Posts by Brett King

If you picture yourself receiving long-term care at some point, you likely envision a medical professional sitting bedside, tending to your needs. However, the bulk of long-term care in the U.S. is actually provided by family caregivers.1 According to a recent Merrill Lynch study, 20 million Americans become caregivers each year. Moreover, family caregivers collectively…

As it turns out, income inequality can be an issue for all society, not just the poor. A new study of high-earning clients of a bank’s wealth management unit tracked the fortunes of male and female young adults to learn how income inequity would impact their lives. The assumptions had both genders starting out in…

Online shopping has become the norm in the Western part of the world. Experts say mature economies adopted e-commerce quickly because of its strong infrastructure and a trusting financial landscape.1 In other words, consumers could count on receiving goods ordered, vendors knew they would get paid and any conflicts were protected by a reputable credit…

We spend a lifetime working, building a career, raising a family, etc. Then we retire, and some unsuspecting acquaintance asks, “What do you do?” It’s a whole new ballgame now. This can be a difficult question for new retirees. Our gut instinct is to identify ourselves by our occupations — “I’m a lawyer,” I’m an…

Do you ever feel as if you don’t get enough done in a day? Many of us tend to do what we absolutely must, tackling easy tasks instead of launching into bigger projects or the pursuit of longer-term goals. In other words, we cook, clean, answer emails and catch up with the day’s news –…

They say variety is the spice of life. A variety of cultural experiences may even contribute to a longer life and cognitive sharpness. A new study links cultural activities, including exposure to other languages, as a strong influence in the way we learn, amass and assimilate new information.1 Some cultural influences may well impact longer…

A gene therapy treatment recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use against leukemia is priced at $475,000 for a one-time treatment.1 While it’s exciting that new treatments, including prescription drugs, appear to be getting closer to curing society’s most lethal diseases, many of us wonder how we can afford them. Even when such…

Anthony Melchiorri, the host of the Travel Channel show “Hotel Impossible,” says he prefers to stay in a roadside motel over a luxury hotel – as long as it has good online reviews. In his opinion, the mom and pop ownership model often leads to painstaking efforts for cleanliness, fresh flowers and a home-cooked meal…

As we grow older, many of us get wiser. We may become more comfortable in our own skin. We may get better at our jobs, have a more reliable income and begin to collect assets. We can gain a better appreciation of what’s important in life. We also can lose things. Some of us lose…

The recent security breach at credit rating service Equifax brings home the reminder that each of us must be ever-vigilant in protecting our private information.1 It can be easy to become lackadaisical. We expect companies with which we conduct financial transactions to keep our data secure. Unfortunately, hackers seem to be advancing their skills at a…