The Means AND the Ends

The Means AND The Ends is the recognition that "getting there" is at least as important as where you're going. These posts are a curated collection of articles I've written as well as interesting finds that can be serious, humorous, and sometimes skeptical about investing and saving for retirement while being mindful that we must enjoy the ride all along the way.

3 Reasons to Delay Social Security Benefits | Personal Finance | mooresvilletribune.com

Financial Planning, Retirement, Social Security

Social Security benefits become available at age 62, and that’s the most popular age to claim them. But just because it’s possible to get your benefits so early on doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, many experts recommend waiting a full eight years from the date of eligibility, claiming them at 70 instead.

While it may seem odd to give up getting monthly checks for years, there are actually a few really great reasons why you might want to delay the start of your benefits as long as possible.

Read the entire article: 3 Reasons to Delay Social Security Benefits | Personal Finance | mooresvilletribune.com

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Health Insurance Losses Soar In California, Other States | Patch

Health & Fitness

CALIFORNIA — As the number of daily coronavirus cases continues to hit record levels in the United States, a staggering number of people in California and elsewhere have lost their health insurance benefits due to coronavirus-related job cuts.

According to a new study by Families USA, a nonpartisan consumer advocacy group, 5.4 million non-elderly Americans reported losing their health insurance between February and May.

Read the entire article: Health Insurance Losses Soar In California, Other States | Patch

Health Insurance Losses Soar In California, Other States | Patch Read Post »

The 2006 Origins of the Lockdown Idea – AIER

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Travel

Now begins the grand effort, on display in thousands of articles and news broadcasts daily, somehow to normalize the lockdown and all its destruction of the last two months. We didn’t lock down almost the entire country in 1968/69, 1957, or 1949-1952, or even during 1918. But in a terrifying few days in March 2020, it happened to all of us, causing an avalanche of social, cultural, and economic destruction that will ring through the ages.

There was nothing normal about it all. We’ll be trying to figure out what happened to us for decades hence.

How did a temporary plan to preserve hospital capacity turn into two-to-three months of near-universal house arrest that ended up causing worker furloughs at 256 hospitals, a stoppage of international travel, a 40% job loss among people earning less than $40K per year, devastation of every economic sector, mass confusion and demoralization, a complete ignoring of all fundamental rights and liberties, not to mention the mass confiscation of private property with forced closures of millions of businesses?

Read the entire article: The 2006 Origins of the Lockdown Idea – AIER

The 2006 Origins of the Lockdown Idea – AIER Read Post »

5 Rules on How to Win Any Argument

Behavioral Finance, Industry

Let me start out by saying, Lord above I hope I am wrong. I hope everything I lay out here is ridiculous, never comes to fruition and that all the happenings in the world today lead only to progress in freedom, in opportunity for all and in a better country for our next generations. I will wildly dance upon the grave of my wrongness alongside my critics if that happy scenario plays out. The horrifying problem is, I don’t believe I am. But my hope is that his blog gives you a way to fight back, to better articulate your views, to win debates with rationality.

Read the entire article: 5 Rules on How to Win Any Argument

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Visa Waivers, Vouchers, Flight Discounts and Other Travel Lures – The New York Times

Lifestyle, Travel

In some countries where Covid-19 cases are receding, governments are attempting to entice travelers to help save battered tourism industries with offers of discounted flights, vouchers for local attractions and free entry to tourist sites. A few are even offering to pay travelers’ medical expenses if they are infected with the virus.

For now, Americans living in the United States are prohibited from entering almost all of these countries because of the high level of Covid-19 cases at home.

Read the entire article: Visa Waivers, Vouchers, Flight Discounts and Other Travel Lures – The New York Times

Visa Waivers, Vouchers, Flight Discounts and Other Travel Lures – The New York Times Read Post »

As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Daily Deaths and the Case Fatality Rate Continue To Fall – Reason.com

Health & Fitness

As COVID-19 cases surge in the United States, both daily deaths and the crude case fatality rate continue to decline. There are several plausible explanations for those seemingly contradictory trends, including expanded testing that identifies more mild cases, a younger mix of patients, and improved treatment.

Nationwide, the number of newly identified COVID-19 cases hit a record high of more than 57,000 on July 2, up from fewer than 20,000 on Memorial Day. That number had dropped to 44,530 as of yesterday. During that same period, the number of daily deaths, which peaked at 2,749 on April 21, fell from 636 to 251.

Read the entire article: As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Daily Deaths and the Case Fatality Rate Continue To Fall – Reason.com

As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Daily Deaths and the Case Fatality Rate Continue To Fall – Reason.com Read Post »

As Delayed Tax Day Approaches, Consider What You Get for Your Money – Reason.com

Industry, Taxes

Flattening the curve on COVID-19 has meant flattening the curve on tax season, too, pushing everything down the line a bit so that the final day to hand over the government’s cut of our hard-earned income comes up on July 15.

That’s given us an unparalleled opportunity in a time of crisis to assess what we’re getting for our money. Amidst the smoking ruins of 2020, it’s understandable if you regret every penny you’ve ever surrendered to a tax collector.

The year 2020 should stand forever as evidence that, rather than a solution, government is often a cup of gasoline just waiting to be thrown on a fire. The spark this time was a tiny, but deadly, virus.

Read the entire article: As Delayed Tax Day Approaches, Consider What You Get for Your Money – Reason.com

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Break the Monotony to Spark Inspiration | Evernote Blog | Evernote Blog

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle

Sometimes, great ideas come out of nowhere. Maybe you’ve been focusing on a tough problem for days with no end in sight, and then—poof—a creative solution falls in your lap.

