Financial Products "Sold" by Financial Advisors

"If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail." ~ proverb popularized by Abraham Maslow

I have learned this also applies to many financial advisors, who earn money based on the product they recommend.

If a advisor selling a specific financial product, then that is the number one personal finance recommendation he is likely to make.  Insurance financial advisors tend to recommend insurance products.  Brokerage financial advisors tend to recommend stock and bond products.  Mutual fund advisors tend to recommend their own mutual funds.  Secondary offering advisors tend to recommend their offerings.  Tax advisors tend to recommend investment that minimize tax liability.

While it is legitimate for an advisor recommend a financial product for which he is compensated, I feel I need to do more diligence before accepting the recommendation.   I do more independent research on the product to decide.    In most of the cases, I decide not the invest.  Examples include: Private Credit, Indexed ETFs, Opportunity Zone Real Estate and most Life Insurance based products.   They may be right for some people but not for me.

Some options that I have used include but not currently:  Actively managed separate accounts. I like the idea of have individual stocks in my own account.   However, I've  recently moved away from this option.

Currently, I'm considering a robo investment platform offered by one the brokerages.  I expect the advisor that recommended may get compensated.  That's OK since I am doing an independent evaluation of the product on my own.

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

Locking In Higher Interest Rates to Help our Retirement

When I started working in the 1980s, I calculated that I could retire on $1 million invested at 5% interest.  After all, that was 150% of my starting salary.  Of course, interest rates even went higher, making a million dollars a good goal.

From 2009 to 1019, it looked like retirement was going to require significant more investment funds, when interest rates dropped below 0.5% for CDs.   Then having a million dollars didn't look so good as a retirement plan since it would only yield less than $5,000 per year.   The path to retirement looked dismal.

Then in 2019 interest rates starting rising, with rates peaking in 2023 to 2025 at about 5%.   that means a million dollars now yield $50,000 per year instead of only $5,000.   It also means less retirement savings is needed to retire comfortably.

While interest rates may still go up, I'm locking in 4-5% interest rates on part of our savings for 10-20 years through Treasury bonds and CDs.   Yes, interest rates rising and inflation are a risk, but the bigger risk for us is interest rates going back to 1% or less for an extended period.

Here's my simple logic.  If rates go up, I can always reinvest maturing bonds at the higher rate.   If rates go down, I have to reinvest as at a lower rate, which makes this the higher risk option. So I am scaling in to long term fixed rated bonds and CDs over the next few weeks and months.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Wow! Massive Abundance of Tech Products

First, let me acknowledge that I am a tech Neanderthal.   I refused to get a cell phone when working, until one of my direct reports upgraded and gave me her old phone.  My group said I needed a cell phone, and then they never called me.    When I retired, I inherited my spouse's flip phone when she upgraded to a smart phone.   I stayed with the flip phone until a couple year's ago when it no longer worked because of 4g. I upgraded to my daughter's Iphone when she upgraded.

My tech stopped at PCs and cellphones.   I have a desktop and a lap top.  Yeah, I abhor social media and only use LinkedIn.  I use about 1gb of cellular a month.

A couple days ago, I asked my 13 year old son to accompany me to look for a blue tooth keyboard to use with an Ipad.  He recommended that we should go to Best Buy, which we did.  There were numerous choices at different price points ranging from integrated keyboards and protective covers to mini back lit keyboards.   There were also bluetooth mice available.

While were there, we looked at some tech in which he was interested.  I suspect this is the real reason he recommended going the Best Buy.  We looked at accessories for his F-1 Video Game on the XBox.  These included replica steering wheels, pedals, and a shift rod.   I guess we would need to build this all into a simulator.  He also explained there are seats that can give motion and straps that can create G-forces, but Best Buy didn't have them on display.

There were other items like cameras, folding cellphones and TVs, but what I noticed and remembered most is the 3D printer.   For about $550, one can get a machine that can make many art items as well as slip on shoes.  

All the stuff looked cool, but I didn't buy...yet.

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation from Best Buy nor Xbox for this post.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Will I Be Sad or Glad After Hours?

Part of the Mag7, AMZN, MSFT, META and GOOGL, are reporting after the market closes.   Although we have positions in all four, GOOGL is our largest holding followed by MSFT.  How investors react to their earnings will be the main factor on whether I'm sad 😞or glad 😄.

Edit 4:30 PM:  GOOGL 😄.  MSFT, AMZN, META 😞.

Edit 6:30 PM:  GOOGL, AMZN 😄.  MSFT, META 😞.

Edit 7:00 PM : No changes from 6:30 PM.

Will check tomorrow staring pre market.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Stock Investment Option Closest to a Free Lunch

There are three choices for investing in stocks.

1. Pay an investment advisor to do the investing.   This usually has fee of around 1% (or more) of Assets Under Management (AUM) above any fees for ETFs or Mutual Funds, which vary from 0.03% to 2.0% or more.
   
   
2. Invest in individual stocks in a personal brokerage account.  Trading costs have been eliminated.  However, one has to invest time and effort to do research, monitor investments, and buy/sell stock positions.
   
   
3. Invest in a market Index fund, such as VTI (total market) or VOO (S&P 500), which have fees of 0.03%.  Other than initially buying, holding for the long term requires no additional effort.

Even though I have used managed investment accounts, I'm no longer using Investment advisors that charge 1% of AUM (Assets Under Management).  IMHO, they are not worth the ongoing annual cost since the majority of the work is the initial setup.   Ongoing maintenance should only require a few minor changes, which I don't feel is worth the 1% of AUM charge.

I have also invested in individual stocks on my own.   While more exciting and sometimes much higher gains, this approach takes more effort and time.  In addition, individual stock risk is a bigger issue, resulting in more monitoring of the stock positions.    Finally, while I have had some big wins, I have also had many losses, which net resulted in returns less that index funds based on the S&P 500.

Although I ignored the recommendation for many years, I believe broad market index funds are a great options.  Fees are usually as low at 0.03%.   Time and effort in minimized to invest.  Individual stock risk is low.   The index funds are self managing at removing poor performers and selecting future winning stocks.

With a cost of $0.30 per $1000 invested, broad market index funds are the closest option to a free lunch. There is little or no additional time nor effort required. Best of all, the returns beat over 99% of investment in other options on a long term basis.

Disclosure:  We own shares of VOO in our accounts.  I received no compensation for writing this post.

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

Online Scam Avoidance

Online romance scams have become a norm and examples are more frequent.   Below is one article about an individual fall for such a scam.

Retired journalist loses $270,000 to ‘pig-butchering’ scam after online romance turns into fake gold investment scheme

Here are some tips on red flags for online scams for the article..

How to avoid being a pig-butchering victim

Here are clear warning signs to watch for when it comes to pig butchering:

1. Be skeptical of unsolicited messages: If someone you don't know contacts you out of the blue — especially with a "wrong number" that turns into a conversation — treat it as a red flag.

2. Don't trust online relationships: Scammers often use flattery and conduct frequent check-ins. They want to make the connection feel real before making a financial request.

3. Ignore "profits" that seem too good to be true: The rapid gains in these fake investment platforms are the early signs of a scam. Early "wins" are designed to lure you into investing more.

4. Never pay fees to withdraw your own money: Requests for taxes, fees or deposits to unlock funds are almost always fraudulent.

5. Listen to family or advisors: In many cases, loved ones spot the scam before the victim does. Don't dismiss their concerns.

