Category: Blog

The laws I’m talking about today are the shipping laws that are seemingly random here in the US. As more breweries and distilleries are popping up all the time, it’s nice to be able to get your hands on some of the better stuff you may have experienced during travel. I’ve talked often about the Read more

Today’s financial topic has nothing to do with the Stock Market. This has to do with real estate…namely yours. So you are a good parent, love your kids, and figure as you’re reaching or passed retirement age, you will do them a favor and have them either become co-owners of your home or put it Read more

So I missed National Daughter’s Day yesterday…sorry Emily! I think she’ll be okay. After all, there is a list of “National Days” for every single day of the year. It did prompt me to see what was on the list of today’s National Days. And it led me to find it pertains to my biggest Read more

One of the coolest experiences I’ve had with the kids was snorkeling a shipwreck while in St. Kitts. If you ever find yourself down there, I HIGHLY recommend doing the Shitten Bay Trail (about a 2 miles out and back hike). I also suggest you start early because of the heat/humidity as well as there Read more

So Emily has decided to go off on her first solo hiking expedition in the very near future. It’s something she has wanted to experience and I’m all for it. It was something met with a few “She’s doing what?” or “Are you sure she should do this?” questions. Even Mary is a little leery Read more

Happy Monday to everyone. Today’s topic to consider is refinancing a loan since the fed cut rates recently. Whether refinancing is worth it depends on a lot of factors but my intention today is to make you think about it and if it is right for your situation. For homes, the rule of thumb starts Read more

Give it a try this weekend to start. Limit the electronics, don’t watch the news, and GET OUTSIDE!! I can promise you that your attitude and mood will improve. Have a great weekend. Read more

For anyone out there who also enjoys hiking and visiting the amazing National Parks we have here in the USA, the America The Beautiful Parks pass is the way to go. https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm We have used them and after a couple days, they more than pay for themselves. See the multiple passes available. We started years Read more

Only one topic for today….Happy Birthday to my amazing daughter Emily! It’s crazy to still feel like a 19 year old in my own head at times but the reality is that I have a 19 year old daughter now. Time moves unbelievably fast but I have enjoyed every single second. What’s the best stage? Read more

Happy Booze Tuesday! It’s September so it’s time for Oktoberfest. Yes…I didn’t get that wrong. Oktoberfest is called that because it started in October in 1810 to celebrate a royal wedding, but was moved to September to take advantage of warmer weather and longer daylight hours. Although the festival now largely takes place in September, it Read more

I’ve spoken about Compounding Interest in the past but I’m revisiting it for my younger readers. Many people, both young and old, make the mistake of waiting to start investing. “I have to save for a car, I can’t put extra money away” or “I like my $9.75 extra mocha latte with caramel every day Read more

Random Friday topic today is credit cards. Here’s two simple things: don’t hold a balance because the interest will destroy you and your credit rating. Second, get yourself a card (or maybe two at most…no need for 3) and find rewards that give you what you want. I have only held two cards my entire Read more

24 years ago I was at a business meeting. The meeting was supposed to have been held at the World Trade Center Marriott (WTC3) but they couldn’t come to contract on pricing and the meeting was moved to Newport, RI. All these years later I’m thankful that was the case. So when the meeting started Read more

For Booze Tuesday, we’re going to take a quick look at the oldest breweries in each state here in the USA. For reference however, to show how young a country we still are, the oldest operating brewery in the world is still Weihenstephan. Weihenstephan was a Benedictine monastery in Weihenstephan, now part of the district Read more

This financial topic can mean different things to different people. Kids cost a lot of money…that’s one way to think about it. But that is not today’s focus. Ask a young child which is worse: Not being able to pay the mortgage or not being able to get that ice cream cone after dinner? First Read more

Doesn’t really feel like Fall here in NJ during the daytime but evenings and nights are getting cooler and dropping into the 50s. Since I live in “the Garden State”, now is a great time for all our vegetables and peppers (even our tomatoes are doing fairly well still). I was given some butternut squash Read more

Today’s sports = $$$ topic is not what you’re thinking. We all know professional athletes, and now college athletes with the ability to cash in with NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) are raking in some serious money. But that’s not what I’m talking about because 99.99% of our kids aren’t going to become professional athletes. They Read more

With schools starting back up recently and colleges in full swing, I’m sure parties are happening all over the majority of campuses around the world. I certainly remember (vaguely) my early days at the University of Delaware. The freedom of no parents and nobody telling you what you can and can’t do. Things can really Read more

With yesterday being a holiday here in the US (Labor Day), I’m just going to be off topic this week. So NO, the Appalachian Trail has nothing to do with Finances or Booze (as far as I know). But with Emily home from college (after one whole week) we decided to take Sunday as a Read more

Here’s a heavy Friday topic: School shootings in the US. Depending where you live, school may have started in your town. Here in NJ, most don’t start until after the Labor Day weekend. So even though our area hasn’t started school for the 2025-2026 school year, others schools are in session and have already had Read more

One of the ways you know you have a true friend is that you could go days, weeks, months, or even years without speaking and when you reconnect, it’s like no time has passed and there is no blame as to why one of you haven’t reached out sooner. You are both just happy to Read more

Many years ago (probably close to 30) I was hanging out with my buddy Jeff and his father. We were making dinner, relaxing, having some drinks and then his dad pours us a couple glasses and says “have this”. Being college students, or possibly recently graduated, we wouldn’t turn down free booze. We drank it Read more

We made it…it’s Friday! I hope everyone had a good week and that there are some fun weekend plans ahead for each of you. Between all the travel, sports, activities, etc…we haven’t had much time for family get togethers this summer. So tomorrow we are gathering here on what is supposed to be a beautiful Read more

I think about how fast time goes with the kids sometimes and it brings me back to certain memories. All the trips we take and all the time we try to spend with them is so valuable, especially when you realize they become fewer as they go off to college and start their own independent Read more

As a kid I remember summer picnics, hanging out with family, and getting that sip of my Dad’s beer (usually the last warm ounce). I’m sure somewhere there is an old picture of me sitting on his lap with a can in my hands. Now back in the late 70s and early 80s, there wasn’t Read more