have achieved all time highs and continuing to rise.

Since the market has been known to be irrational for long periods before, I'm hodling most of my equities, especially those in a taxable account.  However, I am taking the opportunity to scale out of some of my riskier (IMHO) buy the dip stocks, in the interest  of  working towards my goal of simplifying our investments.  

Note:  Specifically, I sold our CRM holding in the tax advantage accounts since it popped 26% on Thursday, August 27, 2026 on good earnings and a partnership with Anthropic.   Even though CRM was up another 3% yesterday, I don't regret the sale.  It's one less stock I need to follow, which is working towards my simplification goal.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investing, nor stock investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Municipal Bond Funds - Managing Interest Rate Increases

In the past, I have avoided bond funds since the principal will fall when interest rate increases happen. With an individual bond, the principal can be recovered if I don't sell and hold until maturity.  This is not the case with a bond mutual fund, which is continuous and never completely matures. Thus, I will take a loss on principal invested if I sell while interest rates are higher than when I made the original investment

However, since my strategy is now creating a retirement paycheck instead delivering growth in principal, I discovered at tax benefit hack from a municipal bond fund principal declining due to interest rates rising.

Disclaimer:  I haven't had this idea financially analyzed by an "expert."  This is based on my own experience and evaluation.  I have only had experience over the past year, which has not experienced a significant decline for a long period.

Here's the how I evaluated:

1. Judge the result mainly based on income generated for a consistent "retirement paycheck" and not on growth or decrease of principal.  I assume that the income remains constant when interest rates rise, due to reinvestment.  I assume that income declines when interest rates fall due to reinvestment
2. I assume that the bond principal falls when interest rates rise and the principal rises with interest rates fall.

Here's the process for when interest rates are rising:

1. Do tax loss harvesting of the position.  Avoid a wash sale by ensuring 30 days between the sale and purchase of the same security.  While most people sell first and buy back later, I chose to buy first and sell later.  This is worked well since most times, my purchase was near a short term bottom.
2. Maintain the same amount of shares in the positions.  This ensures that the interest payment per month continues to be about the same, which is important for my retirement paycheck strategy.
3. Use the loss on the municipal bond fund to offset realized gains in other positions, or take up the a $3000 capital loss deduction against other income.

In the 12 months I've been doing this, I reduced my capital gains income by 64% in 2025, resulting in significant tax savings, while still received the same amount of total interest and dividend income . I expect to take a $3000 capital loss in 2026 that will reduce my taxable income by that amount.

What about the principal value falling?  Does that concern me?  Not yet, since I expect to get about the same amount of "retirement paycheck" each month.   An analogy would be the value of my home.  I don't worry about the estimated value of the house going down (or up) due to price volatility, as long as I am living in the home.

Will it  concern me in the future?   Only if there is a significant collapse of the U.S. economy.  However, for typical recessions and bear markets, probably not.  We shall see when one occurs.

Of course, YMMV.

Note: The effect and strategy for interest rates falling is not discussed in the post, but will reviewed in a future post.

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday  for a new segment.

This is not financial, investment, retirement nor tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Circle of Neighborhood Life

When we moved into our neighborhood 23 years ago, we were childless and expecting to adopt.   After we adopted, our daughter couldn't wait to ride the school bus.  When she started kindergarten, she was one of two children at our bus stop across the street. Over time that grew to 4-5 kids. 

 

Then the houses started turning over as more original and 2nd homeowners sold when they became empty nesters.  Over time the number of kids grew.   Then came are son, who was 8 years younger. He started kindergarten when our daughter started high school.  Since K-4, 5-8 and 9-12 ride different busses, my son was with a new and expanding group, around 8-10 kids .

Since my kids are older, I've lost track of the K-4 bus riders.  Occasionally, I see the group if I leave early for an appointment or to play golf.  It appears smaller than when I went out with my son, and it is a different group of parents.

While I don't expect number of kids to drop as low as 2 when my daughter started kindergarten, I do think we are now in the ebb cycle for our neighborhood, as many kids are in middle school from existing residents new families moving in.    K-4 seem lighter now, but shortly that will increase since I see numerous strollers during neighborhood walks.

We're staying in place at least until our son graduates from high school.   We will probably extend or residency until he graduates from college.  That's as far as we've thought out, for now.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial, home buying, nor parenting advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

One Path to Big Stock Gains

This is based on my observation and experience.  Definitely, not financial advice.

• Foresight 😎
  
  Working for the company that awards stock to employees that allows one to easily:
  1) Have a concentrated portfolio
  2) Hodl Through Volatility
  3) Own a life changing amount.
  