These flashes of brilliance rarely happen when you’re parked at your desk all day, zeroed in on a single project. While it’s important to focus, too much focus on one thing can cause a kind of mental tunnel vision, closing you off to new ideas. As a result, your work can begin to feel mundane and uninspired.

Read the entire article: Break the Monotony to Spark Inspiration | Evernote Blog | Evernote Blog

Break the Monotony to Spark Inspiration | Evernote Blog | Evernote Blog Read Post »

Interstate Travel Restrictions Are Just Political Posturing – Reason.com

Health & Fitness, Industry, Lifestyle, Travel

We’ve come a long way from the March day when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened to sue Rhode Island over restrictions on travelers from his pandemic-hotspot state. Now, questions about reasonableness and legality are out the window as New York joins with Connecticut and New Jersey to effectively close their borders to people from states more recently hard-hit by COVID-19.

There’s a strong hint of tit-for-tat in a move that has little to do with health and a lot to do with regional and political posturing in a not-so-united country. The interstate chest-puffing might have some entertainment value, but Americans shouldn’t feel any obligation to obey the pointless rules.

Read the entire article: Interstate Travel Restrictions Are Just Political Posturing – Reason.com

Interstate Travel Restrictions Are Just Political Posturing – Reason.com Read Post »

Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is ‘very rare,’ WHO says

Health & Fitness

Government responses should focus on detecting and isolating infected people with symptoms, the World Health Organization said.

Preliminary evidence from the earliest outbreaks indicated the virus could spread even if people didn’t have symptoms.

But the WHO says that while asymptomatic spread can occur, it is “very rare.”

Read the entire article: Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is ‘very rare,’ WHO says

Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is ‘very rare,’ WHO says Read Post »

The Best Summer Food and Wine Pairings for At-Home Activities – Coveteur

Lifestyle, Travel

Summer 2020 is going to be different than those that have come before it. Instead of block parties, we’re opting for pared-down backyard barbecues. Instead of graduation parties, we’re cooking an intimate dinner with the family.

However, these swaps we’re making as we take social-distancing protocols into account do not mean that we can’t have a great time—we just have to get more creative.

An easy way to up the ante on a low-key activity is to experiment with food and beverages. We tapped winemakers from two wineries, Penfolds in Australia and the Joseph Phelps Vineyard in the Napa Valley, to share their expertise on wine and food pairings for every (socially distanced) summertime activity. Whether you’re snuggling up for a cozy movie night or finding new ways to celebrate milestones, they’ve shared ways to excite your palate at even the simplest event.

Read the entire article: The Best Summer Food and Wine Pairings for At-Home Activities – Coveteur

The Best Summer Food and Wine Pairings for At-Home Activities – Coveteur Read Post »

Daily COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S. Have Fallen Dramatically Since April – Reason.com

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle

Amid concerns about post-lockdown increases in COVID-19 infections, there is one striking piece of good news: Daily deaths from the disease in the United States have fallen dramatically since April, and that downward trend has continued into June. Even taking into account the average lag between laboratory confirmation and death—about two weeks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—the loosening of restrictions on movement and economic activity that began at the end of April so far has not led to the surge in COVID-19 deaths that many lockdown supporters predicted.

Read the entire article: Daily COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S. Have Fallen Dramatically Since April – Reason.com

Daily COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S. Have Fallen Dramatically Since April – Reason.com Read Post »

Breweries Are Launching Almost Half As Many New Beers This Summer | Food & Wine

Lifestyle

Summer is in sessionOver the past generation of beer drinkers, brand loyalty has fundamentally shifted. Time was, you had one favorite beer, you attempted to only drink that favorite beer, and you vehemently argued with people who had a different favorite beer.

But modern beer lovers tend to be box tickers: The Untappd generation wants to check-in as many different beers as possible, and though they may still have favorite breweries, they’re more concerned about that brewer’s newest release

Read the entire article: Breweries Are Launching Almost Half As Many New Beers This Summer | Food & Wine

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Food Bank Receives 33-Year-Old Tin of Anchovies | Food & Wine

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle

Anchovies canOne man’s trash certainly can be another man’s treasure—but that expression probably doesn’t hold true when we’re talking about 33-year-old fish.

So maybe that explains why someone happily gave a British food bank a tin of anchovies to with a “best before” date of April 1987. Last week, the Norwich Foodbank in Norfolk, England, posted a couple of photos of a 1.76-ounce box of fillets of anchovies in oil

Read the entire article: Food Bank Receives 33-Year-Old Tin of Anchovies | Food & Wine

Food Bank Receives 33-Year-Old Tin of Anchovies | Food & Wine Read Post »

Amtrak’s Sleeper Cars Make for the Perfect Socially Distanced Trip | Travel + Leisure

Lifestyle, Travel

Amtrak sleeper carStriking the balance between wanting to get away while ensuring you can physically distance while doing so — Amtrak’s private rooms check off all the boxes for a safe vacation.

Hearkening back to an older and slower style of travel, a train journey can provide a relaxing way to take in the scenery and a private room provides a way to do that while limiting your exposure to other passengers.

“As a truly unique experience when traveling by train, private rooms [offer] our customers added privacy, comfort, and space to enjoy the journey without having to worry about maintaining social distance,”

Read the entire article: Amtrak’s Sleeper Cars Make for the Perfect Socially Distanced Trip | Travel + Leisure

Amtrak’s Sleeper Cars Make for the Perfect Socially Distanced Trip | Travel + Leisure Read Post »

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