Bought Silver When It was Low

Lucky me.   Really, it was luck.

In 2014, I was buying junk silver coins (pre 1964 dimes, quarters and half dollars) when silver was about $20/oz.  I was paying 11 times face value, or $1.10 for a silver dime.  At the time, silver was out of favor and would continue to be out of favor until 2024.

The price of silver starting going parabolic in 2025.  Silver hit an all time high of $84/oz over the weekend.    The price of a silver dime is about $6.07 at that price of silver or about 61 times face value.

I still have the coins that I bought in 2014.   At this point, I don't have a plan to sell, but I will be very tempted to sell if the price of a silver dime reaches $10.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Final Tax Adjustments for 2025

The next few days are the final days for making adjustment that can affect the 2025 tax return, except for deductible IRA contributions that can be made until April 15, 2026.   For us, that means making charitable donations, making medical purchases, such as prescription eyeglasses,  and selling any stock market losses, to reduce our taxable income for 2025.

Although we have been doing the above for the last few months, some of our income, such as long term capital gains for mutual funds, didn't come until the last few days.  In several cases, the gain was higher than estimated which required making further deductions to offset the additional income.  

Next year, I will be better prepared earlier since I have a better understanding of the new tax laws and their effects.   Also, I expect the capital gains distributions from mutual funds to be much lower in 2026.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Massive Inflation of Groceries is Confirmed for Our Household

Last week, my spouse complained to me, for the first time, about how much she was spending on our groceries and how much she saved by buying items on sale.     Her main point was, "I used to spend X on groceries.  Now, I'm spending 4X for the same purchases!"

My spouse has always been a "buy want I want and not look at the price" grocery shopper.   She has not complained about prices even though they have been rising since 2020 and COVID.  Not any more.  She is noticing and complaining.

When my spouse notices the difference in prices, it has be really big change.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Avoid Being the Investor Fish

A "fish" in poker is a losing player, typically inexperienced or unskilled at the game.  In the world of investing, one needs to overcome being a potential fish. 

Here's what I have learned:

• There are numerous investment options:  Stocks, Bonds, Bank products, Insurance products, Private equity/credit.   
• There are numerous advisor costs:  High fee/high touch, no fee/minimum advice, assets under management (AUM) fee, insurance product commissions, hourly only fee
• There are accessibility and flexibility option:  accessible anytime or locked up for months or years.
• There a different levels of risk:  Low, Medium and High

It was important for me to sort out which of these options worked best for me.  To start, I wanted low fee, low risk and high accessibility.    Thus, I used bank products initially, savings account and CDs.   Next, I moved to stocks in self directed accounts with discount brokers, for lower fees, which has now become no fees.   I tried advisor managed accounts, for a 1% AUM fee for part of my investments.   I typically have not done insurance products, such as annuities or whole life policies,  yet due to the higher fees and lower accessibility.  I have been offered private credit opportunities, but have not invested.

I have since moved away from managed accounts, since I have concluded that very few consistently outperform the S&P index.   Thus, I will be mainly investing in the stock index funds in the future and only a few individual stocks.

At this time, I believe my choices are giving us the appropriate balance of returns, safety and income needed.   We still need to evaluate the results when a significant economic downturn occurs.

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 © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Good Summary of Financial Considerations for New Retirees

What happens financially in the first 3 years after retirement is a great article for people about to retire.  Some key points:

• Your spending patterns shift more than you expect
• The sequence of returns risk becomes your new reality
• Medicare becomes a major budget item faster than expected
• Social security claiming decisions have permanent consequences
• Emergency savings dry up surprisingly fast
• Many retirees face an earlier than expected exit from work
• Retirement well being has declined in recent years

A good read for preparing for potential risks during one's retirement.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Rules for Investing I Wished I Had Used Earlier

I wished I had started using the following investing rules in my twenties:

• Don't lose money in the long term
• Safety first and get reasonable returns
• Don't bet against America
• Keep it simple

My investment accounts and retirement accounts would be higher than they are currently, by an estimated 2-3 times or even more, if I had simply invested in U.S. market index fund.

While I can't change my past, I have learned how to invest better for the long term.  I will follow these rules to invest for my children's savings and retirement accounts.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Consider Donating Highly Appreciated Stock

If one has long gains on highly appreciated stock, it may be beneficial to consider donating the stock instead of cash.   If one sells the stock to donate cash, taxes will need to be paid on the gains.  If one donates the appreciated stock directly, the fair market value (FMV) of the stock can be deducted as a contribution without paying any taxes.

Here is the tax efficiency:

• The contributor pays no income tax on the gains.
• The contributor deducts 100% of the FMV of the stock, if they itemize deductions on Schedule A.
• The receiver gets the FMV of the stock, if they sell immediately.

I've done this several times when contributing to charitable organizations.  It was satisfying to make a larger contribution while also eliminating our income tax liability for long term gains on appreciated stock.

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 © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Ignoring Elder Social Media Scams

I use very little social media.   For the ones that I use, I mostly get requests from young and attractive women who ask to connect with me.  The requests range from advice, exchanging email/texts, to visiting in my city.   It is obvious these requests are not from people who normally speak English.  

Of course, I ignore and automatically delete.  However, I wish social media sites would use AI to screen out these elder scam requests automatically.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Challenge for Job Applicants

The job market is going from ugly to really ugly based on the article below.

The US labor market ground to a halt in 2025. The risk in 2026 is that it 'cracks.' 

What can future graduating job seekers do?

There are no 100% sure ways to get a job, only opportunities.  

Here's what I think are the best opportunities:

• Let current personal connections, friends, family, church, and other regular social contacts,  know what job opportunities are of interest. Do this casually in conversation as a no pressure sharing of information.    
• Increase number of social contacts through joining organizations or clubs of interest, volunteering, or shadowing careers of interest.
• Attend professional conferences in one's area(s) of interest.  Introduce oneself to other attendees or presenters.  

In 2024, we needed to find a new place to board my daughter's pet snake and hermit crab during spring break.  After boarding with a new veterinarian, I mentioned that my daughter was interested in shadowing a vet.   He gave me his business card and said, "Have her email me."    She did and shadowed him for a day a week during the summer.   At the end of the summer, he offered her part time work during her breaks from school.  

Some would claim this is luck.  My roommate from college would claim this is privilege.  I claim this is creating opportunity.   Of course, YMMV.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Higher Take Home Pay for 2026

With the passage of the OBBB bill in July 2025, many taxpayers should be able to get higher after tax take home pay in 2026.   This is because the OBBB tax changes are retroactive to 2025 and and people did not make adjustments to 2025 withholding.   One may want to make W-4 withholding changes for items that will be in effect until 2028.

Some possible adjustments are: 

• No federal tax on tips or overtime.
• Increased standard deduction amounts.
• Senior deduction up to $6000 per person 65 and older.
• Increase in Child Tax Credit to $2200 from $2000.
• Above the line charitable contribution deduction up to $2000 even if one doesn't itemize.

This may result in as much as $50-100 additional take home pay per month even if one isn't earning more.   However, YMMV.

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

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

Copyright © 2025 Achievement Catalyst, LLC