Local Opinion Editorials

Mean Girls (2024) is a movie based on a Broadway musical, based on a movie, based on a book. I have not seen the musical on stage, but I have read the book (Queen Bees and Wannabes), and the first movie came out when I was barely still in high school. . . . 

Millions of people are eyeing a fresh financial start as the new year nears. With 67% of Americans planning to make a financial resolution in 2024, paying off debt is the most common goal. Despite an air of optimism, resolutions like this are quickly . . . 

As promised, this week I will cover Candy Cane Lane and It’s a Wonderful Knife, but I also had time for Christmas As Usual. I want to wish Waynedale a very happy holiday season, and I hope for a great year of movies (and life) in 2024.

In Candy Cane . . . 

Who knows where the time goes? We’ve reached the end of another year, so it’s appropriate to reflect on the nature of time and how it affects us. And time certainly is a key element in the pursuit of your financial goals.

As an investor, time can . . . 

Preparing for this issue, I created a list of new Christmas movies to review and, once I crunched the numbers, realized that I would have about 80 words per movie if every title made the cut. My husband asked if I had ever written reviews in emojis. . . . 

Once again, it’s the season of generosity. In addition to considering gifts for your loved ones, you might want to think about charitable gifts as well. But what should you know before making gifts to charities? And what impact might these gifts . . . 

When Meg Ryan released a new movie, her return to rom-coms, you know I had to see it. In What Happens Later, Willa (Meg Ryan) and Bill (David Duchovny) run into each other on Leap Day when stranded at a small airport due to a massive storm. The pair . . . 

It’s been a bumpy year for the financial markets — which means that some of your investments may have underperformed or lost value. Can you use these losses to your advantage?

It’s possible. If you have some investments that have lost value, you . . . 

Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable). . . . 

You may spend decades contributing to various retirement accounts. But for some accounts, such as a traditional IRA and 401(k), you must start withdrawing funds at a certain point. What should you know about this requirement?

To begin with, the rules . . . 

Managing your finances and investing for your future are important tasks — and they can be challenging. But you don’t have to go it alone. Many people benefit from working with a financial advisor, someone who knows their needs and goals and makes . . . 

They are the major holidays occurring in the month of October that have some controversy and intrigue surrounding each of them, including the month itself. October is the tenth month of the year, named after the Latin word for eight (“octo”) because . . . 

If you have a loved one showing signs of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, you’ll obviously experience some strong emotions, and you’ll likely ask yourself this question: What can I do to help? While there are certainly many ways you could . . . 

It’s probably not on your calendar, but September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. And that means it’s a good time to become more aware of the benefits of having life insurance, and the dangers of not having it.

Unfortunately, confusion about . . . 

You’ll find some big differences between traditional and speculative investments — and knowing these differences can matter a great deal when you’re trying to reach your financial goals.

To begin with, let’s look at the basic types of traditional . . . 

Often, time travel stories focus on moving forward or backward in time to change the outcome, but what if all you needed was access to radio waves from the near future to completely change the course of history? In Lola, sisters Thomasina (Emma Appleton) . . . 

After spending decades in the workforce, you might look forward to the day you retire. But if you decide, for one reason or another, that you’d like to redefine “retirement” to include part-time work or consulting, you could enjoy exercising . . . 

“Barbenheimer” has come and gone, and although I only saw Barbie, in my opinion, the optimal lineup started with coffee and Oppenheimer, followed by a fun lunch and Barbie to lift the spirits. When I saw Barbie I found that the feature, based on . . . 

For some folks, those are fighting words. Some people just don’t want to be referred to as a senior, elderly, retired, aged, or heaven forbid, old!

Just because someone’s approaching their golden years doesn’t mean they don’t still feel young . . . 

This week, I think I found the two most medium movies I have seen, by which I mean they are not great, but also not bad. Maggie Moore(s) and 65 both strike the perfect note of unchallenging watchability, satisfying if not especially creative. Allow . . . 

