- My employer offers both a traditional and Roth option. Should I be making Roth or traditional contributions?
- I’m interested in converting money to a Roth IRA. How much tax will I owe, and when is the best time to do it?
- I want to become financially independent well before most people retire. What’s the best way to do it?
- How do I eliminate my high-interest debt as quickly as possible?
- How can I improve my credit score?
- I need help with my 401(k). What investment options should I choose?
- Is buying a house a good idea in the current economy? What about rental property?
These are the types of questions I answered in my Best Money Newsletter. Each offering, which was published every Full Moon, contained an in-depth look at a timely financial topic. This treasure trove of information, which I maintain and update, is cataloged here for your education and enjoyment.
Best Money Newsletters
Musings from the Tick Farm
I always ended my newsletters with this section, where you could get to know me a little better. Here are some highlights (more to come).
Baby Horned Owl
(from May 5, 2023) This is the time of year when a lot of animals have babies, including Great Horned Owls. We call their babies Pterodactyls because they look and sound like little dinosaurs, with their gangly, too-big bodies and calls that don’t sound anything like an adult “hoot.”
We hear them all the time, wailing for Mom in the trees, but rarely do we get to see a baby chick up close. Until this last Tuesday morning. As is my habit, I rose early and was writing away in my chair in the kitchen. At around 5:15 am, there was a ruckus on the front porch. I looked through the door’s glass. Nothing. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and closed it behind me.
It was cool and raining. I followed some knocked-over potted plants to the end of the porch and my old rocker. That’s where I spotted him. At least I think it was a him, given his smaller size. In the horned owl world, females are markedly bigger.
He started making that clicking sound with his beak along with lifting his wings in the air, so I backed off and gave him some space. At first, he sat awkwardly with his huge oversize talons sticking out, and I thought he might be hurt. I talked to him for a while. He not only was a good listener but pulled his talons back up underneath him some and started looking more normal.
When I walked out back towards the woods, I heard two adult owls hooting up a storm. That had to be Mom and Dad looking for their lost baby dinosaur. If only I spoke owl and could tell them their little bundle of joy was safe on our porch.
I checked on him every 15 minutes or so. It looked like he was planning to stay a while. I decided to call Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue at 9am when they opened for advice. I was still concerned he might be hurt.
Just before then, there was another ruckus on the porch. I found more knocked over potted plants but no baby owl. He must have taken off much like he landed, awkwardly crashing forward out-of-control in search of open-air space. After checking the shrubbery around the porch, I can only think he made it safely to the trees and back to his distressed parents.
Have a great May. See you on the next full moon.
Mystery Burrow
(from May 23, 2024) We’ve got lots of moles here on the Tick Farm. No mole whacking out there. Garden-wise, they’re harmless. Besides cruising around underground and doing a bit of soil aeration, they leave the vegetable and tree roots alone in search of insects, grubs, worms, and the like.
Gophers, on the other hand, can get annoying. They’ll occasionally hop into my gopher-wired raised beds and wreak havoc because they’re vegetarians, not carnivores like their cousin the mole. Guess I need to raise my raised beds!
Last week, our granddog Raja kept disappearing for long stretches. I went looking and found her on a bank, sitting by this hole.
Raja’s so funny. She likes sniffing and chasing but has never harmed so much as a fly. I don’t know what she expects if whatever is in that hole decides to come out.
That’s no mole hole. If it’s from a gopher, it’s got to be the biggest gopher in West Sonoma County. If it’s a Norway rat I’m moving! I’m thinking badger. I’ll get the trail cam on it and try and get a picture for next month. Until the next Full Moon….
(June 21, 2024) On the evening of the last full moon, I set up a trail camera outside Raja’s hole. I retrieved the memory stick the next morning. When I looked at that first picture, I thought we were dealing with a family of badgers.
The subsequent photo revealed momma and her baby’s true stripes.
After spending most of the last three weeks camped out by the skunk family’s home, suddenly Raja wanted nothing to do with the hole. That’s how I knew they were gone. She’s never been wrong. I’ve learned if she marks that there’s a rat in the drainage pipe, there’s a rat in the drainage pipe. The mutt’s got some rat terrier in her for sure.
To Mama Skunk’s credit, she must have sensed Raja meant her family no harm. That must be why they stuck around despite her constant presence. And never once during their stay did we “smell that smell.”
Enjoy the Strawberry Moon tonight and have a great start to the Summer!
Until the next Full Moon….