  
• Conviction 😊
  
  Believing in the company enough to remain for a couple decades or more.  Time owning the stock can be better than timing the stock. 
  
  
• Luck 🍀
  
  Company success translates into significant growth in stock valuation.  Some take off like rockets.  Rockets are the ones that deliver, but rockets are never obvious at the beginning.
  
  Wall Street's latest blockbuster stock split has arrived -- and this industry titan has rallied 337,000% over the last 32 years
  
  However, there are many other blockbusters such as AAPL, GOOGL, AMZN.  Then again, many companies do not take off  or some go broke (eg. Enron), which I am more likely to choose. 😞

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, employment, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

What to Expect in the Second Half of 2026

"It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future." ~ Yogi Berra

Weather forecasters and stock market pundits get paid whether they are right or wrong.  LOL.   Here's a rare, if not the only,  positive 2026 forecast for the stock market based on historical returns.

The S&P 500 returned 10% in the first half of 2026. Here's what history says happens in the second half.

 The table below shows results since 1991:

Year	1st half return	2nd half return	Full-year return
1991	+12.4%	+12.4%	+26.3%
1995	+18.6%	+13.1%	+34.1%
1997	+19.5%	+9.6%	+31%
1998	+16.8%	+8.4%	+26.7%
1999	+11.7%	+7%	+19.5%
2003	+10.8%	+14.1%	+26.4%
2013	+12.6%	+15.1%	+29.6%
2019	+17.3%	+9.8%	+28.9%
2021	+14.4%	+10.9%	+26.9%
2023	+15.9%	+7.2%	+24.2%
2024	+14.5%	+7.7%	+23.3%
2026	+10.2%	?	?

Source data: Yahoo Finance.

If history rhymes, 2026 will be another positive and banner return year.  

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial. stock market, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Retirement Projects Around the House

Maintenance, repairs and renovations has evolved to a full time job, especially as the house gets and the longer one lives in it.  

When we moved in 23 years ago, we were mostly comfortable with the house as is.  We immediately hired a professional and  converted all the carpeting on the 1st and 2nd floors to hardwood.  

At first, the maintenance work was relatively straight forward and part time.   Mowing the lawn, which we paid to have done once a week.   Raking the leaves in the fall, which occurred over several weeks for a few hours a week. Seeding and fertilizing the lawn for winter

 

Over the next few years, we made cosmetic changes, such as interior painting and changing window treatments.  We also made some structure upgrades, such as replacing the roof, putting new furnace and a/c and painting/repairing the exterior.  

 After COVID, we upgraded appliances in the kitchen and did a small remodel, but didn't change cabinets.  Also, we refinished our hardwood on the first floor.

Our latest project involves remodeling our bathrooms. Our house was built in 1988.  Th upstairs and basement bathrooms have 4X4 white tile on the floor and in the bathtub.   The mirrors are 4X8 across the whole vanity.  We're thinking of modernizing the tile, mirrors and vanities, in addition to replacing the tub, toilet and sinks.

Finally, we are doing landscaping project, which involves new plantings, removing dying trees, and creating more privacy.  We are also doing some stonescape work with large marble tile.

For some projects such a remodels, we hire professional. For some such as landscape planting, deck , concrete sidewalk, patio and driveway maintenance, we are doing ourselves as a start..

Here are some of the maintenance projects we are regularly doing:

• #1 Fixing items when the "break" or stop working.   Recent examples include: pot filler leaking, washing machine leaking, bathtub rusting, freezer not cooling enough, bike tuneups, dishwasher not cleaning, drain clogged, dripping faucets, HVAC inspection, exterior and interior, light bulb replacement, and miscellaneous stuff.  
• Regular lawn maintenance, which includes seeding, weed control and raking leaves.  We do pay to have our half acre lot mowed weekly.
• Tree maintenance annually.   Trimming reachable dead branches.   Have higher branches done by professional.   Fertilization if needed.
• Regular car maintenance.  Oil changes, tire rotations, repairs as needed.  I do minor repair such as replacing bulbs, changing cabin and engine air filters.
• Annual fall cleanup, especially leaf raking, leaf composting, gutter cleaning.
• Routine painting touch up.
• Annual wood deck power washing, staining and sealing.

Sheesh, I often wonder how I had time to work?

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday  for a new segment.

This is not financial, retirement nor maintenance advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Using AI to Cure Cancer

In conversations with my roommates from college, I've wondered why AI isn't being used to solve big health problems like curing cancer.

