We actually read newspapers

Picture this:  dad in his easy chair reading a newspaper.  Something out of Norman Rockwell, right?  But that’s how I grew up.  Either the New Haven Register or the Hartford Courant were delivered by a paperboy.  Dad brought the Wall St. Journal home every day for me to ...

Taking on a new client

When we agree to do financial planning for a new client, we do, of course, ask a lot of questions.  Notice I said, when we agree.  The implication here is that we do not take on everyone who comes to us.  After an initial interview we can usually tell whether the potential cl...

Money and Credit

As I mentioned in my introduction, my parents are products of the Great Depression.  It was my mother who first taught me about money and budgeting – she controlled the family purse strings.  Dad was the breadwinner, and he brought home cash each month and turned it over to my moth...

Ladies & Gentlemen

As I mentioned earlier, my grandfather was a prominent businessman in the Italian community, with a location downtown New Haven.  My mother worked for him off and on doing the books, and I’d often go in with her and grandpa would find some small task for me to do.  One day the ta...

Virtue signaling

Virtue signaling.  What a term.  Having to show the rest of the world how virtuous you are.  Done by putting up appropriate banners at your house, driving one of those teeny tiny Smart Cars, or an electric vehicle, or some such.

I’ve got news for you young people – you should take...

Things I promise never to do (in no particular order):

• I’ll never dye my hair or moustache or goatee. Looks ridiculous on a man, IMO.
• I’ll never wear shoes with Velcro straps.
• I’ll never wear horizontal stripes. Haven’t since I was about 10. 
• I’ll never wear socks with sandals.
• I’ll never wea
...

Mr. Downing, if you please

Picture it:  I’m checking into a hotel after two different flights.  Just taken the shuttle to the hotel.  I know the drill, so I hand my driving license and credit card to the bright young thing behind the counter, who says, Welcome, Glenn!

Am I the only one this bother...

Frenchy Duffnuts

We had a family friend growing up named Evelyn.  Evelyn was a widow of many years, and a professional travel agent.  Fascinating person.  She’d gather groups of travelers together and take them all on a trip somewhere – usually in Europe.  My grandparents traveled with her many tim...

Collections vs. Experiences

This is another topic that arises from my financial planning practice.

It is my generation’s habit to make collections of prized or valued items.  To this day I have my book collection and my music collection.  Mrs. Downing collects Wedgwood Blue Jasper (pictured here) ...

Now for the fitness part. 

This post is # 2 in my fitness journey.  If you haven't read #1, you can find it here:  https://www.cameron-downing.com/blog/physical-fitness-at-68-and-weight-loss-part-i

Watch some older people walk:  they shuffle, or their steps really aren’t steps at all; they’re mere...

At a physical crossroads

At 69 there I can feel my age.  But it is only about the last year or two that I’ve noticed a definite slowing down.  Which begs the question:  What am I going to do about it?  Fight it or accept the inevitable?

As I look around at other men my age, to generalize, I see me...

 Tattoos

As many of my readers know, I’ve done a good bit of traveling over the last several years, teaching 4-day Live Review classes to students preparing to take the CFP exam.  The exam is offered in March, July, and November, so the months before that were my busy travel times.  I taught my las...