Keen On Retirement

Each morning, as a part of my daily routine, I do a gratitude exercise where I call to mind a minimum of 10 things that I am grateful for.

Black Friday used to be a one-day event for all those power shoppers sleeping off their turkey dinners in tents outside the mall. Today, that quick sprint for a bargain TV or Tickle Me Elmo has turned into a two-month shopping marathon that many of us run from the comfort of our homes. I’ve been seeing Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers in my email and social media feeds since early November!

On today’s show, we tackle four of the most common Medicare questions we’re fielding from clients at Keen Wealth right now. Hopefully this conversation will help you sort out the important notices about your health care coverage from the junk mail that belongs in your shred pile.

For most folks, July 4th is the official kickoff party for Summer. But I think it’s important to take a moment between bites of barbeque, parade floats, and fireworks to remember what we’re really celebrating. I’m not just talking about the anniversary of the Continental Congress signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. I’m thinking more about how our forefathers, working in times that were every bit as challenging and polarized as our own, managed to create something extraordinary: the freest, strongest, most innovative, and most prosperous nation in history.

Each year, we invite our clients and friends of the firm to an Open House at our headquarters. This year, we hosted over 400 guests! With all the storms recently in the Midwest, we were grateful to have enjoyed an almost perfect weather day for the event. As has become a bit of a tradition, we served Jack Stack barbeque with a special burnt ends demonstration, enjoyed a wonderful jazz band, snacked on Sheridan’s frozen custard, and crowded into photo booths. We sprinkled in some games to make for a wonderful amount of fun, fellowship, camaraderie and good times. We are so grateful that our friends and clients would spend an afternoon and evening with us to bring in the Summer.

When love is in the air, some folks have a tendency to lose their heads. That can be fun if you’re planning to sweep your loved one off his or her feet this Valentine’s Day. But when it comes to your finances, letting your heart get in the way of your head can lead to some serious problems. Forget about killing the romance – if couples wearing rose-tinted glasses aren’t careful, these money mistakes can kill their financial future.