Ultimately, the safest rule is to never send money to someone you've only met online.

As Levine's story shows, these scams don't just drain bank accounts — they can also leave lasting emotional and personal damage.

Bottom line takeaway:  Be very wary of online (email, social media, messaging) from unknown people.  My typical action is to ignore or delete.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

20 Year Treasury Yielding 5%

I'm buying the 20 year Treasury since it's yielding 5%.  Yeah, there are risks with locking up money that long.  Inflation could increase significantly.  The U.S. government could default. 

A worst scenario for our retirement is the 20 year Treasury yield goes down for a long period to 1% as it did in 2020, or hovers around 2.5% as it did from  2012 to 2019.   That would reduce our retirement income significantly.

I am ok with the risk that interest rates go up, even if it is to 7-10%, since I don't think it would be more than for a couple years, which is survivable.  And we would still have some cash to invest at those higher rates.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Buy the "Right" Stock and Hodl

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

One way stock investors make millions is to have a future great stock and hold, even when it declines 50% or more several times.   I would have been a millionaire several times over if I had never sold APPL, AMZN, and GOOGL, all of which I owned at least 100 shares in their early days.  

However, back then was still working and I was particularly sensitive to volatility of my stock investments.  All three stocks fell after I purchased them and took several months or even a year to recover and be positive gains.  By then, I was anxious about not losing money and sold for a only about a 10-15% profit. 

Ah, would've, should've, could've.

Of course, there are some formerly great stocks that dropped and took years to recover past their previous highs.  Examples include:  GE, CSCO, and INTC, all of which just exceeded their previous all time high from 26 years ago during the dot.com bubble in 2000.   Then there are the great stocks that crashed and stayed low or went to zero: Pets.com and Inktomi are examples.

So finding those future great stocks is a big challenge.

It seems that most people that make big gains are from stock in the company that employed them, examples include Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and Elon Musk.  A small factoid is that Bill Gates would have been trillionaire if he had kept all his MSFT stock, instead of diversifying based on Buffet's recommendation.  For me, great returns have been hodling my company stock which I owned through an ESOP, but definitely not as big as Gates, Bezos, Buffet and Musk.   

For my kids accounts, I may try to buy a few potential great stocks for them and hodl.  However, for the majority of the account, I will invest in US and International Stock Index funds which routinely hodl the best stocks and cull out the worst.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Kids Grow Up Fast

Yesterday, my 13 year old son wanted to ride his bike to the local grocery story, about 2 miles away on the sidewalk.  I offered/requested to do his first ride with him since there are 4 lane streets to cross at intersections.  He vehemently declined to have me accompany him, three times.  Yes, I had ridden with him to the crossing a couple times, but we hadn't crossed.

I still think of him as needing us to help him with everything.  Obviously, he doesn't, despite me advising he should have a backpack to carry purchase, and a lock for his bike, which neither he had considered.

Still, I let him go on his own.  He texted me when he arrived and he made it home OK.

Yep, he is growing up!  I still remember when we adopted him as a 1 year old like it was yesterday.  Time goes by so fast.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Can AI have other Benefits than Productivity?

People always talk about how AI increases productivity.  I think AI can make a bigger difference in society, without eliminating jobs.   What if AI can be use to prevent crimes and significantly improve health.  Here are my proposals:

• Detect, Identify and Prevent Internet/Phone/Email scams against the elderly.
  
  
• Detect, Identify and Stop Fraud against bank accounts.
  
  
• Identify and Propose Cures for both frequent and rare diseases.

Maybe I'm way off base, but I haven't heard much about the above opportunities for using AI and was just wondering.

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

This is not financial, fraud/scam protection, health nor AI advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Best Post Retirement Education I Received

After I retired, I was given a $5000 to use towards post retirement training, which excluded golf lessons.  I chose to use my grant towards the following at a local vocational school and a local community college:

• Plumbing - It was an intro course to be an apprentice plumber.   I learned how to make many simple repairs, such as changing faucet stems, and attempted to learn soldering copper tubes.  I didn't pass the soldering part.  One takeaway that I had was to have a local shutoff valve for all faucets and appliances.  When adding new faucets, I always insist of having a local shutoff valve.  It has be a saving factor when I had a faucet leak that could be isolated by the local shutoff valve instead of using the whole house shutoff.
  
  
• Electrical - This was also an intro course to being an apprentice electrician.  Being taught the basics of wiring fixtures and switches safely was great.  I used this skill many times in our home.  The second best part was getting a list of must have tools to be a DIY electrician.
  
  
• Masonry - My key learning in this one is that I shouldn't attempt any big projects in this area.   I did horribly as laying brick.   My only venture in this area is to occasionally repair damaged mortar. 
  
  
• Real Estate - I though being a real estate agent might be a good part time retirement job.  I took a course at a local community college to learn the material to pass the licensing course.   Although the course material was good, I didn't take the test.  I learned that being a part-time agent requires paying a number of fees to keep the job.   It was a money losing proposition unless I sold at least a couple houses a year.  I decided to pass.
  

In addition, I got some useful free education through one post retirement job.

• Tax Professional -  This was actually a part time job that provided education for employees. While the pay was minimum wage plus commission, the real benefit was the tax education I was able to take at no additional cost.  I achieved the highest level tax advisor at the firm which qualified me to handle most tax returns.   I did this for about 5 years before "retiring."    The education and experience I received has helped me immensely in doing my own tax returns and in deal with the IRS and state tax agencies when necessary.

Overall, I've been able to put my post retirement education towards many DIY projects around the house.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Hodling My "Buy the Dip" Software Stocks

Ouch, ouch!

My "buy the dip" software SAAS stocks are taking a big hit today, anywhere from 7-18% down.   Service Now (NOW) reported earnings yesterday that disappointed.  I'm underwater on all my software "buy the dip" stocks, but I'm not going to panic sell at this point.  I think their devastation by AI is over exaggerated and they will recover, although it may take longer than I expected.  I'm HODLing at this time.

In the past, I would not have been so calm with this level of volatility.  I would have high anxiety.   This time, I waiting out the volatility and not getting worried, for a few reasons.  First, we don't have significant funds invested in these stocks.  Second, our accounts are still producing income for our monthly retirement paycheck.  Third, I still expect these purchases will profitable in the future.

After this round of "buy the dip," I'm going to avoid buying any new stocks on a dip, though I may still trade these stocks.   That way, I limit the number of individual stocks I need to watch, as I sell off these buy the dip stocks for a profit, hopefully.  It's taking more time and effort than I intended to manage these "buy the dip" stock purchases.

If I were in my 20s now, I would primarily invest in mainly total market index funds since I expect these index funds to go up over the longer term.    I wish I had that confidence when I was 20 something, instead of starting to have it now that I'm retired.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

A Car Feature I Would Rather Not Have

My first car was basic.  Radio, single strap seat belts, manual windows, manual mirrors and cigarette lighter.  No A/C nor airbags. The only amenity was automatic transmission. 

There has been a lot of amenity creep since my first car.  Electric windows, electric mirrors, ABS brakes, cruise control,  air bags, CD players, blue tooth, which we have in our newest 2012 car.   While I don't really "need" some of these, I am willing to have then.   We still don't have GPS nor car cameras.

