seniors aging gracefully

The need for financial security has always been a force in my life. While I grew up middle class, my father was a gambler which means, he lost a lot of what he earned working and we grew up knowing we could not rely on our parents to support us.

I started working in my teens and have not stopped until I came down with an autoimmune disease and had to retire. When I began making money in my 30s I knew I should think about investing. I bought my first house and began dabbling in stock trading. Real estate was a good investment but I knew that the returns on investing in stocks made more sense. At first I bought mutual funds in my Fidelity account. The returns were pretty steady but in the late 90s, during the dotcom craze, I started trading stocks, a lot, I am a gambler/risk taker. I did quite well but as they say, it is hard to catch a falling knife, and the rapid declines in tech stocks came quickly and seemed to have no bottom. So I sold all my stocks and while I had notable losses, I still did OK. I got back into safe mutual funds like energy.

Years ago, as things started picking up in tech stocks, I again began trading on my own. In recent years I have ridden the AI and crypto craze but these days I am again out of the stock market. The warning signs are all there, a serious correction is coming.

So what is a senior to do. I suggest safe investments with a solid dividend. And if you like tp take risks, buying land always makes sense, they’re not making any more of it. And don’t just rely on Social Security. It is clear that it will be cut, probably around 2033.

I want to add that if you like to invest in individual stocks, and yes over time the stock market is a good investment, consider investing in what you know. I very success asset manager used to go to the mall and observe which stores had the most traffic. When my kids were growing up, all the kids in my community shopped at A and F. As a kid in Philly, Urban Outfitters was big so I followed their stock and several years ago I really enjoyed the breakfasts at First Watch, which has been a pretty good stock.

If you think I have a pretty good grasp of economics, check out my understanding of mental illness

Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity – Payhip