Recent content by footenote

+1 Even if a safe, effective vaccine were discovered by year-end 2020, we're still at least another year away from the vaccine being affordably, widely available (much less administered). (And probably much longer than that.) We're consistently under-reacting to this reality because most of us...

This morning Carl Quintanilla tweeted an image of the stats on 50% of households reporting loss of income. The attribution reads Haver Analytics, DB Global Research as data sources.

Rianne - I am exactly where you are. Markets are rocketing today (6/8), despite 50% of US households reporting they lost (some if not all) income during the pandemic. Equities are floating on hope and Fed bandaids. My cash position is already higher than usual and I am strongly considering...

DH reports this morning that our Central Minnesota Costco is looking more restocked (not quite back to normal, but getting there). Having said that they are still out of ... toilet paper.

Think I may have had a brief, mild Covid-19 bout this past Sunday and Monday. Symptoms: Some shortness of breath (not extreme), crushing fatigue, chills. No cough, no fever. I will only know it was Covid, of course, if I eventually get an antibody test that comes back positive. I will...

Post script: Today I closed out my involvement. It turned out my brother's ex-wife and I were named as co-executors in the most recent will anyone could find. I emailed my ex-SIL a declination to serve as an executor. (I copied my adult nephews and snail-mailed her a signed, paper copy.) She...

Fascinating that Saudi Arabia has the reserve financials to kill Russia, one barrel-price-drop at at time, during a COVID19-driven depression of oil demand. Russia is utterly dependent on its petrochemical economy.

Your experience is very similar to my circumstances and your advice (and others' advice) is helpful to me - thank you.

Marie IG - Ex told me the will names his five kids (two from first marriage, three with her) as equal beneficiaries. Agree this is likely more trouble than anything else.

Assuming I am not named as executor (and I doubt I was), this is my current thinking. I can easily afford to write off the mortuary expenses; I wanted to do at least this for him.

To the best of my knowledge, Cosmic, he did not own any property in Illinois. I wasn't clear about that.

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses. I don't think I was named executor in the last will we know about. I'll get a copy of that will and go from there. I never had any intention of doing anything with the car myself. Nephew and I just put it in storage to prevent it being towed /...

My 56 year old brother died suddenly Feb 23. He was working a contracting job in Los Angeles with no family nearby. His eldest adult son and I have gotten mortuary arrangements underway, cleaned out his apartment and put his car in storage. My brother's most recent will was written when he...

My brother had poorly-controlled T2 diabetes for decades. I tried to persuade him to eat a low-carb diet. He would periodically claim he was doing it, but always went back to sugary drinks and food. Even losing three toes did not convince him. He felt very unwell at work Feb 21 and declined...

Good luck, Ed! You may experience "keto flu" the first week or two, but that will pass. I never would have believed that my sugar cravings could be eliminated, but I don't crave it at all. DH reversed his pre-diabetes diagnosis and lost a ton of weight. I went along for the ride and have lost...