However, one feature we have that I view as unnecessary, because of the cost to replace when it stops work.  That feature is the pressure monitor for tires.  Recently, the warning light went on for low tire pressure.  I checked all four tires and they were at target pressures.   It turns out the battery for one sensor had gone dead.  Cost to replace at the dealer?   $260 for one or $740 for all four, since all are likely to fail soon also.  Huh?  That's almost the coast of replacing 4 tires with top of the line tires.

In all my years of driving, I only had couple times that a tire pressure sensor would have been helpful.  In one case, I drove a couple miles with a flat tire that occurred at my home.  In another case, I had a flat tire in a parking lot and called AAA to change the time, which took about an hour of wait time. Otherwise, I generally have slow leaks due to a nail and I discovered the issue way before it is flat.   

My only other direct experience with a tire pressure sensor was on a rental car that flashed a warning when we drove to a mountain top in Hawaii.  The cold temperatures caused the tire pressure to go down, but the sensor didn't go off immediately when we got back to sea level.  In this instance, it showed which tires were low.  Quite annoying for a few days since we didn't have easy access to capability to put air in the tire.

If I could eliminate this feature on our next new car purchase, I would.  For reference, I did find a less expensive replacement option: Costco will replace the sensor batteries for about $60 dollars a tire and they don't charge for the initial inspection.

Disclosure: I was not compensated by Costco for this post.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Lotto Option Bets on Possible President Trump Stock Support

Currently, investing based on President Trump's actions and tweets seem to be the norm.   Traditional fundamental and technical analysis don't have much capability for assessing value of individual stocks anymore. It seems vibe investing based on expected President Trump's tweets or TACOs yield good results.

IMHO, President Trump is in tune with what his supporter and non supporters want.  I'm guessing that he will do some executive orders to attract non supporters for the midterms.   Here are two specific areas:

• He may make marijuana a schedule III classification, down from a schedule 1 classification.  This would potential increase the value of marijuana growing companies.
• He my support EV vehicles more,  which would help EV related stocks such as battery and charging station companies.

I own some marijuana growing companies and EV battery companies.   I may buy some call options on this stocks in addition with less than $50 total as a lotto bet..

Disclosure::We own shares of SNDL, TLRY, SLDP, TSLA and EVGO.   We also own January 2027 expiration call options for SNDL and EVGO.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

2026 tax brackets

Now that our 2025 tax returns are filed, I'm getting an early start on our 2026 estimated return.  Below is the article and table that I am referencing for 2026.

What Are Federal Income Tax Rates for 2025 and 2026?

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

If It's Tuesday, There will Be a TACO

President Trump extended the deadline for the Iranian ceasefire, after the market closed. I expect stocks to pop in the pre-market and at the open on Wednesday.

Tomorrow may be volatile.   An opportunity to buy or sell.  I'm planning to hold unless that is a major movement, either way, on one of my positions.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Prepping Snow Blower for Summer Storage

Although we still have frost warnings, I don't expect any more snow storms.  We got good use out of our snow blower, which we inherited from my in-laws.   We had several storms that ranged from a couple inches to a foot on our driveway.

When we inherited the snow blower, it had not be used for 7 years, since my father-in-law had passed way.  It did not start up.  I asked a neighbor whose hobby is restoring cars for some carburetor cleaner.  Instead, he took apart the carburetor, cleaned it and put it back together, without any instructions.  It started up right away.  

Now that Spring is here, it's time to "summerize" the snow blower so that I won't have the problem again and it will easily start up the next winter.   First, I always turn off the fuel and let it run until it stops.  That way no gas is remaining the carburetor which will gunk up when the gas evaporates.  Next, empty all the gas in the in the tank.   That's about all I do.   I change the oil every couple years at the beginning of winter.

This process has worked well since the snow blower starts up every winter right away.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

This is a Bull Market, Not Brilliant Investing by Me

The last three weeks have been great for our investments.  I'm enjoying the market rebound since March 30, 2026.   Our accounts are up nicely and at or near all time highs.  The buy the dip stocks are recovering again.  I'm feeling brilliant again.

However, I am experienced and old enough to know that I am nowhere near brilliant in stock picking.   I'm just lucky and going along for the bull market ride.

Here's what I think is brilliant for my kids:  Buy a market stock index, such as the S&P, and hold for 40 years.   Put $159 per month in the account. Hold through all the ups and down.  Expect to have $1,000,000 dollars after 40 years.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

My "Investing" Lotto Buy for Tomorrow

Given the uncertainty of the Schrödinger's Strait of Hormuz (which is both open and closed).Ceasefire (maybe, maybe not), my plan for tomorrow, Monday, April 20, 2026 is to buy a few lotto OTM (out of the money)calls, especially if the market dips. 

Why?  The news is bad right now.  And I expect President Trump to tweet his standard, "Everything is going well." post tomorrow sometime tomorrow.  While I don't know the timing, if it happens during the market hours, the calls may print.   

I already have two call options on BB (Blackberry) and SLS (Sellas Life Sciences Group).

Either way, I consider these lotto tickets, which means they will likely expired worthless, like my real lotto tickets.   But at least I get to take a tax deduction with option lotto tickets.

Disclosure:  I current own shares and call option for BB and SLS.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Pill Bottle City on my Bathroom Counter

When my MIL used to visit, she seemed to have at least a dozen different pills that she needed to take daily.  I think the medications were mainly for her heart condition, but I never did ask.  It always amazed me how many pills she needed to take.  She kept the numerous bottles on the dresser top during her stay.

I used to think her amount of prescription pills was a lot.  Back then I only took 2 prescribed medicines, a statin and low dose aspirin.  That was before I had coronary artery bypass surgery and follow-up stents.  Now I have 3 additional prescribed medicines for my heart.  Recently, I also had cataract surgery, which required some short term medication.

The challenge for me is remembering which pills to take when, since some are morning pills and some are evening pills.  To keep track, I've created a system of preparing the next dose pills in advance, so that I'm aware of the proper time to take.

Hopefully, I'll be able to be weened off some heart medication over the next few months as I recover from the most recent surgeries.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Will There be FOMO or Profit Taking Next Week?

The  S&P is up about 4.5% this week and 12.3% since the March 30, 2026 low.  This also marks the third week of over 3% gains.  In addition, the S&P has made 53 record highs so far in 2026, versus a yearly average of 18 record highs. Woohoo!

Normally, after three weeks of substantial gains like this, I would expect a pullback as people take profits.   However, these aren't normal times.   I expect the reaction will be also based on Iranians confirming on or denying whether tankers are being freely allowed through the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, any posts, positive or negative, by President Trump or Iran over the weekend will have impact.

Net, my guess, and it is just a guess, is that the net will be a decline at the open due to profit takers.  Then, I expect a buy the dip event midday, especially if there is a positive post by President Trump.  Then FOMO may happen as investors on the sidelines decide the rally will continue.

Here's what I'm going to do:

• Continue to hold our core investments:  Stock and Bond Index Mutual Funds, Stock and Bond Index ETFs, Individual stocks with Big Gains, Large Lots of Speculative Stocks.
• Continue to sell off peripheral stock investments that have only a few shares as they become profitable.
• Hold buy the dip software stocks for now and take profits periodically.
• Avoid buying any new stock positions.
• Buy some fixed income with 5, 10, and 15 year maturities to lock in 4-5% interest rates.

These are my thoughts going into next week, which may change based on events over the weekend.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Cataract Surgery: Expectations vs. Reality

I recently had cataract surgery and am recovering.   Although the recovery is going well, I was surprised by how reality was different than my expectations.

