OldTimer's blog

My opinion, shared by the seasoned:  The law of contrary investing is, in essence, when everybody is running one way, you should be going the other way.  Definitely don't become part of the panic crowd.  Slowly, carefully, and above all, steadily acquire that which is available at a bargain price.  Think about it.

Given the current economic conditions internationally, people should consider these age old words of wisdom:  My humble opinion, learned over many years:

Easy does it.  Have a plan for your future, and stick with it.

Timing is everything.  (While it is important to know that you should buy things when the prices / interest rates are low, and sell them when prices are high, it is also important to know that by putting your comprehensive financial plan into place NOW, the compounding gains in value will go to work for you sooner.)

WASHINGTON DC (A Parody) -  In a spectacular conclusion to a 4.5 billion year legacy, the world ended today, leaving traffic snarled for miles.  Commuters found themselves sitting in what at first seemed like a usual morning rush hour, until they realized that there was nowhere to go.  John Smith, who has made the one hour journey from his home to his office for the past two decades, said he turned around and went home after hearing of the big development.  “I barely made it home”, said Smith, “And then I realized that my car was out of gas and there was nowhere to fill up.  So, the wife and I are just going to tear the top off the darned thing, fill it in with dirt, and plant flowers.”  Smith is taking it all in stride, though, and says that he doesn’t regret it.  “I came to hate cars”, he said.  “They just became symbols of our commitments to be places.  Now we can finally take a much needed break.”  Smith added that along with the loss of mobility comes certain relief:  “There are no more banks, no more mortgage companies, no anything”, he said.  “What a relief.  We can finally make ends meet.”

My learned opinion for all of you youngin's and not-so-youngin's out there:  This stock market / diversified investing, is the stuff of which millionaires are made.  Most average folks are in a panic right now.  Before you sell your investments, do some homework.  You will learn that diversified investments are for long-term investing... 10 years or more.  Right now, disciplined investors are the ones who will win big down the road.  The investments you currently have are re-investing earnings, or buying, at bargain prices.  The investments you should be buying, each and every month or more, are being purchased at bargain prices.  That's called dollar cost averaging, which is an age-old proven technique.  You may not see it now, but the buy low / sell high methodology is in play.  If you are likely to live for 20 years or more, you should be slowly buying stocks (ETF's or mutual funds).

I saw this recently and liked it:  "If guns kill people, do pens misspell words?"  To me, it encompasses the concepts of personal freedom and personal responsibility.  Aren't those the things that America is all about?

I submitted the following as one of my first blogs.  Even though the election is now over, and perhaps especially now that the election is over, it still applies.  If your candidate(s) didn't win, give this some thought, and get on with your life:

Bitterness, hatred and the desire for revenge slowly but completely corrode from within the vessel which carries them.  They are the fuel of an agonizing process of self destruction, and a certain recipe for discontent.

Righteousness heals, strengthens and sustains.  Do not go forward blindy, oblivious to reality or in a pollyanna fashion, but cherish and nourish those things that are good within themselves: Among them are truth, honesty, self respect and compassion. 

Voters, like juries, usually get it right.  Historically, they see through the smoke screens and make their decisions based on their common sense.  And, if there is one thing that tends to tick them off, it is being lied to.

Mike Taylor indicated that his wife can't even shop in Clay County because our crime is so out of control, and that of all places, she shops in Jacksonville.  The old timers I know, and the rest of the folks who shop routinely in Clay County, are rolling their eyes, and suggesting that Mike and his wife move to Jacksonville where they will feel safer.<

Fleming Island Real Estate Agent Mike Taylor says he wants to be Sheriff of Clay County, Florida.  Taylor, 42, says he worked in law enforcement for about 18 years, although he left that field for a few years to work in the insurance industry.  He then worked primarily as a body guard for Florida governors, which comprises most of his of his law enforcement career.  Prior to working in law enforcement, Taylor was a Mormon Missionary, serving in Peru.  Taylor has not worked in law enforcement in the recent past, but his real estate license remains active.

Taylor picked up the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police, which has been at impasse with the current Sheriff, Rick Beseler.  Beseler, 54, has trimmed Sheriff's Department spending, sending two million dollars of unused money back to county taxpayers, but angering union bosses who demand more benefits and protections for their members.  Some other union bosses sympathetically sided with the FOP, but reportedly, rank and file union members are increasingly siding with Beseler.  Also, a special magistrate has ruled in Beseler's favor.  According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement statistics, despite its fiscally conservative approach, the Clay County Sheriff's office has a lower rate of most serious crimes, per capita, than that of surrounding counties.

Well, I just read the live blog with Gary Newman.  I really respect that man, and I certainly wouldn't have a problem with him as sheriff.

I made it clear in my previous posts that I think we currently have a great sheriff, but if the voters choose not to re-elect Sheriff Beseler, then we must have Gary Newman.

The world is full of retired folks who have worked and saved all of their lives, only to find that they have to, or want to, go back to work. 

Today's Americans, as a whole, don't save very much or plan well enough for the future, but some of them do.  Some of them made a choice early in life to start retirement accounts, and some made a choice early in life to give up high-paying opportunities so that they might one day, with persistence, reap the benefits of a pension.  Those who stick it out should be applauded for taking on the task of providing for their own future.  Those who don't are sometimes jealous of those who have.