As most know, books are my passion. For me, it’s all about gifting knowledge for the holiday season.

There’s nothing more exciting to me than to peruse used book outlets and antique stores that sell ancient reads for pennies on the dollar. Also, new book releases excite me. My reading topic interests vary. However, most tend to be business or macroeconomic trend related. 

With that:  Here are my top reads for 2025 and holiday gift idea for all the voracious readers along with a gift idea especially for an older parent or grandparent.

“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic." – Carl Sagan.

On many weekends, I can be found nose-deep in dusty volumes that rot on used bookstore shelves. Or I’ll rummage through boxes in poorly-lit

So, you need a financial advisor, but do you truly understand the full extent of the benefits? Consider these Magnificent Seven Concepts:

Concept One: Financial Advisors are NOT Portfolio Managers.

Most consumers believe that financial advisors are primarily investment selectors and asset managers. While these duties are valid, they are not at the top of an advisor’s list or priorities.

Many financial advisors outsource these duties to third-party experts in portfolio construction, analysis, selection, and rebalancing.

As a result, financial advisors are not usually the primary investment experts. Certainly, they study and understand the products available to them. However, a financial advisor is primarily responsible for holistically partnering with

Is money distress part of your life? Do the dollars & cents of poor decisions past sneak up on you and rattle around your house like chains? What if I could provide three ideas to tackle 2022’s financial ghosts and put them at rest for good?
Listen, ghosts of the financial past are notorious for creeping into the present, especially when holidays roll around. Oh, and watch out for the ghosts of the financial future. They’re dark and ominous and portend to money mistakes for generations!
Perhaps, you’ve unpacked an ornament from 30 years ago or got lost in memory while watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, then you understand.
Unfortunately, the ghosts of Financial Mistakes Past are sometimes not so kind. They aren’t warm and fuzzy, either.
Rattling chains of the

2021 isn’t over yet. So here are 10 smart money moves to make right now.
Saving money should be a year-round endeavor, but life gets in the way just like anything else. So with 2021 coming to a swift, thankful end, take advantage of the fourth quarter to accelerate your financial acumen, bolster your balance sheet and successfully springboard into the new year.

Tip One: Max Out HSA Contributions for 2021.
A Health Savings Account is a pre-tax savings miracle account. What other vehicle allows investors to sock money away triple tax-free? There’s no doubt HSAs have caught on with investors. According to Devenir’s latest survey, a national leader of investment solutions for Health Savings Accounts, the number of HSAs has now exceeded 30 million.
The popularity of

Income is the lifeblood of retirement. 
In Part 1, wisdom from the early chapters of Jim Otar’s new book about retiree income challenges is explored.

A one-person revolutionary.
In 2004, I discovered the work of Canadian-based planner and Chartered Market Technician Jim Otar. As a result of his work, I changed my approach to planning. Compared to conventional financial gurus, Jim’s research showcased how stock market cycles changed over time and negatively affected a client’s retirement income planning success, sometimes permanently.
My thought is he’s not popular with mainstream financial professionals who constantly tout a neverending bull market.
Bulls never seem to run out of steam to these folks. Jim showcases how markets truly behave:
Furthermore, the above