You have done it again.  No…not committing an all new offense designed for the sole purpose of annoying your significant other.  I am talking about the fact you have survived another whole year on the planet…and what a year 2016 has been.

Not all of us made it. Besides the endless flow of celebrity passings that seem to occupy “news” cycles, many of us lost people near and dear to us.  I extend peace for your sorrow.

Speaking of news, 2016 will go down in the books as one of the most news oriented years in history.  Of course, the biggest news was the Wicked Insurance Matters Radio Show with Greg Durette celebrated its first complete year of existence.  What the world would have looked like for those hundreds of millions of listeners that rely on the show for the very essence of their being…one cannot bear the thought of such tragedy.  Thankfully, we don’t have to.

The rest of the news below the fold reported, global conflicts, terrorism on the rise, a non-politician being elected POTUS, resurgence of the most dangerous “hippie” drug and of course, a national debt unlike anyone could imagine…and that’s just the beginning!

There were some good things mixed with bad but, it all comes together to form the fabric of our collective comforter.  I will review these events and many others, as well as connect the dots on how all these things make a difference in your ability to earn save and retire. Click here to listen to the show titled, 2016…The Year in Review!

It may be considered by some to be my annual rant but, I prefer to consider it a healthy airing of my completely non-biased opinions (how’s that for an oxymoron!) in a tone matching the subject matter.

Fine.  Rant it is.

​Happy New Year!

Time to roll the fat man down the chimney, light the multi-pointed fire hazard and brace yourself for another cheery view of the holidays…courtesy of yours truly.  I can’t wait to bring you every bit of politically correct, culturally conforming, plain vanilla elements of this glorious season.

Believe that and I’ll know you have been hitting the egg nog a little early and hard!

This show will hopefully help to bring some sanity to an otherwise well-intentioned but crazy time of the year.  Sure, we will talk some stats and financial stuff but, with an eye on trying to understand why any of us do what we do for holidays and end of year planning.

I will even read you my relatively short Christmas blog which has picked up quite a bit of attention since I published it earlier this month.  Please be sure to tune out if you are too sensitive to hear the truth.

You are either going to love it or hate it.  Either way, I hope you call in and let me know.  There will not be a guest this week so you can feast on an entire 30 minutes of the golden throated, supple tones of me, Greg Durette!

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Greg

P.S. There are also other videos on YouTube at Future Secured Financial with Greg Durette.  You can navigate to all these social media via my website too.

​Regret.  What a fine thing.  Without it, we would not be able to enjoy the robust liquor and pharmaceutical markets we have in the world.  Cheers to washing down an anti-acid with a tumbler of scotch!

Not a fan of regret?  Well then, take heed of the advice from my guest on this next show.  He is John Phillips, a Certified Public Accountant and an MBA, with over 25 years experience in helping people and businesses make smart choices in tax planning.

BORING, right?!  If you think so, re-read the first paragraph.

Nobody likes to think of such things, especially around the holidays but guess what…the holidays happen at the END OF THE YEAR!  So strap in and learn a little about:

• Which expiring provisions you need to know about
• How certain retirement plan contributions will help or hurt you
• When you should accelerate or defer certain income or deductions
• The new dates for business filing deadlines
• Section 179 (I know, terminology…but you will love it!)

 
​Take charge of what you need to know and give up 30 minutes of your week to learn how you can make moves now to make your 2016 and 2017 better.  Since we will be focused on math, you can note 30 minutes will comprise only .28% of your entire week and only .0057% of just one year.  Don’t get me started on what that means for two years of benefit.  Seems like a good investment of time to me.

Tune in this Wednesday, 12/14/16 at 9:30am ET (or anytime thereafter via podcast) by clicking here to hear this latest installment of Wicked Insurance Matters Radio Show with Greg Durette. 

Contact: John Phillips/ 850-244-2690 / Email: [email protected]

Want to start a conversational nuclear war?  Just say Merry Christmas in a crowded room of strangers.  Men will rant, women will scream and children will cry at the very thought such a crude statement, so insensitive to all the other religions potentially present, would dare be uttered.  How exclusionary!  How insensitive!  How oppressive!

Such is often the case in our country and world these days.  Freedom of religion has morphed into a more exclusionary version of what is now freedom from religion.  That is, fear of religion.
What is everyone so afraid of?

If someone wishes you a Merry Christmas and you are not Christian, has some great insult been hurled upon you or rather, has someone tried to share their joy of the season with you in a way that is meaningful to them?

If someone of the Jewish faith wishes you a Happy Hanukah, have they foisted upon you an oppression from which only years of intensive psychotherapy can cure or, have they too expressed their joy from their perspective?

Since when did an expression of joy for a season or a holiday come with the pre-requisite the sender have a thorough background check done on the recipients’ religious history to make sure it fully complies with their beliefs?

Ah but, the naysayers have derived a wonderful solution to the risk of such a terrible affront.  We can just say, “Happy Holidays”.  To that end, we have all been assaulted by the chronically offended among us to accept and believe this to be the non-offensive, homogeneous phrase we can all embrace.

Hogwash.

Nothing can be inclusive if everything is excluded.  If the argument is this phrase includes ALL religious holidays, should someone not be MORE offended since so many holidays they do not celebrate have just been foisted upon them?!  If not, then the next logical conclusion is this phrase is holiday neutral, meaning, none are included.  So what then, is the point of uttering the phrase at all.  If everything is excluded, how then is anyone to feel Happy about some non-descript, non-existent holiday.  Kind of like saying, “Have a nice day” but, it happens to be winter when you do.

Imagine it now, a holiday filled with no symbols, no traditions and no meaning to anyone whatsoever.  Yeah!  We have eliminated the risk of offending everyone.  Happy Holidays, indeed.

The fact of the matter is, when someone wishes you a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukah or any other religiously based holiday expression, it is an expression of celebration and joy being shared with you.  Whether you are of that particular religion, another or none at all (yes Atheists, I am talking to you), it is meant with no ill will.  You could even look at it as an invitation to share your own beliefs right there on the spot.

And you know what, it will likely be received as your gift of yourself to that recipient.

The more we get out of our own way and let people simply express joy and happiness, the better this world will be. 

Keep seeking out vacuous, meaningless terms to describe non-existent things and you will get exactly that…meaningless non-existence for all.

​Merry Christmas to everyone!

Mention elder care and images of horrible places on par with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest come racing to mind.  The fact of the matter is, there right ways and wrong ways to manage our aging loved ones.  Without proper help and training, you are more apt to do things the wrong way.  That could have devastating results.
This is why I have asked Tena Scallan, author of The Ultimate Compassionate Guide to Caregiving, to be my guest this week.  Her book is considered by many to be the seminal guide for anyone involved in a caregiving situation.  It’s 405 pages cover every aspect you can imagine to help caregivers get access to the best advice and resources available. 
We will talk about:

• The big 3 elements of caregiving – emotional, physical and financial
• Tena’s journey which led to the writing of this book
• Why the healthcare system is failing caregivers
• Things you need to know if you are or about to become a caregiver
• Signs to look for if you are concerned about the quality of care your loved one is receiving

 
Tune in this Wednesday, 12/7/16 at 9:30am (or anytime thereafter via podcast) by clicking here to hear this latest installment of Wicked Insurance Matters Radio Show with Greg Durette.  Take 30 minutes and learn about how you can use this important resource to better be able to provide the level of care your loved ones depend on.
Check out more info on Tena by visiting her website: www.TheUltimateCaregivingExpert.com.  Contact: Tena Scallan / 850-687-0416 / Email: [email protected]
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