In case you missed last week's big news, AI was used to "cure" cancer:

Moderna stock surges as melanoma vaccine trial shows "landmark moment"

Moderna’s Cancer Breakthrough Just Made Tempus AI’s $1.5 Billion Bet Look Brilliant

Terrific news, IMHO. Bravo for AI offering innovation that helps people without taking away from people.

A new skin cancer vaccine looks promising. A doctor who helped test it answers 5 key questions.

Disclosure: I was not compensated by any of the mentioned companies for this post.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, health nor AI advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

AOC Calling the Kettle Black

This article recently came across on my feed:

AOC Rips Into Elon Musk: 'He Is Not A Scientist, He Is Not An Engineer. He Is A Billionaire Con Man With A Lot Of Money'

AOC calling Muskman a Con Man is pure irony.  I'm no fan of Muskman.  IMHO, he is a very big government parasite, getting rich from selling carbon credits subsidized by the government.  However, he has delivered innovations, even though it's only on about 10% of his promises:  100% electric cars, reusable rockets for both people and satellites are among them..

On the other hand, AOC, who was elected to Congress in 2018, has been a master of "performance politics," which is the epitome of conning, meaning AOC has primarily been a prominent ideological voice rather than a lead author of standalone laws.  Here's what I mainly remember about AOC in Congress:

• Played "Among Us" regularly on her phone.
• Mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on X by writing: “This is like applauding a grown man for being able to wipe their behind. Not exactly a vote of confidence.”  LOL, she's right.
• Mocked President Trump on X about comparing college transcripts, "Let's make a deal, Mr. President: You release your college transcript, I'll release mine, and we'll see who was the better student. Loser has to fund the Post Office."  Maybe we should see the college transcript of all members of Congress.
• She had a great performance when interviewed on NPR; her speaking style appeals to many listeners and voters.

Recently, the following popped up on my feed about AOCs financial (or lack of ) acumen.  Surprised me that despite a $174,000 annual salary since 2019 she has not paid off her remaining student loan of $19000 which still remains at the same amount in 2026..  Huh?  I guess she was waiting for forgiveness.

Deadbeat AOC’s student-loan mooching should be a red flag to her 2028 supporters

AOC just revealed her net worth is less than $100,000, here’s how much Fidelity says she should have saved for retirement before she turns 40

Billionaires exist due to tax benefits Congress created.  Student loans are a problem due to laws Congress created. AOC could write laws to correct the problems that she identifies.  That's the job of a person elected to Congress.   But no, AOC is a poor con woman, with not much money, who continues with performance politics, instead of lead authoring and getting laws passed, to keep getting elected.   

Spoiler alert:  I won't be voting for AOC nor Muskman if either runs for President.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, political nor policy advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Oh No, I Felt Brilliant This Week

Through Thursday this week, 90% of my buy the dip stocks went up, and sometimes by a lot.   Many of my long term "loser" stocks in a separate account also went up this week, with a few becoming profitable, which I quickly sold for small profit.

This week was exciting, enjoyable and very low anxiety.   However, although I felt brilliant, I know the results were too good to be true.  It really is just a great, outstanding, maybe even once in a lifetime bull market.  It works until it doesn't, which is why I'm sticking to my plan, and avoiding being greedy.

Here's the plan I'm continuing:

• Build and maintain a "retirement paycheck" through dividends from stocks and interest from fixed income.
• Simplify stock holdings by reducing individual stock holding and increasing broad market fund holdings.  Sell some positions for tax loss harvesting.
• Continue to hodl "buy the dip" SAAS stock with a target until midterms.   
• Stop buying stocks during a market dip.
• Scale into high interest rate treasuries on bond mutual funds since interest rates may go up.

Most of all avoid being greedy when selling stocks.  I kept this in mind as I reduced our stock holdings; I did not try to extract the last cent from selling. Sell, simply and feel good is my new mantra when simplifying.

Edit:  My positions held up until Friday's close. Woohoo!

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock investment, stock selling nor fixed income advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Stock Market Warning Articles. What to Do?

Pundits are highlighting the Schiller P/E as an indicator of a near term market top followed by a bear market.  This article from Yahoo Finance shows the Schiller P/E at the second highest level with the 2000 dot-com crash being the highest.

This stock market indicator just flashed a warning not seen since the dot-com bubble

The Motley Fool warns that margin debt is also indicating a possible top followed by a bear market based on recent history.

