jane, John handled all our investment stuff and I knew nothing about it.  After he died, I got all the investments from various things gathered and put with an Ameriprise financial advisor.  Several of my widowed friends from swimming had their portfolios with her and were very happy.  I had no hesitation about setting up an account with her office.  I pay her an annual fee and then I have two in-person meetings a year with her and another adviser to go over various investments.  Plus I get a monthly statement.  Over the four years I have been with the office, I have been receiving an amount deposited in my checking account each month, and withdrawn larger amounts for various unusual expenses, and the account now has more money in it than it did originally.  I am VERY happy with their care (and I do feel it's very personal).  Also my widowed daughter is planning to move her assets to the office after the first of the year. Just my experience - since it's been a very good one.

I got a call last week about my Grandson.  Seems he got a bit tipsy in town and got arrested     I played with this for a bit till the caller got mad and hung up.  Seems the fact that I don't have a Grandson didn't fit the situation 

My sister-in-law bit on the phone call about her grandson (she does have a grandson) being stranded in Chicago and needed $1800.  She withdrew the money from the bank, then went to a local supermarket to send the money.  The clerk convinced her that the call was bogus so she did not send the money.  Afterward, she got to thinking about several things that should have tipped her off.  She put the money back in the bank.  I just hope that I don't get so absent-minded that I would fall for one of those calls. 

One thing I did years ago was get Caller ID and if I don't recognize the number or name, I don't answer the phone.  It costs me $10 a month and is well worth the money. 

Mary Ann

Good morning, Every Buddy!  I've had a busy weekend.  One of my long-time Navy wife girl-friends and her significant other were traveling near me and called and have spent the weekend with me.  I was so glad to see Colleen and Matt and enjoyed having them here.  Colleen's first husband died about the same time that my hubby did.  We've been friends since our early Navy days together.

Rammel, I had that same call telling me my grandson was in jail and I panicked--almost gave the caller the money, but when I went to my bank to write a check, my banker told me that he was pretty sure it was not true and to just ignore it.  He also suggested I call the local police office--and they immediately sent out a patrol man to tell me that my grandson was OK and at home in Louisiana.  I was so relieved to get that information and called my son's family in Louisiana to talk to Alex. 

So Lesson learned.  I hope others who've received this type of call have ignored it and/or checked with their bank about this type of call.  The men calling me told me they were lawyers who could get my grandson out of jail! 

It's so alarming to receive such a call--and I'll never believe it if it happens again. So beware, and be cautious!

Sue

I wish they could find all these scammers...and, I know, most are outside the USA, but I still wish they'd find them and put them to work.  There must be "boilerroom" setups for these people to make multiple calls and to receive the money they're sent.  It must be very profitable, given how many there are.

The ones I get most are the IRS coming to lock me up, the "medicare advocate" who tells me my Medicare will be cut off if I don't order this "brace for my pain," and the "your social security number has been compromised/used in illegal trafficking, etc." as if it were a credit card.  I've finally turned my phone ringer off to stop those and the endless political calls.  People who want to talk to me can leave a message. 

The ones I've been getting recently begin with "Hello! This is you electric supply company calling with an apology."  It seems they've overcharged me on my last bill and they need my information to send me a refund.  The last one was immediately after I talked to the electric co. about renewing my automatic payment for my bill which is divided into equal monthly payments.  I was hardly off the phone with them when the call came through.  I almost laughed out loud before hanging up on them.

The ones where a real live crook talks to you are I suppose the most convincing. Or I should say, the only ones that don't immediately sound unconvincing. Even criminal enterprises have to pay their workers -- having a real person talk to you costs them something. So almost always what I get are calls where the speaker is a robotic artificial voice, the kind of voice used to read online texts for visually impaired people. It is difficult to imagine a legitimate business or a government agency using these robots. So even when the robot's pitch is well crafted (most aren't and many make telltale mistakes in English idiom), I discount its authenticity immediately. What the crooks are doing with the robot is to try to frighten you into calling a number, which is answered by a real live crook. The robot is a screening mechanism, used to cheaply weed out all but the most naive of prospective victims. Once and only once I actually called the number. I told the IRS imposter that in fact, I did not owe any back taxes. The imposter assumed an indignant tone, and said "F**k you!" -- as if he were the injured party. One of the weirdest things about life on this planet is the way predators actually get angry, sincerely aggrieved it would seem, at prospective victims who don't cooperate.

Not been in the market since I lost money in,was it 2008. Wonder if now would be time to buy a few just to watch and play with. I would not go big. Just a few for fun.

