July 31, 2014

Captain & Tennille Divorcing

           Love Cannot Keep Them Together!  If a late in life divorce can happen to a couple after 40 years of marriage, it can happen to anyone.  Couples may have any number of reasons to split relatively late in life.  Perhaps they realize after decades together and raising children, they no longer have anything in common.  Or maybe at retirement they find themselves less than thrilled at the prospect of spending a big chunk of their time together.

           Or, maybe something else.  Darryl (The Captain) said he had no idea why his wife Toni was divorcing him stating he was still living in the house.  Toni had said in 2012 that they would no longer tour together since Darryl’s hands were trembling too much to play the keyboard.  It sounds like Darryl may have a Parkinson’s type of disease and may really not be aware of a divorce because there is no disharmony.  Toni may have created a divorce in order to transfer the assets from him to her and then, once he is impoverished, can qualify for Medicaid so the rest of us can pay for his medical care.  Maybe, or maybe not.

           In any event, if you think you may be in this predicament and need a divorce lawyer or planning, please call us for a consultation.

Back at Prerecession Employment Levels

           The news has been trumpeted that we are back at the prerecession high of employment levels.  No need to celebrate.  This means that for the past 6 years, all graduates have been employed and nobody entered the work force.  They would have added to the unemployment levels had they been hired, then laid off and were LOOKING for work.  If they are NOT LOOKING, they are, by definition, NOT UNEMPLOYED.  Also, 33 states have not gotten back to their prerecession employment levels, so the recovery is very uneven.

Summer Reading

           Just finished “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw.  Not the book I thought it was.   I thought it was all about WWII adventures.  Instead, it was so much more and better.  It described the lives of those in that generation in terms of what they did in WWII on the home front or in uniform, as well as, what they did before the war and how the war changed their lives.  The book delves into the thoughts and philosophies of the generation’s members including their thoughts on the generation of their children, the Boomers.

           What I found most surprising was the description of the poverty in America not only in the 30’s, but after WWII and how this generation started to rectify that in their own quiet and direct way.

           What I found next most surprising was that Tom Brokaw, a known liberal, wrote this from the viewpoint of a Midwestern conservative.

           Heartily recommend it.

Retiring Thoughts

           By 2020, it is projected that 50% of the workforce will be composed of independent contractors and craftsmen.  One of the consequences of this will be that the 90-year social experiment in the U.S. of the collectivization of labor will have reversed.  This is how America used to look before industrialization.

           It means to those 50% that they will have to provide for those benefits that corporations generally provided for their employees, such as access to retirement plans.  This 50% will have to set up their own retirement plans to provide for their later years.

           If you need help in planning for this area, we can help you.

Old Hat

           Lately, there is talk of two economies, one for the wealthy and educated and one for the rest of the population.  The first consists of those who are participating in the “knowledge’ economy and are benefiting from the enormous changes in how we do things, i.e. use of the internet and all that it affects.  The other economy is based upon the historical use of brawn.

           The talk in the media is that this is somehow new and unprecedented and we are therefore unprepared for it and there might be something shady or otherwise wrong about this.

           I say to those to whom this is a new idea, that thirty (30) years ago this was predicted and discussed in Alvin and Heidi Toffler’s futuristic books, Future Shock and The Third Wave.  I read those books; the idea is old hat to me.

Invention

           The invention of the teenager was a mistake.  Once you identify a period of life in which people get to stay out late but don’t have to pay taxes – naturally, nobody wants to live any other way.  Judith Martin 

           As always, if you have any questions about these or any other matters, do not hesitate to call us.

           Remember, We’re Here For You!