The Stock Market Is Doing Something Observed Only 4 Times Since 1997 -- and the Previous 3 Instances Ended in Disaster for Wall Street | The Motley Fool

Here's a new one that I just learned about: increasing corporate bankruptcies and private credit yield spreads.

An economist who studies financial crises says the US is on the brink of recession. These are the 2 warning signs.

I admit, when I was younger, I used to worry a lot about another 1929 crash occurring.   As a result, I often sold my winners for a small profit, especially since individual stocks would have high volatility in a crash, sometimes with the result of never recovering.  As a result, my returns are much less than the the total market returns.

What is an investor to do?

In hindsight, here's what I would do:

• In my 20-30s, I would put at least $159 per month into a broad market, low fee mutual fund (around 0.1% or less fees).   I would do an S&P 500 mutual fund.   I would just hold until my 60s, before withdrawing or selling any funds at which point the account would be about $1 million.  In the long term, the overall stock market always goes up.
• When bonds or CDs are 5% yields or higher,  I would start buying longer term, say 5-20 years and hold.   If in a taxable account, I would withdraw the interest earned and spend, since I am already paying income tax on the interest.  If in a tax advantaged account, I would leave and use to invest in a broad market mutual fund.
• I would save 6 months to 3 years of cash and keep it in a money market fund.
• In my 40s-50s, I would start increasing funds put in fixed income.   I would still not sell any of the equity mutual fund investments.
• Retired and/or in my 60s-70s, I would start scaling out of some of individual stocks and/or market mutual fund while going up or very high.  Transfer to money market or short term fixed income.
  

I think there is a future opportunity to find a sweet spot for percentages to have, sell or transfer at different times.  But that is for another future TBD post.

Of course, YMMV.

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation from Yahoo Finance nor The Motley Fool for this post.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock investment nor investment timing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Municipal Bond Funds Become Higher Risk

Since buying into muni ETFs (in late 2025) and muni mutual funds (early to mid 2026), they have been relatively stable despite all the volatility this in 2026.  This gave me confidence that this was a good investment option for my retirement paycheck strategy, even though the strategy targeted for consistent payments and not consistent principal.   However, this strategy still needs to experience a market downturn prove its value.

In recent back testing, I discovered that while the principal was relatively constant in the 2008 downturn, the principal fell significantly in the 2022 bear market.   Why the difference?  My conclusion is interest rates decreased in the 2008 recession, while interest rates and inflation increased in the 2002 bear market.

Bond prices go in the opposite direction of interest rates and hence the difference between the two years.

At this point, it appears interest rates are more likely to go higher than lower, resulting in more downward pressure and volatility on bond and bond fund prices.  If this happens, this will be a real time test of the retirement paycheck strategy, which tries to maintain consistent payments even if the principal declines.

At the same time, I can put more money into bonds and bond funds with higher interest rates.  However, I will be scaling in for the possibility the interest rates will increase over a year or more.

For more on  The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investment, nor bond advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Expecting Higher Long Term Interest Rates

Recently, I was thinking that buying 20 year treasuries yielding 5% was a good option to lock in a good interest rate.  After TLT, the 20+ year treasury ETF, was at it's all time low.    However, TLT was initiated in 2002.   I decided to look back further on 20 year and the interest rate hit 15.8% in 1981. Yikes, maybe 5% is that great of an option based on long term data.

Source:  https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DGS20#

With the uncertainty of oil prices and inflation, which both have a high probability of going higher, I stopped buying 20 year treasuries and TLT for now.  For now, I will own short term money market funds to earn interest.

Will interest rates go higher?   We shall see.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investment, bond, nor interest rate advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Temporary Repair to Rusted Bathtub Leak

Periodically, we've had a leak from our second floor bathtub.  Typically, the leak shows up as a stain on our dining room ceiling.  Typically, I make some measurements which show it's likely coming from around the bathtub drain, overflow and faucet.  

In the past, I have re-caulked the bathtub wall tile interface that that seemed to work for a while.   When that stopped working,  I put a silicon funnel/spout on the overflow, since I thought the seal was leaking.  I also put a silicone funnel/spout on our master bath jacuzzi.   Both of these overflow solutions worked and solved the leaking tubs.

This recent leak, did not seem to be associated with caulking, since I just re-caulked to get rid of mold.   I checked the over flow drain and the seal was fine.   Finally, I checked the rusted area by the drain. I put a small amount of water in the area and it "disappeared" without going down the drain.  For reference, I had been painting the rusted area with acrylic refrigerator paint to improve the cosmetics.

