Retired LAUSD Teacher

Book Review: Iaccoca, An Autobiography. Lee Iaccoca

Jack Bogle            Elon Musk             Lee Iacocca

  All three gentlemen are personal heroes!

I grabbed Lee Iacocca Autobiography paperback book from the giveaway table at my local public library. I did not intend to read the 1984 partially torn book from cover to cover until I came across this passage on page 169: “California is really the mirror into the future…California has contributed…

Open Letter to California’s Newly Elected Insurance Commissioner

January 14, 2019

The Honorable Ricardo Lara California State Insurance Commissioner

Dear Commissioner Lara:

RE: Insurance Code 770.3 is a consumer nightmare

You won the election because in your words, “…my allegiance will always be first and foremost to the consumers….” Congratulations on your victory for yourself and for California consumers (Click here for his full statement for running).

I…

Jack Bogle 1929-2019

Jack Bogle’s heroism takes many forms. His gifts are well beyond financial/investing/money and have affected my life big time. My late husband, Dan, and I loved this man for good reason. At the end of this blog, read the tributes of his life and legacy from mainstream media, financial news, professional financial industry, financial reporters and other famous investors such…

Retirement Living: All the Facts and Stats You Will Ever Need to Know

While my portfolio lost 1.97% of its value in 2018, the rest of my life went WAY UP! 2018 is one of those years I will not forget. This is what retirement living is all about, and recovering from Dan’s sudden and shocking death. There is a life after a loss, and after 24 years in the classroom, the business or the office. At the end of this blog post, I will explain how Vanguard is the financial…

Book Review: “TEACH and Retire RICH”

Review by Steve Schullo

I have known Dan Otter, the author of this terrific book, for 20 years. Daniel Otter’s seventh edition of TEACH and retire RICHshould be in the home library of every public-school teacher. In his short, 150-page, easy-to-read book, readers have everything you need to start or adjust your school district’s tax-deferred retirement plan. If you have a question about anything…

Can a Financial Adviser also be your friend?

Steve’s Note: Dave, (on the right) is my good friend. We had many dinners, lunches and went on a trip to Mexico’s Copper Canyon. He is more than a friend, he is a father figure that I never had, as my biological father died when I was 13. But Dave is NOT MY FINANCIAL ADVISER. A TALE of TWO CRISES A cautionary tale [lesson: never mix a financial adviser and a close friend)

by Guest Author: Jordon…

RE-Introducing myself to what I do, and WHY?

Hi all,

Since I am a retired teacher from Los Angeles Unified School District, some of you know who I am and why I write this blog, and that you might have heard me present at the investment workshops at UTLA (union headquarters).  I thought that would be a good time to re-introduce myself because I was recently interviewed by Tim Ranzetta, the founder of Next Generation Personal Finance.

Tim has…

Next Generation Personal Finance

Teaching Financial Literacy by Steve Schullo

  Next Generation Personal Finance Mission Statement: Our mission is to revolutionize the teaching of personal finance in all schools and to improve the financial lives of the next generation of Americans.

  Hi Los Angeles Unified School District colleagues, friends, and relatives,

  My typical mission for my blog is to educate teachers and anybody…

Ballroom Dancing Competition and Steve’s 2018 Mid-Year Portfolio Report

Ballroom Dancing is EXCITING! My Investment Portfolio is BORING. In this blog post, I will elaborate on this distinction to help prioritize and focus on what is valuable and what is not. As you already guessed, I find ballroom dancing more valuable and important than worrying about my portfolio in the wake of all the useless noise in the financial world.

Note: The Desert Classic DanceSport…

Michelangelo’s Famous Quote

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

“It is easy. You just chip away the stone that doesn’t look like David”

–Michelangelo Buonarroti’s answer to a question of how difficult it was to create his most famous work–David.

By Steve Schullo

  Anybody with common sense can manage their money successfully. Common sense is worth more than we think. In this blog post, I share what…

4 Ideas to Help Locate a Trustworthy Financial Adviser

Who can you trust best with your money? As you know my late hubby, Dan, and I have been doing it ourselves for 25 years. Since Dan died, I continue to self-manage my money. We stopped using a financial adviser back in the dark ages of the 1980s because we have gotten terrible and hideous conflicted advice. We never looked back even when we made massive mistakes in proper diversification. During…

The Taming of an Annuity Hater

Eleven ‘must have’ features to sell an annuity to an avid annuity LOATHER  by Steve

Hey there Mr. or Ms. tax-shelter annuity (TSA) insurance agent. I have a challenge. The 403(b)-advocacy community know how your industry can sell annuity contracts worth hundreds of millions in commissions to our professional colleagues—most are naïve public PreK-12 teachers.

Would you like a challenge that would…

Outhouse and Schizophrenia Part 2

How an Outhouse and Schizophrenia Led to Financial Independence

Part 2/2

$2,500 Saved When I met Dan

The best thing I found from the Center was my lifelong companion. Dan and I were meant for each other as we were on the same social, psychological and financial wavelengths. We had no money except the $2,500 that I had saved, two old VWs and some furniture—that’s it. Since we were young and had…

Outhouse to Frugality + Schizophrenia to College Graduate = Financial Independence

How an Outhouse and Schizophrenia Led to Financial Independence By Steve

Part 1 (of 2 parts)

I grew up on a northern Wisconsin dairy farm with Italian-American immigrant parents and grandparents. One major experience with frugal living is my family’s outhouse. It wasn’t until I was eight-years-old that my parents built an indoor bathroom complete with a tub! In 1950’s America, an indoor bathroom…

Addressing the Unthinkable Before It Suddenly Addresses You

A recent Wall Street Journal (April 28, 2018) article addresses two subjects most people are not comfortable talking about: personal finance and death. Mr. Kezak’s piece resonated with me. I have firsthand experience to share. Here is how I planned before a tragedy happens.

Two and half years ago, October 20, 2015, my life turned upside down. Just like that, Dan was gone–he* had little health…

Unexpected Advantages of Financial Literacy

Georgiana and me attending the International Film Festival Gala Fundraiser earlier this year at the Palm Springs Convention Center

American Cancer Society had an outdoor fundraiser. As a cancer survivor, we want to support a cancer cure. After a Tragedy, Financial Literacy will Help You Survive and Grieve, Recover and Reclaim Your Life 

By Steve

Let’s not kid ourselves. The mere discussion about…