For reference, cataract surgery replaces the lens that has turned cloudy.  It also allows for adjusting the focal length vision of the eye.   Having been a contact user for about 40 years, I expected the final outcome would be immediate or at least same day, since contact lenses change the vision right away.

Instead, the change in vision took about a week to reach the final outcome.  The day of surgery, my vision was blurry and sometimes hazy.  The surgeon explained that cataract surgery sometimes results in the eye pressure increasing, which causes the haziness.  In addition, surgery causes some eye distress which leads to blurry vision.  On the day after surgery, my vision tested at 20/30, which they thought was great, but I still felt was not good enough since I expected to reach 20/20 immediately.   

The surgeon gave me some eyedrops for glaucoma (eye pressure) to use.   When I went home, I noticed that my pupil was still dilated.  So I started wearing dark sunglasses most of the time, even inside.   For day 2 to day 6, my vision improved incrementally and my pupil started shrinking.   By day 7, I felt like I was almost 20/20 and the pupil was near normal.

I've concluded that monofocal lens in my right eye has less range than my previous lens with contacts.  This is known, but I didn't realize the effect until the cataract was replaced.  It is still working for me since I'm getting good focus from about 5 feet to infinity for larger letters.   

On day 8, I had my one week visit.  My vision tested 20/20 but a little blurry at that level. My pupil is still slightly dilated, and I expect my sight to be fully clear when my pupil is normal.  I've confirmed that I still want to do a close vision monofocal lens for my left eye.  I expect that should cover reading distance to about 5 feet comfortably.   This will allow me to not have vision correction 99% of the time, but only correct the left eye for distance during sports such as tennis and skiing.

I'll give another update once the left eye is treated.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The New Roaring Twenties

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." ~  Mark Twain

About 100 years ago the U.S. market was on a tear upward.  Everybody was making money. The DOW had a six fold increase from 1921 to 1929  It kept going up until it didn't, when it fell about 90%.  Then came the Great Depression.

Since the bottom in 2020, the S&P 500 has had a 3.7 fold increase.   Although there have been major dips and even a bear market, stocks continue to go up in the longer term.  This has begged the question of if/when the other shoe will/may drop.  Stocks are expensive versus historical means, the U.S. is at war, the U.S. keeps growing, AI is displacing workers, etc,, etc., etc.

Is this time different? Or will a major correction/bear market occur soon.  I wish I knew.😎 

Inevitably, the market will decline/correct in the future.  The question is how far and for how long.  Time will only tell.  

In the meantime, I will continue to be cautious and keeping cash available in case of a future sudden a precipitous drop.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Avoiding New Complex Investment Opportunities

In the past few years, I have been offered the opportunity to invest in Fixed Index Annuities and Private Credit.  Fixed Index Annuities were advertised as never going negative but participating in the gains of the stock market.  Private Credit was advertised at higher returns for little or no additional risk due to superior vetting by the company.  Both of these options are now being offered to main street retail investors, which is the reason I can now participate.

I'm usually skeptical about investment options that previously were only offered to institutions and now being offered to main street investors.  First, the options are presented as get great investment opportunities just like big institutions.  Second, they often are introduced as low risk opportunities.

• Fixed Index Annuities -  This was the first one I learned about.   It is an annuity that is pegged to a stock index, typically the S&P 500, but has downside protection.   The annuity has a downside floor, which is typically 0%, meaning the investment cannot have a loss.   However, the gains are capped, meaning that the gains won't necessarily match the index for large gains.  In addition, this is an annuity, which has restrictions on when and how much can be withdrawn in the future. The benefit is there is never a loss.
  
  I have typically avoided annuities as an investment.  Funds are usually tied up for many years and there is a high up front fee. Typically, it is costly to access more than the allowed withdrawal amount. Finally, it depends on the worthiness of the insurance company, who earns a high fee for offering the product.
  
  
• Private Credit - This provides non bank loans at higher rates to borrowers who may have difficulty qualifying for loans from traditional banks.  Investors provide funds and usually commit to investing these fund for 5 to 10 years or longer without withdrawing.  Returns are in the 8-12% range.
  
  I asked for a prospectus.  It was about 800 pages and a significant portion was devoted to detailing possible risks.   Also, there are possible capital calls (request for additional funds), there was a lockup period of several years, and limited withdraws above a certain amount.
  
  

Overall, the complexity, potential high risk and lack of flexible access to invested funds were enough negatives for me to decline participating.   At this time, I am glad I made this decision since the stock market has delivered above average returns higher than the cap of Fixed Index Annuities and more than expected defaults are occurring for Private Credit.

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

Reducing Friction is a New Marketing Advantage

Lately, I've been have great interactions with retailers and service providers.

• First it started with Home Depot.  I ordered 7 of one product online.  They shipped 6 that day, but 1 items was incorrect, even though it was from the same company.  I thought I would need to go into the store to return the incorrect product and get the correct product.  Instead, Home Depot just shipped me the correct product and offered a gift card for the mistake.
  
  
• Next it was Kroger which did not credit my $1 digital coupon discount to the purchase.  I called the customer service number, talked with the AI agent, and the error was corrected.
  
  
• The last one was Costco and Apple.  Last week, I bought my son AirPod Pro 3s for $249 since the price was only good until 4/11/26.  On 4/12/26, the price was reduced to $199.  Costco has a 30 day price match.  I took in my receipt and received ad $53 credit, including sales tax. 
  
  On the same day, a current AirPod was damaged by water.  Since we bought it at Costco, it came with AppleCare+ for no extra cost.  I called Costco who referred me to the Apple Store.  The rep at the Apple Store asked me for a few pieces of info, like the AirPod serial (which is in on the charging case on the Apple unit it connects to) and confirmed AppleCare+ was active.  If we file a claim, they can express replace the AirPod for $31.  
  
  

Cool.   Easy peasy.   The retailers made it frictionless easy. I will continue to use these brands.

Disclosure:  I did not receive any compensation for this post from Home Depot, Kroger, Costco nor Apple.  

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Dealing with People who have Above Average Intelligence

I've noticed that almost everyone considers themselves smarter than average,  Almost everyone who posts on LinkedIn, X, Reddit, TikTok and other social media conveys being smarter than average.  In addition, most individual that I interact with act smarter than average:  

Being an engineer, I usually felt the need to correct someone when I think they are wrong. I got no where with this approach.  They didn't change there mind and I didn't change mine was the usual outcome I've learned that smarter than average people don't appreciated being disagreed with, even when they are wrong, which I guess also includes me.

I've decided to change my response when talking to above average smart people.   Now I listen and seek to understand.  I look for points of agreement and clarify points of difference.   I also am willing to end with no one changing their point of view.

In the future, I will be open to primarily listening to and understanding points of view different than mine and making no comments when discussing.  Only if there is a need for me to make a decision,  will I engage to choose one side or blend the best of both.

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

This is not financial, social interaction, nor decision making advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Creating Opportunity for Our Children's Future

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

With the advent of AI, I'm still think the following are good areas for our kids to learn and improve their opportunities in their future.

• Higher Education - IMHO, there are two paths to take.    Education for a degree in well paying profession such as engineer, doctor, and veterinarian.   While getting a professional degree, broaden education to develop critical thinking ability.
  
  If my kids aren't getting an educational degree in a profession, I would recommend getting a job and get a broadening education while employed.
  
