On a recent episode of a podcast I follow (I won’t tell you which one in case it would lower your opinion of me – if that’s even possible), the host was chatting away with the show’s supporting cast, and he made a comment about cars that struck me: the Ferrari that Tom Selleck’s character (and mustache) drove in the television series Magnum, P.I . takes longer to go from 0-60 than the latest model of the Mini Cooper S.   They thought he was pulling their legs, so one of his staff Googled the info while the host nattered on about some other things and quickly came back with confirmation that the 1983 Ferrari 308 GT goes from 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds while the 2017 Mini Cooper S can do it in 5.3 seconds.   Get out of town! The host of this podcast is a huge car aficionado (although that’s not the theme of his podcast), so he obviously knows his stuff.   However, I’d be willing to bet if you walked up to random people on the street and asked them to place ...

  There’s an old saying: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”   Personally, if I’m being honest, I believe the bird in the hand is worth a lot more than the two in the bush because, let’s be honest, we have no idea what those birds are doing in the bush and whether they’ve been taking care of themselves (working out and eating a healthy diet v. binge watching “Jersey Shore” and eating gluten).   I’ll just add this to the old saying: “But one that’s been plucked, roasted, and served up on a silver platter is worth the most.”    When submitting an offer on a house, there are generally three types of offers: 1.   Based on a pre-qualification (two in the bush) 2.   Cash (bird in the hand) 3.   Based on a qualified approval (plucked, roasted, and served)   Let me describe how the seller sees each type of offer (using “Jersey Shore” as my backdrop): 1.   Based on a pre-qualification: the buyer is basica...

  In 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River, and this became the focal point of reverence for America’s veterans.   Similar ceremonies occurred earlier in England and France, where an unknown soldier was buried in each nation’s highest place of honor: in England, Westminster Abbey; in France, the Arc de Triomphe .   These memorial gestures all took place on November 11 in universal recognition of the celebrated ending of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). The day became known as Armistice Day .   In 1954, to honor ALL veterans, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day.   While many people don’t know the origins of Veterans Day, there are as many people – if not more – who have a lot of misconceptions about a VA Loan.   Allow me to highlight and correct some of...

In the ‘80s and ’ 90s (I realize that was about a million years ago to many of you), there was a musician who had his share of the limelight and went by the name of Adam Ant (I’m about 175% sure he wasn’t bor n with that name).   At any rate, Mr. Ant wrote his own music and lyrics, and he was well known for having lyrics that made no sense – in fact, in many instances, he went out of his way to MAKE SURE they didn’t make any sense.   His 1985 hit “Vive Le Rock” is one such example with these opening lyrics: “Bang bang, you’re dead / Did not, did too / Stop diddy -bopping buddy / Bouncing Betty on you.”   Many people think the mortgage industry pulled an Adam Ant when it introduced Reverse Mortgages back in 1989 - the words were all in English, but the way they were arranged on the page just didn’t make any sense.   The easiest way to appreciate a Reverse Mortgage is to STOP thinking about a mortgage as a means to an end: owning your home outright with no fu...

Back when the 2017 baseball season started (what seemed like twelve years ago to many), the Los Angeles Dodgers had an overall payroll for their roster totaling over $240 million – that’s a lot of money for men who wear tights, eyeliner, and play a game for a living.   The next highest payroll was the New York Yankees at a little north of $201 million.   Facing the Dodgers currently in the World Series are the Houston Astros, and they started the season with a payroll of approximately $124 million.   Just for comparison’s sake, the Astros were #18 on the payroll list, meaning that there were sixteen teams beside the Dodgers who spent more on their rosters and did NOT make it to the Big Game (actually, it’s Games – plural – and they seem to drag on forever).   In essence, we’re witnessing a battle for jewelry (the highly coveted World Series Ring) and the chance to visit the White House without having to wait in line for a tour with one team paying $116 mi...

Do you have that friend or family member who pronounces a fairly common word incorrectly on a regular basis?   Or, do you know someone who’s pretty intelligent but consistently conjugates one particular verb incorrectly?   I have a friend of almost 20 years when something isn’t quite going his way, he gets “ fustrated ” – this friend is a very successful, college-educated professional who works with executives at the C level every day.   In the conjugation department, I have a relative who constantly says “I seen that” – I’m not sure if he knows that the word “saw” isn’t just something you use to cut through a log or plank.   The next time you find yourself in a discussion with a handful of people, watch for the use of the word “impact” and listen to the way it’s being used.   I’m willing to bet you’ll hear this phrase: “I was impacted by . . .”   Until relatively recently, the “translation” of that phrase would have meant that the person was, li...