Valentine’s Day is creeping up on us and so is as well as Tax Collecting time. Although completing tax forms does not feel like love to me, it is a fact of life for all of us. Information has already started to flow so at our house we set aside one folder for everything to gather. Don’t organize, just gather. Put a piece of paper in the folder to write down questions for your tax advisor (maybe even for me). That’s enough action for February.
1099 forms will begin to disseminate on January 31, but they come in stages depending upon the investments you hold. They are also available through AdviceWorks, if you want to beat snail mail.
February also brings about Presidents Day (Feb. 17), scheduled to honor Presidents past. First there were two; Washington and Lincoln, and now theye are combined. I enjoy stories about these Presidents, but I realize the incredible things ordinary people accomplish, too. Every day I talk to people who have set their goals and are working hard to achieve them - and some are realizing the rewards of their effort. One thing I have learned from the lives of Washington and Lincoln, they didn’t suddenly rise from obscurity to the Presidency. It took time and hard work. We will be closed on Presidents Day working on ‘not hard’ work.
We are actively looking for another advisor to join the team. If you know someone who has Securities Licenses (Series 7 and 66), has a life insurance license and 2-3 years of experience, let us know. They don’t have to live in Napa but will need to come to the office three days per week.
On another topic – retirement. What does one do in retirement? Somewhere between working and not working. I have found that there seem to be three categories of activities; travel, hobbies and volunteering. Over the next few months, I am going to dive deeper into each category and provide some ideas. Nani has been retired for almost two years and is beginning to get the hang of it. She’s busy taking care of her dad two days per week, doing church work another day or so and playing with the grandkids. In nicer weather, there is a vegetable garden to tend and we are working on travel plans (Yosemite in May). She comes into the office a few days per week but I think that’s more about having the computers and printers here. We still need to dig deeper to provide some richness. It’s like homemade soup. Sure you can get soup in a can but we love taking the leftover turkey bones after Thanksgiving and turning it into soup. Takes a bit of doing but it so much better. The same rule applies to retirement. You can toss a dart toward a globe and say let’s go there. Take some time to learn what is there; historical sites, great restaurants, regional cooking or incredible views. Let’s wring out as much as possible from retirement! More to come.