  
• Skills Identification/Development -  Learn what they are good and and develop.  I like the Japanese Ikigai approach of finding a blend the following for successful job:  What you love; What you are good at; What the world needs; and What you can be paid for.  My role as a parent is the help them learn what they are good at. 
  
  A good approach to finding what kids are good at is to give them the opportunity to try a lot of options.  In my kids case, this led to a few things sticking, which is great.  I also believe that people should do something they love, but not necessarily for work.   Playing sports/a musical instrument, or a hobby is a great opportunity for loving what one does.  It also is a great anchor for future social relationships in school or work.
  
  
• Reading, Science, Art and Music Experiences Development.  This will enhance creativity and innovation copiabilities.   AI is based on knowledge that already exists.   Humans are still needed to deliver "new" through creativity and innovation.   AI may be able to assist in creativity and innovation, but won't be the main instigator.  Creativity and innovation capability will be the great differentiator in one's future employment.  
  
  
• Personal Finance Skills Development -  Personal involvement in effectively managing money is even more important than making money.   This is the quiet part of personal finance that few people talk about.  Just paying someone to invest, do taxes, plan estate transfers, etc. is not enough.  One needs to sufficiently involved and educated to make good decisions.

Doing the above will give our kids a good start for succeeding in the future.

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

This is not financial, higher education, nor child raising advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

My Latest BET (Bet Expected TACO) and Outcome

I won.  

I bought a few shares of META on March 26, 2026 as it fell after the recent the court ruling against META and GOOGL.  I was hoping for a quick rebound but it kept falling through March 27, 2026.  There was a minor TACO on April 1-2 which enabled all my shares to be profitable.  I sold two shares for a small  4.5-5% in 5 days and held into the fade that created some losses again..  Then on April 7, a second TACO  took META above the previous pump.  I sold a share at $590 a 5.4% gain in two weeks and waited for the fade on my last share.  Instead of fading, META pumped to $629.  I decided to sell my final share at $623 for a 7.6% gain after two weeks.

I also bought 6 shares of GOOGL for $275 on March 27, 2026 when it fell from the same court ruling. It immediately started rising.  I sold 1 share on April 1 for an 8.1% gain in 4 days.  The shares I kept are now up 15.6% with the second TACO.  I plan to continue to hold these shares for now, at least until they reach another all time high.

It's easy money right now to BET and it'll work until it doesn't.   The market advance from TACOs are becoming shorter with each succeeding occurrence.  I expect that there will be a TACO in the future with a flat market result.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Accidental DIY Repair Success

I pride myself on being able to do minor repairs and fixes.   Most of the time, I am successful.  It usually take longer than hiring someone, but it definitely is much less expensive.    Sometimes, I am unable to fix initially. The fix isn't done for a while, which upsets my spouse and I put more effort on it.  Then sometimes I luck out and get an accidental fix.  

The following two accidental fixes happened recently.

• Several years ago, one of the whole house speakers stopped working in the kitchen.  I did a lot of trouble shooting to determine the problem.  I switch the speaker lines and the other one stopped working.   I switched out the volume control with no effect.  I undid and reconnected all the speaker wires with no change.  I concluded that one the wires must have gone bad and decided to live with it.
  
  Fast forward to mid last year.    We purchased a new modern entertainment stand to replace our armoire entertainment cabinet.  I wasn't looking forward to moving the stereo equipment from the old armoire cabinet to the new entertainment stand since it involved reconnecting over 20 wires to the equipment.   After much delay, I spend a day reconnecting the wires which I had previously marked.  Some of the wires had become detached and I needed to reattach them.  One of the detached wires was for the kitchen speakers.  After reattaching the kitchen speaker wires:  Surprise both speakers worked.   I've continued playing the kitchen speakers and both continue work.   
  
  I could swear that I had checked the connection on the speaker wire several years ago.  But I guess I didn't retighten them correct.     Anyway, I'm still claiming a belated DIY success.
  
  
• A few months ago, my son showed be a brown residue around his bathroom.   I figured he was just messy and wiped it away.   However, the next week it appeared again.  This time I suspected faucet body might be defective.
  
  Since the faucet has a lifetime warranty, I decided to take it apart and submit a warranty request. Since it has been a few years since it was installed, I retrieved the installation instructions to use for the dismantling.  It was a tight space under sink and it took a while loosen it. Further dismantling was going to take a while.  Unfortunately, the next day, my son was having a friend over for a playdate.  So I reassemble everything, tightened all the nuts and turned the water back one, and wait for the residue to occur again.
  
  That was months ago and no residue returned.  Tightening all the nuts was the solution.   Another accidental successful DIY repair.

Yeah, I was lucky both times.  However, lesson learned: make sure all nuts and screws are tight first in the future.

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

This is not financial nor do-it-yourself advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Installed Our New Chandelier

Our chandelier was no longer in style.  It was a gaudy 12 candelabra brass chandelier that better fits in a old castle dining room. My spouse decided we needed to update and get new lighting for our dining room.

I'm adept at installing lighting, outlets and switches on existing wiring.   When I retired, I took an apprentice electrician course at the local vocational school.  As a result, I feel confident with most simple DIY electrical modifications or updates, which saves us the cost of hiring an electrician.

However, the wiring on the new chandelier was slightly different than I had seen in previous lighting.  Instead of using standard lamp wire, it came with pendant lamp wire, which I had not worked with before.  Standard lamp wire is easy to strip with a standard wire stripper to expose the ends after cutting to length.  Pendant wire required some special tools since the outer insulation is molded to the internal wires which are also insulated.

On the Internet, I found a score perpendicular and slice in line tool made in Germany, but it wasn't in stock anywhere.   My neighbor had a scoring tool, but I would still have to slice in line by hand with a razor knife.   Then I went to Harbor Freight and one of their reps showed me tool that strips off a small section of the pendent insulation without a perpendicular score or an in line slice.   I bought it, went home and experimented on the extra wire that was cut off.   As  result, I was able to do an expert strip of the wire to attach to the house wire.

My spouse helped me hold up the chandelier while I wired it to the house wire.   Now we have a gorgeous modern chandelier in our dining room.

Disclosure:  I received no compensation from Harbor Freight for this post.

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

This is not financial, decor, nor DIY advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Paying Taxes and Doing Tax Returns

"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." —  Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, 1789

One of the most hated aspects of personal finance is paying taxes and doing tax returns.  Unfortunately, paying taxes and submitting tax returns is one of the certainties of life for most people. Almost no one likes doing tax returns for themselves.    That's why tax prep software and tax prep companies are popular and can charge for the service.

IMHO, almost everyone that works and all income is all on a W-2 (wages) or a 1099-B (dividend and interest) , 1099-G (refunds), or 1099-INT (interest)  can do their own tax return by hand, especially if they take a standard deduction.   These kind of returns can be done in 15 minutes by a professional and 30 minutes by an experienced individual.   A person doing a tax return for the first time might take 1-2 hours to become familiar with the forms, but only 30 minutes in the future. 

I did my daughter's first federal and state tax return in about 15 minutes in 2024.   The 2025 return took about 10 minutes since she only needed to file the state and was exempt from filing a federal return.  Part of the reason the time was reduced is she filed a W-4 to be exempt from federal withholding and therefore eliminating the need to file a federal return since there was no refund.  While she is in college, I will continue to do her returns.  After she graduates, I will assist her to do her own tax return.

