Since I had no earned income in 2025, my tax refund is
Continue readingWelcome to the blog
I’ve seen a few articles on the Internet lately trying to determine how much money we need for early retirement. A lot of it has to do with your lifestyle. If you are someone who likes to travel, eat out, or go to shows, you may need more money to
Continue readingZero Refund Zero Tax
Since I had no earned income in 2025, my tax refund is zero dollars. My investment income was less than the standard deduction, so I didn’t have to pay any tax. This is the 5th year in a row with zero refund and zero tax. In 2025 I did not
Continue readingTrump’s War with Iran
As of today (March 8th, 2026), Trump’s war with Iran has pushed my investment portfolio down by almost $15,000 in the past week. I asked Google AI if the president has the power to declare war on another country and this was the answer: “No, the U.S. President does not
Continue readingDivorced Spouse/Survivor Benefits
My girlfriend has reached her full retirement age for Social Security. But she wants to delay her application until she turns 68. The monthly payment would increase by $89. Since her ex-husband is still alive, and they were married for more than ten years, she could apply for divorced spouse
Continue readingArby’s Gift Cards
I want to put out a warning about the trouble we had trying to use an Arby’s gift card. The gift card was for $50 and was obtained from an online casino. I have cashed out many gift cards, but this was the first one for Arby’s. With your online
Continue readingBitcoin Has Lost Its Way
I have been watching Bitcoin from the beginning and currently do not have any money in it. The original vision was that it would be a decentralized digital currency. That means removing the need for central banks or government control. But as soon as they allowed crypto ETFs and options
Continue readingMN Home Values Drop
Typically, when interest rates go down, home prices increase. But, here in Minnesota, the value of my home on Zillow.com has dropped by $20,000 in the last 3 months. I can only attribute this to Trump’s immigration enforcement actions in the state. With all of the bad publicity lately, no
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