the importance of consistently living below your means throughout your life cannot be overstated.

“Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” The quote is from Henry David Thoreau,

Time to Capture Missed Savings Opportunities

And as for the advisability of securing long-term care insurance—sometimes called “nursing home insurance”—again, there’s not a single “right answer” for everyone, although generally prevailing opinions among financial experts and cheapskates alike is that it’s probably a wise expenditure of funds for only a limited range of people. Statistically,

But one piece of advice most financial planners will share that is true is that when it comes to investing for retirement, the “time horizon” is critical.

free online courses and videos like those offered at www.Epicurious.com, www.imcooked.com (kind of like a YouTube of cooking videos), www.allrecipes.com, and http://​video.​pbs.​org/​program/​julia-​child/.

Public speaker If you have something worthwhile to say (who doesn’t?) and enjoy speaking in front of groups, there are all types of public speaking opportunities available, dealing with every subject matter imaginable.

it conditions you to live on a fixed, limited amount of money; think of it as “test-driving” your retirement lifestyle/budget.

I took a full year just to explore multiple directions simultaneously. I dabbled at buying and selling antiques and other unique artifacts through a local consignment shop; I tried to parlay my love of gardening and working outdoors into some project work for neighbors; I even became “the Bonsai Guy” for a while,