THE MEANS AND THE ENDS...

The Means AND The Ends is the recognition that “getting there” is at least as important as where you’re going. These posts are a curated collection of articles I’ve written as well as interesting finds that can be serious, humorous, and sometimes skeptical about investing and saving for retirement while being mindful that we must enjoy the ride all along the way.

Most of us make the same mistake with our money over and over: We buy high out of greed and sell low out of fear, despite knowing on an intellectual level that it is a very bad idea. The easiest way…

Read more

Last July, on an otherwise unremarkable Saturday night, five couples waited in line to get their marriage licenses at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. One couple had driven from Victorville, California to tie the knot on their…

Read more

We thought we’d first reflect on the stock market which — despite having to reckon with banking blow-ups, geopolitical tensions, and interest rate hikes over the last 3 months — has had a pretty solid start to the year. Read…

Read more

An artist is creating one-of-kind works of art using his fridge like a crayon box.On TODAY March 16, Al Roker caught up with Harley Langberg, a 34-year-old father and partner at an investment company who has a unique side hustle:…

Read more

The idea of kicking back with “nothin’ to do” in retirement sounds fabulous in young adulthood or middle age when life can feel overloaded, so it comes as something of a surprise that a major complaint about retirement is having…

Read more

Living a long, healthy life may seem like it requires winning a genetic lottery, but there’s so much more under your control than you realize. Only 25% of our probability of living a longer life is due to inherited genes,…

Read more

Here’s a little rundown of some of the possible rationale for the market weakness this week. ~jrs

Read more

Tax season can be stressful for the millions of Americans who owe money to Uncle Sam. Every year, the average U.S. household pays nearly $11,000 in federal income taxes. And while we’re all faced with that same obligation, there is…

Read more

A carry-on bag is one of the most vital pieces of luggage you can have while traveling. It cushions your valuables, gives you access to entertainment during a long flight and prevents you from going bare if your checked baggage…

Read more

A beautiful image of a pink dolphin poking its nose out of the Amazon river under a pastel-hued sunset earned California resident Kat Zhou the title of the 2023 Underwater Photographer of the Year. Over 6,000 entries from photographers in 72…

Read more

With the many financial obligations that we have, many of us put off planning for retirement, thinking that it is very far away in the future. Yet, retirement planning is crucial to a healthy retirement, especially considering that the rising…

Read more

Millennials are in the driver’s seat when it comes to trading. And they’re betting big on a handful of favorite S&P 500 stocks. Tesla (TSLA), Apple (AAPL) and Amazon.com (AMZN) continue to be the top holdings of millennial investors and…

Read more

The facts have remained the same. Over time (think 10, 15, or 20 years), stocks typically do better than bonds, and bonds typically do better than cash. Low expenses are typically a good sign of future relative performance. We also…

Read more

Ah, the fountain of youth. Many older individuals wish they could find such a magical potion, bottle it up, or even be privy to just one shot in order to slow down the inevitable course of aging. There are many…

Read more

This year’s annual Hot List of the best new hotels from around the world is a story of resilience. Despite enormous hardship in the travel industry, exceptional properties have continued to open across the globe (nearly a thousand last year…

Read more