by John | Apr 1, 2017 | 3-Legacy, Cash Management, Charity, Family Banking, Golden Years/End of Life, Saving, Success
“Many high-net-worth investors ignore one of the most powerful financial-planning tools available to them: Social Security,” writes Ash Ashluwalia in this past Monday’s Wall Street Journal.
He caught my attention. I’ve been assuming the system’s demise–and seeking to make alternative plans–since the mid-1980s, when I first learned from Dr. Gary North about how the program is really a Ponzi scheme and is going to fail, one way or another.
Dr. North pointed to comments by then-Sen. William Proxmire during a 1976 hearing. I have bolded the most relevant part: (more…)
by John | Feb 11, 2017 | 1-Growth, Cash Management, Family Banking, Saving
How do interest and percentages stack up?
Over the last couple of years, I have come to realize how important it is for us to think strategically—and very differently than most of us were taught in school—about interest and percentages.
I think the first time someone brought this to my attention was when one of my advisors asked, “What does your bank pay to borrow money from you right now?”
At the time, I think I was receiving about 0.1% interest on (some of) my deposits. (Many pay nothing at all. And if I were living in Europe or Japan, they would be charging me interest for parking my money with them.) So I said, “Let’s say 0.1%.”
“Okay,” said my advisor. “And how much are they charging in interest if you want to borrow from them?” (more…)
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