When you’re retired, you’ll likely have some financial concerns — just like all retirees. However, if you’ve invested regularly and followed a long-term financial strategy, you should be able to address most issues that come your way. But there’s . . . 

Mutual funds offer investors a chance to own shares in dozens of companies, as well as bonds, government securities and other investments. But you might be able to broaden your portfolio further by owning another type of fund — an exchange-traded . . . 

Just a thought. Over these past few years following adoption as a national holiday, there have been some grumblings that Juneteenth, in some manner, is competing with or seeks to displace the significance of America’s secession from the British Crown. . . . 

If you save and invest for decades, you’d like to know you can retire without financial worries. Nonetheless, you still have to be aware of some threats to a comfortable retirement — and how to respond to them.

These threats include:

• Inflation – Inflation has been high recently, but even a mild inflation rate can seriously erode your purchasing power. In fact, with just a 3% inflation rate, your expenses could double in about 25 years — and your retirement could easily last that long. So, if you’re going to rely on your investment portfolio for a sizable part of your retirement income, you will need to own a reasonable number of growth-oriented investments, such as stocks or stock-based funds, whose potential returns can equal or exceed the inflation rate.
• Excessive withdrawals – Once you retire, you should establish a withdrawal rate for your portfolio — an amount you can take out each year and still feel secure that you won’t run out of money. Some people make the mistake of withdrawing too much, too soon, once they’re retired. Your withdrawal rate should be based on several factors, including your age at retirement, the size of your portfolio and the amount of income you receive from other sources, such as Social Security. A financial professional can help you determine a withdrawal rate that’s appropriate for your needs.
• Market volatility – The financial markets will always fluctuate. When you’re still working, this volatility may not be such a problem, as you have years or decades to recover from short-term downturns. But when you retire, you don’t want to have to sell investments when their price is down. To help prevent this, you can tap into the cash in your portfolio, assuming you have enough to cover several months’ worth of living expenses. You could also draw on a CD “ladder” — a group of CDs that mature at different times — to provide you with resources for the next few years and allow your equity investments time to recover their value.
• Unexpected costs – You had them when you were working, and you’ll probably have them when you’re retired: the furnace that breaks down, the car that needs a major repair, and so on. But if you’ve established an emergency fund containing a year’s worth of living expenses, with the money kept in a liquid account, you may be able to “ride out” these costs without jeopardizing your investment portfolio. Be sure to keep these reserves separate from your typical day-to-day accounts to avoid the temptation of spending your emergency money.
• Health – Retirees may face more health concerns than younger people, and those concerns often come with larger medical bills. That’s why it’s important to maximize the benefits from Medicare or your Medicare Advantage plan. Also, if you contributed to a Health Savings Account (HSA) while you were working, and you haven’t depleted it, you can use the money in retirement. As long as the HSA funds are used for qualified medical expenses, withdrawals are tax- and penalty-free, and won’t be included in your income. This could help keep your income below certain levels, lower your Medicare premiums or avoid the 3.8% surtax on net investment income that can be assessed on high-net-worth taxpayers.

Retirement can . . . 

If you have a family member with special needs, you might face emotional and physical issues, but you also may be concerned about maximizing the financial support your loved one requires. Consequently, you may want to consider establishing a special . . . 

Like everyone, you may have a lot of financial goals. But are they all of equal importance? Probably not. And do they share a similar timeline? Again, it’s unlikely. So, your first step may be to prioritize your goals — and then follow a process . . . 

This week, we hit a dead zone in the Hollywood calendar. Finding a movie that looked worth the time was a real struggle. It seems like every story must be produced as a miniseries. At the theater, my best option was a movie so ridiculous that even . . . 

Your own decisions and actions typically determine your financial strategies. But outside events can affect your choices, too. And that may be the case with the recent passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act.

This piece of legislation covers many areas. But here . . . 

During your working years, you generally know how much money you’re bringing in, so you can budget accordingly. But once you’re retired, it’s a different story. However, with some diligence, you can put together a “paycheck” that can help . . .