I believe people lost more money buying at what they thought were cheap prices after the '29 crash than people lost during the immediate crash. In other words, we should never assume we know that the market has hit bottom.
What I did when I started investing was to buy mutual fund shares in the minimal amount -- a few thousand dollars back then -- and every month add a few hundred dollars. If you buy over a long period of time you won't have to kick yourself for making the mistake of going in heavily at a time you learn later was a relative high point.

I'm just watching at this time and glad I didn't put all my chips in one basket.  Market holdings have sure taken a hit lately.

But, I remind myself, that is isn't a financial crisis as it was in 2008 and the economy, I believe will come back.     

I have been too busy for someone my age...

For health sake, I shop online groceries and set up the Pick-Up time.  It is so nice to open the trunk for the delivery person, check the order and I usually say substitutes are fine.  They even sign the OK because they have my credit card number stored.  Amazon just delivered office stuff & no signing required.  I sprayed the box with a disinfected solution.  They told us one person has the virus at work.  Here, in our community, there is an elderly gentleman who has the virus. 

It is good to get back on money matters.  I hope everyone stays safe and healthy.   

So here it is two years since the last post and I am still getting calls about my naughty grandson - of which I have none. The scammers never quit.
Also today war breaks out again - and the Stock Market dives 700 points. I got to thinking about why it dropped and realizes that I am not going to buy another thing till the war stops. I refuse to brush my teeth any more and that will ruin Colgate. ---- I just don't understand how it all works 

Rick...I've given up a long time ago trying to figure out how it all works...and I can't do anything about it.  You, at least, have decided to take action...

I can't control the stock market, so I just don't look when it's taking a pounding. 

I'm not buying much except groceries and heat and a bit of gasoline.  I'm content to stay here in my house and enjoy my gas stove and recliner and be warm and my belly full.  I don't need any more clothes...I don't go anywhere but the grocery and I'm so bundled up now they can't see my clothes, anyway. 

Stay safe and healthy,

jane

Looks like another down day at the Casino. Dow Down 6000 so far this year.  Beating up my IRA pretty bad   

********
Now a turnaround, and up/

I hope it is turning around, Rick, and continues to climb back up instead of this constant up and down.  I just checked last week's totals and really cringed at how much the value of my portfolios have gone down.  If this keeps up I will be back down to the original investment....well, at least that would reduce any capital gains taxes when my kids decide to sell everything after I am gone.   

Phyllis,  The taxable Tax level, or exemption is pretty high now. So Your estate would likely be under it with no Estate Tax (Unless it's something like 5 Mil)(Unless they lower it).  Your kids will get it at the "Stepped Up" value - the price on the date of death.  So, you want it to be high, not low.
But in this world we live in nothing is promised 
Have to go out now or I'd ramble more.

Looks like everyone's doing well.

The weather disasters in the SE are horrific.  Weather here in Iowa has been HOT and dry...and to continue, according to the weatherguessers on TV. 

I am wondering if I'm the only one who finds "streaming" frustrating.  It seems as if it is constantly "freezing" or whatever and it clicks my tv on and off.  Maybe I just don't get it.  But, the constant ads to add another "streaming" service are not gaining my dollars.     


jane

Jane, are you getting your TV over the air, or via cable?

That hot and dry is no good --- an invitation to fires.

Sorry for the delay, Rick.  I've been in N. WISC and am home and recovering from my first bout with Covid. 

We finally got rain last night...6-7 weeks with none and so lots of burn bans.  It's finally turning fall here with lower temps.  High 80s for end of Oct. is too hot for me.


My cable is fiber optic and on poles. 

jane

Looks like we're having that no rain problem also. I see stuff dying due to lack of water.

About streaming - I don't know much about it, but - Fiber should be well able to handle streaming. Is it possible your computer is not fast enough, or low on memory to receive and buffer it fast enough?

Covid is not fun. We had our bout here when it first showed up. Lasted five weeks. There was no specific treatment then. Now we take all precautions possible, even though it's not as bad now as it was initially.

Rick....I'm finally getting covid out of my system, I think.  Sure feel better, but a bit of cough still hangs on. 

I think this is something, like the flu, that may be around every year.   

I'm just thankful I don't have to get up and go to work somewhere.   

I don't watch tv on my computer, but on my TV.  Some programs just seem to stream smoother than others.  And, I haven't watched much since the elections...closing off that news.

Stay safe and healthy.

jane