For reference, I use a spreadsheet to do my own returns and my daughter's return, which does all the calculations and saves me more time.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Lower College Costs with 100% Free Tuition Credits

This billionaire is quietly giving away free college to 800,000 people through the organization Modern States Education Alliance..   The program offer free online courses to prepare students for the CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exams that give college credit.  These credits area accepted at many colleges and universities when passing the test.  See the CLEP website for a list of schools and accepted credits.  There is no cost to the passing student since the organization reimburses the $100 test fee for a passing grade.

This is a great way to get a college education at a  reduced cost by getting some credits through CLEP.  It can even be done while working a job.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

I Appreciate our Bank's Fraud Protection Group

Recently, our bank seems very diligent about protecting customers from fraudulent transactions.  Here are some recent actions that give me confidence I am being protected.

• My partnership in commercial real estate property recently changed management firms.  When the distribution check was issued, my bank flagged it as a potentially fraudulent check.  The reason was my bank was unable to contact the issuer of the check to confirm legitimacy. 
  
  The scam they were protecting me from was one where the check issuer pays more than requested and requests a refund of the difference.  The recipient pays the difference with a personal check.  In the meantime, the original check bounces and the recipient loses the difference.
  
  Although it took a week to resolve and the funds were deemed no available, I appreciated that my bank was watching out for me.
  
  
• Recently, one of our brokerage accounts made a legitimate small deposit.   Our bank flagged it as a potential scam to link our account to a scammers bank account.   The deposit was legitimate and there was no issue.

Although there was no issue with either transaction, I appreciate our bank erring on the side of caution to protect our deposited funds.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Arthritis and Me

Arthritis typically hasn't bothered me much in the past.   I have ankle injuries from playing football and the resulting arthritis has been present for 20+ years, but hasn't hampered me from any activities.  A few years ago, my right knee starting bothering me and it turned out to be arthritis due to a torn meniscus when from playing rugby.   Both the ankle and knee have been treated by a orthopedic specialist.

About a few months ago, the joint pain starting to bother my hands more.  I don't know whether it is because of arthritis or medication I am taking for my heart.   I talked to my primary care doctor about  my hands and he said the main treatment was to relieve the pain with acetaminophen if needed.   Not much else can be done.

We'll see how that works.   

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Recurring Dreams

Over the past 10 years I have several interesting recurring dreams.  Here are some that I remember the most.

• The most frequent one is a work trip to an international destination.   Sometimes, I have trouble finding my room.  Other times the room is a strange design.   Often, I don't have a return airline ticket.  Also, I have trouble getting ground transportation to the airport.   
  
  The flight usually makes a connection which requires us to transfer to another terminal after talking to the gate agent, who is not sure where we need to go.
  
  I always wake up before arriving at the final destination, so I don't know how this ends.
  
  
• Still working at the same company despite of already retiring.   In this dream, I keep showing up to work, getting paid, and no one seems to challenge that I am no longer employed.  I just keep showing up.
  
  
• In this one, I'm playing football for my school team.  I have trouble finding the entrance to the locker room.   Then I can't find my locker nor my equipment. I go the bathroom and all the toilets are strangely designed and out of order. Then, after I get all my equipment on,  I have trouble finding the field 

I have no idea these dreams but apparently they represent some unsolved issue I am facing. Luckily, it's doesn't seem to be about our finances.😎  Maybe I'll read up on dream analysis some time. 

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Experimented with Investment Strategies

In late January 2018, I started testing investment strategies for our retirement accounts.  I tried both index investing and choosing individual stocks.

Here's an headline summary of the strategies I tried:

• International Index
• S&P 500 Index
• Growth Index
• Value Index
• Dividend Stocks
• Bitcoin Related Stocks
• Smallcap Biotech Stocks
• Midcap Biotech Stocks
• Momentum Stocks
• REIT Stocks
• Trading Fallen Stocks
• Trading Rising Stocks

I ended the test in 2024.  Although, I did a quantitative analysis, I am giving a qualitative summary below.

• My overall return was positive but not a large positive.  Although some strategies lost money, most other strategies were positive and made up for the loss.
• My biggest losing strategy was Trading Fallen Stocks.  I learned that most falling stocks keep falling or don't recover. Unfortunately, I held on to losing stocks instead of cutting my losses early.
• I had a few big wins, but I sold many gains too early for small gains of 10-20% when some would have returned very big gains if I had held.  TSLA was one example that I sold too early instead of holding.
• I did not do better than just investing in the S&P index.  In fact, I didn't come close.
• It was way too much time and effort to manage individual stock portfolio when buying the index did much better for almost no time and effort beside making the purchase.

As a result, going forward, I will be investing mainly in the S&P index and holding for the equity part of our accounts.  I will still trade some individual stocks, but these will be mostly vibe/bet investments that attempt to make a small profit, for a little fun and excitement.  

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Mailed in Hardcopy Tax Returns This Morning

When I was working, I usually applied for an automatic extension to October.   That only extended the filing date and did not extend paying taxes owed, which were still due on April 15. Thus, I had a rough draft of the return already done.  However, I usually procrastinated to confirm the calculations and then do the tedious job of filling out the forms and making copies.   

The worst part was by October, the next tax season was almost over and I would have to start doing taxes again.  In addition, my spouse also objected to waiting so long to file, but I had the excuse of work.

After retiring, I continued to file the automatic extension and file by October since I didn't receive a refund.  However, about 10 years ago I started getting a refund due to over withholding and I started filing on or before April 15 to get the refund.  Now I get ready to file as early late January, but I usually need to wait for some 1099 forms that arrive in late February.

Nowadays, I can be ready to file by mid March, which means we can get our refund in April.  This year, I didn't mail the hard copy returns until today, which means we'll probably get our refund in May.  I filed one state return electronically and hope to receive the refund in a couple weeks.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Lottery Jackpots: Then and Now

I remember when lotteries had the first million dollar jackpot in the 70s. That was big, becoming an instant millionaire.   Back then a million was BIG bucks.     

Fast forward 50 years.   Big jackpots are now $1 billion, which is really BIG bucks.  Even when it's split, it's still a lot of money for the winner.

I wonder what jackpots may be 50 years from now.   Maybe $1 trillion.   Woohoo!   

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Speaking of Taxes

I finished doing our taxes yesterday:  Federal and 2 states.  I still do and file taxes the old fashion way, by hand, although I use Excel to do all the calculations.  I used to fill in the forms by hand too.  However, last year, I started using the PDF fill in forms since the IRS was cut back and stopped mailing form in time to complete a tax return by April 15.  Do returns with the PDF fill in forms made inputting the info much easier since errors can be easily changed and reprinted, versus rewriting the entire form.

We're getting a HUGE federal refund which I am not particularly proud of since I prefer to get a little as possible or even owe a little.  I don't like the idea of the government using my money without paying interest for most of the year.

I filed one state electronically and will put the Federal and one state a tax return in the mail by end of week. 

I've already started managing income and withholding for our 2026 tax returns.  The new Trump tax breaks are reducing our tax liability significantly if I take some action, though not as much as eliminating taxes on Social Security, which was promised.   Still I'm getting some helpful tax breaks, which I plan to maximize over the next three years.