I decided to buy an epoxy repair kit.  As I poked at the rusted area, chunks came and revealed a small how about 1/4" round.  I then used a drill to wire brush the area, which made the hole bigger and revealed another gap.

Rust around drain with touch up refrigerator paint removed:

I tried the white epoxy that I bought, but it was not viscous enough to effectively fill the hole.  I then used some gray JB Weld, which is slightly more viscous to fill the hole with 3-4 layers.   Then I covered the area with the white epoxy

Taped off to apply JB Weld and white epoxy:

Repaired:  Using JB Weld and white epoxy

While the repair is noticeable and not blended in, it is sufficient structurally to allow showering, and maybe even a bath.  However, the rust will continue and therefore, the bathtub will need replacing.  We're choosing to do it earlier, before another leak occurs.   In addition, we may choose to do a full bathroom remodel since replacing a bathtub requires replumbing, and retiling the walls.

Disclosure:  I was not compensated by JB Weld for this post.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every  Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, repair, or do-it-yourself advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

I Don't Use Margin for Stock Investments

I never use margin, which is borrowing money to invest for stocks. 

While using margin can turbo charge or amplify gains, it can also quickly eliminate equity if the stock drops, resulting in a margin call which is a request for more funds to meet maintenance requirements or 100% liquidation of the stock or other position.  That is just too much stress and anxiety for me.   A stock falling 20% is enough anxiety for me; I don't need the additional stress of being required to deposit more funds or get liquidated.

I guess I'm never going to  make billions, like Leopold Ashenbrenner.  Then again, I won't get margin called and lose billions either, like what happened in July 2026.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock investment, nor margin use advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Memory Stocks are Back - For Now

Despite the roller coaster volatility in memory stocks, I've been hodling.  Last week, the memory stocks roared back, not yet to all time highs, but within 10-15%.   That's good enough for me since they both dipped about 40% from the ATH.  My gains are about 25% since May 11, 2026.

My plans are to hodl until at least 100% gains, and then start scaling out.  The plan may change if the gains my never get that high, which is a possiblity..   

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock investment, nor stock selling advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Selling a Stock is a Difficult Decision for Me

I don't have a good methodology for deciding when to sell a stock. I usually base the decision on vibes or locking in a certain percentage of gains.  Unfortunately, this approach sometimes causes me to miss out on big gains as described in Panic Selling Winners Reduced My Investment Returns.  I tend to sell my winners, for small gains, especially after they have dipped significantly.

My spouse tends to ignore the volatility and just hodl.  As a result, she has up to 1800% gains on GOOGL which she has held since 2013.    On the other hand, I probably sold at 20 to 30% gains and never bought back in.  The difference is she held through all the dips instead of panicking and selling later.

That's what is difficult for me, holding after a big dip.  I have had some stocks go up 500-1000% which then go down  50% or more and never rise again.  Psychologically, I am afraid that will happen with any stock that rises and then dips.  So I settle for locking in profits at much lower gains.

I've only kept one profitable stock long term, stock from the company I worked for and retired from.  That stock is in my profit sharing retirement account, which was contributed 100% by the company.   I've held it partly because of NUA tax benefits, partly because of inertia of transferring the shares, and partly because it is a good company.  The shares are up 2700%.   Woohoo.

If only I was able to do that reproduce by not selling and hodling stocks like AAPL, GOOGL and AMZN.  Ah, hindsight is 20/20.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every  Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock selling, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Making Bank on Buy the Dip Stocks - For Now

I bought the dip on SAAS software stocks in early February 2026.  They dipped further before rebounding overall for gains in March.  Then they dipped again in April 2026 and then rebounded again in May 2026.  The big swoon happened in June with most buy the dip stocks going underwater as much as 50% and flattening in early July.   Then another big rebound in late July and early August gave me the highest overall gains to date, despite a few stocks still being underwater.  

It's been quite a roller coaster ride.  The biggest gainer is TEAM, up about 75%, followed by MSFT, up about 25%, both of which were my largest share purchases.  Two fallen stocks are down about 5% and 18%.   In total, I'm up about 14%.  Not bad for a little over 7 months.

Data as of the close on August 12, 2026.

While I'm enjoying the gains, I have quit buying dips.   I continue to hodl to September,  just before midterms.

Of course, it works until it doesn't.

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock investment, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Becoming Addicted to Free and Fast Delivery

Many years ago, delivery came at a price that driving to pick up, for me, was more economical.  Even when delivery prices were lowered, I chose to pick up.   Occasionally, I would exceed the minimum for free delivery, which I would take.

