It was the summer of 2003. I was nearing the end of my fourth year at a large investment house in downtown Washington, DC. I had done ok for myself, but the collapse of the internet bubble had taken a toll on all of us. So, one Tuesday work night in July, I swallowed hard and turned in my resignation. I was going independent and for a variety of reasons, I had to keep that to myself.

In our ever more cashless world, it is easy to overlook the real cost of the purchases we make. We simply swipe our credit cards and write the check at month’s end without much consideration (although often with some astonishment!). Due to a schedule conflict my wife recently had to have her monthly cut and color done at a big name salon versus the neighbor who works from her home.

The decision to retire is a major one and often filled with many uncertainties. To bring some clarity and confidence to your decision-making process, giving due consideration to these 5 factors will bring you vastly closer to making a sound choice.

In our last installment, we reflected on the economic forces of inflation and deflation. Governments around the world prefer a bit of inflation for a number of reasons. In particular, it is simply easier to raise taxes in an inflationary environment. The world markets, however, are serving up deflation, largely due to supply widely exceeding demand in many areas.

Our world is a complicated place. Pick almost any aspect of our lives and closer inspection will frequently reveal both complexity and complications. I use these two words intentionally to illustrate this quarter’s ideas.

It’s a tag line that I have seen countless times across the top of windshields. Maybe you have seen them, too. It is actually the brand name of a now bankrupt clothing company, presumably aimed at a cohort younger than my own. I suppose it captures an aspect of youthful thinking. It is the notion that as a young adult, most have no fear even for those things which they should.

We discussed some ideas for 2014 financial goal setting in the 12-02-13 show which also featured a visit from my wife, Lisa (go to "media" tab and select "podcasts" to listen). As mentioned, I am including some of the content here for those who wish to read instead!

Goal suggestions:

Our 10-28-13 and 11-18-13 shows feature health insurance expert, Jay Peterson, discussing the important aspects of the ACA, or ObamaCare, as it is often called. Visit our media page to listen, or go to http://trfinancial.podbean.com to download the mp3 files.

After much political drama and a government shutdown that still persists as of this writing, it seems that a debt ceiling deal is in the making. This prospect provided much needed relief for the financial markets. Stocks rebounded 2% in just one trading day. Up until then, stocks had been declining on the potential for at least a partial default by the US Treasury.

In this week's installment, we talked about the impending federal government shutdown (now a reality) as well as how to assess one's investment returns. I spell out four criteria to be applied in making a determination as to the acceptability of a person's portfolio performance.