Saturday

Hey to all. Pretty quiet out there this week.

Nice early Spring day here today. High in the upper 40's. I've spent most of the day inside at the computer. Its that time of the year.

I don't think my picks, in any of the pools, are worth the paper that they are written on.

Roy took me to lunch at Crow today in order to give the needle to our friend Jimmy (who is a broker with Smith Barney) by wearing our new Criterium Financial hats. Jimmy is notoriously thin-skinned and Roy likes to yank his chain for the entertainment value. It worked. Actually, Jimmy had already called yesterday to call me "Hatman" for giving out hats earlier this week to a couple more of our mutual friends (who all have accounts with Jimmy). It really doesn't take much to entertain us.

I am asked occasionally about what I would do if I had the financial freedom to make any choice. It is not an easy question to answer. Preferably, I would do something with little or no stress. In my current position, I have the stress of any small business to have enough good clients in order to make enough money to make the business operationally comfortable and to provide a sufficent personal income. Beyond that, I have the stresses that come with providing financial planning services and advice. You can make mistakes. The client can fire you. The IRS can make your life miserable. Investments that you recommended can go bad. Employees can make errors that you have to make right for the client.

Excuse me while I slit my wrists.

If the dollars were there, I would probably find a small house on a cul-de-sac in Bettendorf. I have no interest in moving far away. My friends are here. But I would like a quieter place in a little nicer neighborhood. I would get up early like I do now and do coffee and the papers. Then catch up on the internet news and email. Work out. Do the crossword. Write the blog. Lunch. Dinner. I would definitely cook more often, particularly in the summer when I could grill out. Plan some one or two day trips to ride or go to some games.

As I sit and think about this and write it down, I don't think I'll have a problem retiring. I can absolutely fill my days with stuff I like to do. I just have to get through the next 3873 days (or thereabouts) with enough dinero, health and sanity to carry out the plan!

So, I hope all is well with all the readers. Be careful out there.