Then came Amazon Prime, which offered free delivery for a membership fee.  At first, we did not become a Prime member.  Then our purchases began increasing, making a Prime membership worth it.   The local big box stores started offering free shipping when above a minimum threshold.   Sometimes, there are promotions for completely free shipping or members of the rewards program.

Nowadays, I often don't go the store anymore.  I research on the internet, place my order, and get it delivered in 1-2 days.  Sometimes, there is even free same day delivery.

I don't know if it's because I'm older; I don't like searching in the store; or I don't like the time it takes to drive to the store.  Whatever the reason, I'm using the internet more to buy items and get it delivered.

However, I still don't and I don't plan to order online and get delivery of groceries.  I still prefer to shop and pick out my items for purchase, especially the fresh produce, at least for now.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Starting to Sell Short Dated Covered Calls

Last week, I started to sell short dated  (1 month expiration or less) way out of the money (OTM) covered calls on some of my stock positions in my Roth account.   

Here's my rationale:

• First, I willing to sell at the strike price if it hits.  For example, I sold the 30 strike price with 2 weeks expiration when SLS was around 10.  I received $30 premium.  If the price triples in 2 weeks, great, I'm happy to sell. 
• Second, I make some extra money, known as option premium, for selling the cover call.

This works because some stocks have high IV (implied volatility) which makes the premium very high.  Not all stocks have a high IV.   SLS is a small biotech currently in phase 3 clinical trials, which results expected before year end.

I also sold a a short dated covered call on NNBR with a 5 strike with 2 weeks expiration for $20  premium when the stock was around 4.

It appears both call will expire worthless on August 21, 2026 and I will keep the premiums as profit.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investment, nor covered call selling advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Keeping Oil and Precious Metal Stocks

With Iran claiming that they are willing to wait until 2029 to end the war, I'm hodling (for now) my oil and precious metal stocks for now.  Oil reserves are very low, the dollar is weakening, and there is no end in sight for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

However, I am not buying more oil or precious metal stocks. I feel I have enough holdings already.  However, I plan to sell some holding into strength, especially if they rise to new 52 week highs.

For more on  Ideas You Can Use, check back every  Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, policy nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Website Upgrade Complaint Miraculously Solved

Recently, I decided to give regular feedback to customer service about their website, rather than just put up with the issue.   Maybe it's working.

Over the weekend, my broker did a significant update to their website. I tried to login to a brokerage account website.  It wouldn't allow me to login.  I called tech support and their solution of clearing the cache worked.   When I logged in, the brokerage had updated the website.  Unfortunately, the website only showed 1/3 of the stock positions and there was no way to scroll down.  I reversed the alphabetical order and it only showed he bottom 1/3 of holding, but didn't allow view the first 2/3's.   

I called tech support again, but hung up after waiting 53 minutes.  I called a different number which was answered right away.  I explained the problem but was told that "the back office" was not in on the weekend and needed to be contacted Monday to Friday during business hours.  I said, "Please inform IT of the issue before Monday, if you can."

I hung up expecting to wait until Monday.  I tried logging in again and miraculously the "problem" was solved.  I was able to access all the stock positions.   

Finally, I admit that I'm often the first customer to report a website issue.   Maybe, IT was already working on it or maybe, my call in got some attention. 

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every  Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, IT nor customer service advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Buying Treasuries not CDs

For my fixed income bonds, I'm buying Treasuries, not CDs, to lock in 5% rate for longer terms.   Simply, Treasuries guarantee paying the same coupon rate until maturities.   Most, if not all, long term CDs are callable, meaning if interest rates fall, the bank will terminate the CD early.   Call dates are as little as 3 months to one year in the future for 10 year CDs.   So if interest rates drop, that will be the end of one's CD.

Coupon rates of 5% for Treasuries have historically be high and therefore, attractive.   Of course, interest rates may rise further, but I don't expect them to stay high for long.   Also, I wouldn't mind buying some Treasuries at 6 or 7% yield if that should happen.

To address the risk of rising interest rates, I'm scaling in over the year when buying Treasuries, instead of committing all of the funds in a single purchase.  That way, if interest rates should rise, I will still have funds to invest in bonds.   If interest should fall, I will have locked in at least 5% for part of my fixed income funds.

For more on Strategies and Plans Ideas , check back every Monday Saturday Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, bond investment, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The New Groundhog Day

I saw this on LinkedIn:

ROFLMAO.