 I still have to do my daughter's tax return, but that is relatively easy.  I had her file an "exempt" W4 for federal withholding since she is in college and earns below the single standard deduction and, therefore, has no federal income tax liability.   Unfortunately, our state doesn't allow "exempt" withholding except for a few limited cases.   However, she gets a 100% refund from the state.   Interestingly, my state allows me to file for her electronically with her permission, which she will gladly give me.   Better than going to one of the big three tax prep companies, which probably would charge a couple hundred bucks for a very simple return.  I just expect a "thank you" for my 10 minutes of effort.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Who Pays the Majority of Income Taxes

It shouldn't be a surprise that the rich pay most of the federal income taxes.   According to The rich pay majority of U.S. income taxes, the top 10% paid 72% of income taxes in 2022, up from 55% in 1986. The next 59% paid the remaining 28% of income taxes and 31% paid zero federal income taxes.

In some countries, the tax on the wealthy is very high.  Tax on some wealthy French  sometimes top 100 percent of income.

Disclosure:  This is not an April Fool's post.

For more on  The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every  Wednesday  for a new segment.
This is not financial nor tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Plant Grass in the Fall and Do Spot Weed Control in the Spring

I start preparing out grass for the Spring in the late Fall of the previous year.   I over seed my lawn in September with starter fertilizer.   In addition, I put winter fertilizer down by October.   While I don't see any benefits immediately, I get an awesome lawn the next Spring.   At that time, I also do spot broad leaf weed control, making our lawn even more awesome.  I prefer spot weed control over using fertilizer with weed control since it is applied only to the weed and not to the entire lawn.

My neighbors sometimes ask me who does our lawn service since it looks so good.  I proudly tell them I do the lawn service, except for  mowing, myself.  I confess, I use a mowing service since it saves me about 3 hours a week for our yard.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Today would be my Dad's 100th Birthday

Yes, my dad would be 100 today if he were alive.   I miss him lots.    He always made sure I had the best equipment for every sport I played. He supported me for the costs of going to an Ivy League school.  He's the reason I followed in his footsteps and became a chemical engineer.  He showed me how to be a great father.

I didn't show my appreciation enough when he was alive.  I should have thanked him and my mom more. I was lucky to have them as my parents.  I wouldn't be where I am today without their great support.

Thanks Dad and Mom.  

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Striving to be Volatility Agnostic

Maintaining consistent monthly income is my current strategy for our retirement savings.  My goal is to maintain a specific income range, no matter what the stock market is doing, especially when it is declining.  To do this, I am investing in fixed income (CDs, bonds, and mutual funds) and dividend stocks, and reducing dependence on gains in stocks.  In addition, we have monthly Social Security payment and a quarterly distribution from a rental property.

Up until the end of 2025, the strategy has been working, but it has been mainly an advancing market.   Now, the test will be in a declining volatile market at is happening currently.  I'll see now if the "monthly paycheck" can be maintained in 2026.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Controlling Lesser Celandine and Garlic Weeds

Lesser celandine is one of the toughest broadleaf weeds to eliminate, other than using glyphosate (commonly known as Roundup) which I don't like to use since eliminates desirable plants too.   Last year, I found a broadleaf weed killer (Bonide Brush Killer) that works on lesser celandine that does not damage the grass. Last year, it cut back some patches, but did not eliminate completely since I applied it late in the growth cycle.  I will be using it again this year, but earlier.

Bonide Brush Killer also did work well on completely eliminating garlic, which has been plaguing one area for many years, since no other weed killer worked without also killing the grass.

Disclosure:  I received no compensation from Bonide for writing this post.

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

This is not financial, grass care, nor broadleaf weed elimination advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

TIL: Amish is a Religion

We visited Amish country and took a tour of the area.   It was very interesting and I learned a lot about Amish life.

First, I always assumed that Amish was only about simple way of life, i.e. no modern conveniences such as electricity, and powered tools/appliances.  WRONG.   I learned Amish is a religion.   There are four sects, each with differing rules.   For example, one sect is allowed to use e-bikes.

Second, I learned that the Amish are self sufficient.   The residents farm and or have cottage businesses, e.g. roofing, woodworking, that are needed in the community.  The Amish support each others business within the community.

Third, I learned the Amish don't buy or have any insurance.   The community comes together and helps those that need it.   For example, someone's barn burned down.  The community rebuilt the barn and put it up in three days.   

Fourth, I learned the Amish buggies are different and all the same for each of the four Amish sects.  Some buggies don't have rear view mirrors, while others do.  Some have flashing reflector lights, other don't. All buggy accessories are determined by the bishop of each sect.

Fifth, I learned the Amish legally end education at 8th grade and are allowed by a Supreme court decision in their favor, Wisconsin vs. Yoder.  Each Amish neighborhood will have a parochial school in the neighbor hoods since the students walk to school.

Finally, I learned that despite the commitment to simplicity, some modern amenities are slowly allowed into some sects.   For example, one sect is allowed to have e-bikes.  What is allowed and not allowed is determined and approved by the bishop.

I was impressed by the culture of the Amish.   There are some aspects, e.g. self sufficiency and community support of others, that would be beneficial in any society.

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

This is not financial, society, nor culture advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Preserving Capital

"Rule #1: Never lose money. Rule #2: Never forget rule #1." ~ Warren Buffet

These are good investing rules that are even more important in retirement.  I no longer have time to recover from significant losses.  In addition, we are dependent 100% on our retirement savings and income, since we have no wage income.   So I try to make sure we have a sufficient margin of safety, in case there is a big market downturn.  

Right now, I am cautiously invested in stocks.    At this time, there is more downside risk than upside potential and there is high volatility.   So while I am maintaining our core positions, I am trimming positions outside of core, e.g. short term trades and excess shares of core holdings.  

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Old School - Praying Before Football Games

Our football team used to say the Lord's prayer before every game.  I attended a public high school and every player participated.  There were no complaints by the players.  We did this all four years that I played.  It was never an issue.  No player ever complained about the ritual.

I wished the praying had helped.   We were reduced to 26 players and only won 2 games near the end of the season.  However, everyone had a good time playing.

Nowadays, group praying before a game probably is no longer allowed in schools.    

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Investment Plan for Tomorrow

The only thing that seems likely is that interest rates are inching up.   My plan to start scaling into fixed income, CDs and Treasuries starting tomorrow.  I expect I will be able to lock in 4% or a little higher for 5 and 10 year maturities.  

I plan to only put 5-10%% of the funds in at this time.  That way if interest rates keep rising, I can lock in even higher rates.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Funding College: Then and Now

When I went to college, it seemed relatively simple to cover the costs.

• College Jobs -  In my freshman year, I worked in the cafeteria about 8 hours a week.  It paid about 2X the minimum wage.   As an upper classman, I also tutored and sold class rings.
• Summer Jobs - I was fortunate to get an Engineer Intern summer job right after high school.
• Student Loans -   I took out the maximum ($1500/semester) of federally subsidized student loans in my upper class years.
• Parent Funds -  My parents paid the difference between the costs and what I could cover.

By senior year, I was covering over two thirds of my tuition, room and board costs, and all my personal expenses.  For reference, I attended an Ivy League school.  A friend of mine attended a local state school, lived at home and was able to pay for tuition, fees and books from working a part time job.

Nowadays, I think it would be difficult for students to cover their costs at a local state school. It is likely that parents and student loans will cover the majority of cost, if the family isn't eligible for financial need scholarships.  In  our case, we have been saving for our children's college costs since the day we adopted them.  This has enabled us to cover the eldest's entire education costs at a local state school.  Hoping to cover our youngest's education costs in the future too.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Ouch! The Knife Keeps Falling on the BET Strategy

BET (Buy Expected TACO) strategy didn't work today. Volatility was the main actor today.  The market fell at the open, bounced and continued to fall midday as Iran denied agreeing to any of the U.S. demands to end the war before rebounding in the afternoon then dumping at the close..  