Disclosure:  I did not receive any compensation from LinkedIn or Groundhog Day for writing this post.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, policy nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Muskman - BIGGEST Government Parasite

Muskman was a master at financial engineering that maximized the benefit from the carbon tax credit program, which essentially was the government subsidizing Tesla.  Congress let it happen by allowing businesses to sell their unused carbon tax credits instead of only offsetting taxes on profits. 

Tesla made money mainly by selling government issued carbon credits to other car companies.  Calling people on government assistance government parasites is a bit... well, hypocritical, IMHO.  Musk took advantage of the tax benefit, and gamed the system since Tesla only produced electric cars that had no carbon emissions, and earned carbon tax credits which Tesla could not use, but could sell.  

The article below shows that Muskman knows exactly that SpaceX is likely to follow the Tesla path using government assistance to reap profits for a private business.

Elon Musk says SpaceX is like Union Pacific, which is extremely funny if you know what actually happened to Union Pacific

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor business advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Was I Brilliant This Week?

Yep, that's a great question.

• With exception of HUBS, my "buy the dip stocks" which are mostly SAAS software stocks (e.g. TEAM, ADBE, NOW, and CRM) and MSFT made a great comeback this week.  One of my best ever weeks since buying the dip.
• My memory stocks fell, but not too hard.
• TSLA, which has fallen significantly, about 25%, in the past month is creeping back up.
• Unlike Situational Awareness hedge fund, I didn't lose $30 Billion shorting SAAS software stocks and being long AI stocks. Not bragging, but I was did over $30 billion better that this hedge fund.

Nah, I was lucky.

• Situational Awareness needed to close out billions of dollars of short positions on SAAS software stock, which drives up the price.
• AI hype is diminishing as it is more evident that benefits are not evident.
• SPCX, which is highly dependent on delivering AI, fell 50% from its high.
• President Trump's TACO seemed to have more impact this week
• Finally, it's still a strong bull market, despite what bearish pundits continually claim.

Someday, I may become brilliant, but this is not the week.

For more on  Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investment nor bragging advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Fixed Income Principal Declining Not Worrying...Yet

With the increase in long term interest rates, my bonds, CDs and bond mutual funds have been declining in value. As result, the value of my portfolios are stagnant or declining.  This doesn't worry me yet.   

Why not?

My fixed income investments are expected to deliver relatively stable annual income, even if the market declines, at least theoretically.   I haven't been through a major decline since implementing this strategy.

This may be the first real time test of my "retirement paycheck" strategy.

Will the strategy deliver?   We share see in the monthly payments continue to hold or not in the next few months.

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor fixed income advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Distributing Billionaires' Wealth Isn't A Solution

When I was younger, I don't remember any discussions about distributing the wealth of millionaires, even though millionaires were relatively rare.   In fact, people aspired to be millionaires through working or investing.  Nowadays, there seems to be disdain for billionaires and discussions about distributing all or part of their wealth. 

The following article If America’s top 5 billionaires split their wealth evenly, here’s what you’d receive discusses what would happen with options of distributing billionaires wealth to Americans.  Basically, each person would receive $4629.78 one time.  

While not a small number, it probably doesn't solve the major financial problems of many people with medical debt, student loan debt or even credit card debt.  To me, distributing billionaires wealth doesn't solve personal financial issues for most people.   Also, it seems to distract from the real issue of individuals not learning how to do good management of personal finances.

Maybe personal finance courses need to made part of a good high school education going forward.  A good basis would be Financial Lessons from my Parents' Generation Re-Learned

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial, wealth distribution, nor education advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Market Rewarded my Patience with Enjoyment, Excitement and Profit

I've been holding my "buy the dip" stocks since February 2026, through the ups and downs.  I was convinced they were oversold by the AI hype, and that gave me conviction to hold even when the positions went significantly negative.

The stocks were mainly SAAS software stocks, which the Situational Awareness hedge fund was shorting.  Recently, Situational Awareness closed out all their shorts, which may be partially responsible for the recent rebound in SAAS software stocks. I believe there is more room to run for the SAAS software stocks and continue to hold.  I'd like to see them reach about 80% of their previous all time highs before selling significant amount of shares.  

Since I am moving towards simplicity, I will keeping moving towards fewer individual stock positions as the "buy the dip" stock become significantly profitable. This is likely the last time I will purchase "buy the dip" stocks in multiple positions.  While it is an adrenaline rush when the positions go up significantly, there is also more anxiety with the likely volatility, that causes me to be more engaged on a daily basis, which is the opposite of simplicity. 