I am still holding and avoiding further buying any BET stocks right now.   There is a reasonable possibility that the stock market may keep drilling further to a bear market 20% drop.  More and bigger TACOs will be needed to prevent this from happening. 

I will wait for the bear market OR additional TACOs to happen before making any significant number of BET purchases. 

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Buy Expected TACO (BET) Strategy

The markets were up big yesterday, due to Trump delaying destroying Iran's power infrastructure for 5 days.    It used to be buy the dip (BTD).  Now it's the Buy Expected TACO (BET). 

It appears that Trump is sensitive to the stock market response in the short term.  Trump seems to responds with a TACO when the market dips.  This started about a year ago with the implementation of tariffs in April 2025 and has consistently happened since then.

It's hard to predict what Trump will do.    For now, buy expected TACO seems to be working.   While it seems to be consistently a good strategy until now, it'll work until it doesn't. Once BET stops working, a significant correction may occur.   

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

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Cataract Surgery Lens Plan

I'm  getting cataract replacement this year.  Currently, the left eye is very near sighted and the right eye is less near sighted and I only wear correction in both eyes for driving and sports. To avoid requiring to use glasses for reading or driving, I'm  going  with right eye at 20/20 and the left eye at about 20/150 (about -3) for near vision.   I won't need any glasses with this vision.  

My brain is already used integrating different focal lengths with my uncorrected vision at 20/400 (L) and 20/200 (R).  Doctor says DMV only requires one eye at 20/50 or better,  I think, to drive without correction

Despite a friend  having excellent results, I decided not to go with multi focal lenses.  

• I tested multi focal contact lenses about 5-10 years ago and didn't like them.   It was the worst of both worlds for me.  I couldn't see close work and distance vision was a slightly blurry sometimes. 
• A tennis player on the court before us said he started with multifocal but had to change to single focus and redo his cataract surgery.   
• My eye doctor said he usually does not recommend multifocal.  He has seen two different people with technically the same conditions get very different results, one good and one bad.

Medicare will still cover glasses 100% to correct vision.  My Medicare Advantage said they would cover contact lenses for 20% copay, which I will probably do for one eye for sports.

I've been testing wearing one contact part of the time to experience how it would be like after cataract surgery.   Although not a perfect replication, I am comfortable enough to proceed with the.  Since one eye is done at a time and the distance eye is done first, I will have a couple weeks to confirm my decison.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Only a Few Stocks Provided Majority of Our Gains

I recently reviewed my investment results and concluded that the majority of the investment gains were due to a few stocks that we owned.  For example, great returns on GOOGL, NVDA, MSFT, AAPL and VISA contributed a lot to our investment accounts.   A large percentage of the other stocks were either negative or contributed very little.

This is also supported by a chart I found on LinkedIn:

My conclusion:

1. Pick only winning stocks.   Highly unlikely for me to do this consistently or even at all.
2. Diversify enough to also purchase the winning stocks, but also own on the non contributing stocks.  This requires owning numerous stocks and significant effort to manage on an ongoing basis.
3. Buy an index,  which diversifies and periodically eliminates poor performers.  This involves owning just a few EFTs or mutual funds.

I've tried #1 and failed.  I've tried #2 and although returns were positive, my  returns were less than the indices.   I'm moving to #3 for most future investments, and will by only individual stocks on an occasional basis. 

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Services and Utilities That Are Great Time Savers

What a great time to be alive.   There are so many services provided to me that I have much more time than people from 100 years ago.

Here are some of the services that make life easier and better:

• Running water - For drinking, cooking, washing, bathing and human waste removal.  It would take me lots of time to haul water to the house, boil/sterilize it, and disposed of used water.  It only costs us about $200 a month and takes almost no time.
• Garbage collection - For $90/3 months, our garbage is taken away weekly and recycle is taken away every other week. It would take lots of time to haul our garbage to a dump.   Just takes a few minutes a week to put the garbage at the curb.
• Grocery shopping -  Yeah, it still takes several hours a week to grocery shop.  However, that beats the amount of time  growing, harvesting or hunting/cleaning our own food.   
• Electricity -  This powers all of our appliances to use in our house, which saves a lot of time.  Washing machines, dishwashers, furnaces, air conditioning, water heater, oven, stove, refrigerator, etc, etc, etc.   I would be working exclusively on 

These are basics that I take for granted every day and yet, if I didn't have them, I would be spending way more time on getting necessary things done every day.

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

My Rules to Manage Spending in Retirement

I wrote this back in 2017 but forgot to post it.  Most of the points are still relevant so I am posting it now.  We're still following the principles, though the percentages may have changed some.

I am not a big fan of budgeting.   Here are a some rules that we used to control our spending while were saving for retirement.

• Pay yourself first - When I first started working, I would pay all my bills and expenses first and whatever was left at the end of the month was my savings.   Except for my first month of working, I was pretty good at having something left at the end of the month.   Later, I realized a better approach would be to take out my savings first, and the pay my bills and spend on expenses afterwards.
• Buy only what we need -  Marketer are adept at getting consumer to buy stuff.  The challenge to sort the needs from the wants.   Do I really need a smart phone, cable TV, a large screen TV or a luxury car?  The answer is probably not.  Not buying these can reduce spending by hundreds of dollars one time or every month.  A related rule to this is to live below our means.
• Spend only cash - Using only cash is an easy way to limit spending.  Once the cash runs out, the spending stops

By using these rules, it was easier to control spending to better meet savings goals.

However, now that we've both been retired almost ten years, I've concluded we need a different set of spending rules.  We have been living primarily on our retirement savings, so the above spending rules prior to retirement many need to be adjusted.  For us, this is important, since we don't have pensions and are not eligible for Social Security yet.

Here's what we've been doing on an experimentation basis:

• Use an allowance - We've been giving ourselves a monthly allowance that covers our living expenses, except for paying taxes (income and property) and health insurance.  I estimated the amount based on our pre-retirement spending pattern This has seemed to work well for most of the time, even when we have a large expenditure such as a new appliance or a vacation.  This worked well in a low inflation environment, which we may not have in the upcoming years.
• Use a percentage  -  When I add the taxes and insurance in, we are withdrawing about 4% of our  current retirement savings each year.    It was closer to 6% during the great recession in 2009, but our investments have grown since the bottom.  So we use a percentage to allocate our allowance each year.   Also, we may need to adjust the percentage in years where the market declines or advance significantly.
• Keep 3-5 year cushion in cash/cash equivalents - That way if the market decline significantly, we can avoid selling investments for a few years while continuing to make the same withdrawal. This will allow the investments to recover instead of selling them when they are down.

This has worked so far.  So we are going to continue this approach of giving ourselves a 4% allowance.  An adjustment we may make is to increase our withdrawal slightly after a good investment year and either increase our spending that year, or set it aside for additional spending in a future year.  Another adjustment may be giving ourselves a raise periodically, especially after several years of good return.

Finally, we'll need to get used to spending down some principal as we balance withdrawals with mostly earnings and part principal.  This will be a toughest adjustment for us to get used to  since our pre-retirement goal was to always maintain or grow our principal.

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

This is not financial, retirement or spending advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2026 Achievement Catalyst, LLC