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor stock investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Panic Selling Winners Reduced My Investment Returns

I must confess that I the owned the following stocks before they were big winners:  GOOGL, AMZN, AAPL.   200 shares of each.   If I had kept them through today, I would have $900K ,  $1.3M and $1.5M respectively today.  The gains would have been 12594% , 2398%, and 14346% respectively. Yeah, but I didn't hold.  They all dipped significantly after I bought.  When they recovered many months later, I sold them for a small profit of about 15%.  Would've, could've, should've.    

20-30 years later, in retrospect, I believe I know why.  Simply, my investment mentality was to maximize growth which led to me being overly concerned about stock declining and a 1929 like crash always being greater than my investment conviction. In addition, I judged success by an increase in account value. Therefore, I would lock in gains by selling previously declining stocks once the price crossed the breakeven point by a small margin.  Of course, in some cases declining stocks never recovered, which would have enabled to me to sell.  Such stocks are still in my accounts.

I read this comment on Wall Street Bets over the weekend:

"I hold my losers.

I cut my winners.

We are not the same."

LOL, describes me exactly.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Federal Tax on AI Tokens or AI Subscription Costs

Mark Cuban has proposed a tax on AI tokens of $0.50 per million tokens.  I think taxing AI is a great policy idea for the following reason:

• AI is expected to replace human jobs that would have paid income taxes.   Purchasing AI should incur tax to replace the lost revenue from taxing humans.   I expect this would be acceptable to business since AI would replace more workers than it costs and therefore, the tax impact would still be a cost savings.

I would expand the tax to cover subscription services/costs for AI also, if these are other forms of payments other than for tokens.   In addition, an estimation of lost tax revenue from human job replacement should be made to determine the "income tax" revenue from AI usage.

If I were running for public office, I would make this a key element of my policy platform.

For more on Ideas You Can, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, policy, nor tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Fixed Income Vs. Equities In a Crash

With long term interest rates at 5%, I am increasing the amount of funds invested in fixed income. It makes sense to based on a previous analysis I did.

I wrote Fixed Income vs. Equities after a 40% Decline in November 2008 after a 40% in the stock market.  The analysis showed the equities needed to return between from 7-16% annually in order to beat a 5% CD during the same time frame, with higher returns needed for shorter holding periods.

I've already started buying some 20 year Treasuries yielding over 5% with a 5% coupon.   Now, I'm leaning towards TLT and GOVT ETFs as options, since I don't need to manage reinvestment at maturity.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial, fixed income, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Situational Awareness Status

Last week, Leopold Aschenbrenner's letter to investors said that despite a 67% decline in July, Situational Awareness is still up 80% YTD.   The fund has taken steps to stop the decline and preserve fund assets. The fund has survived to see another day.

However, based on what I've read in different articles, it doesn't compute.  For example, one article described the fall from $45B to $10B which is greater than 67%.  I guess there must be other funds besides Situational Awareness in this decline.

Oh well, I expect more details will be share in the coming weeks or months.

For more on  New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial, stock investment, margin, short/long strategy, nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

A Black Swan Omen?

The hedge fund, Situational Awareness, had a partial liquidation last week via Citadel.  The fund was overleveraged and on the wrong side of memory chip (long)  and SAAS software stock (short) trades.  It was the perfect storm this last week.

Leopold Aschenbrenner is the wunderkind hedge fund manager.  Here is more info about him in Fortune, Daily Mail, and CNBC.

Initially, Leopold made all the right decisions, turning $150M into $25B for his investors.  Until last week, when all his purchases and shorts went against him.  Fortunately for his investors, the fund was not wiped out, at least not yet.

The looming question is if this is a one off event or the first of many cockroach events to come.

We shall see.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Dumping TSLA due to Possible Muskman Shenanigans

Although TSLA was one of my buy the dip stocks, I'm considering selling TSLA once it become slightly profitable.  My reason is that I have lost confidence in TSLA due to SPCX rumors of a TSLA merger or buyout.   Since Muskman is a majority shareholder in both, he controls whether is will happen or not.  I expect Muskman will want all his companies under one corporate structure.  

After seeing Muskman's shenanigans with DOGE, I fully expect more shenanigans with a SPCX merger with or buyout of TSLA.  I don't like the possibility, despite Muskman's success with TSLA.   I believe a merger or buying is merely financial engineering instead of actually creating incremental value. 

However, Muskman is way smarter than me.   After all, he was the first trillionaire, although now a half trillionaire after the 50% decline in SPCX and 33% decline in TSLA.  

We shall see whether I can get out of TSLA for a small profit or become a longer term bag holder.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial nor investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC