Rich Grandpa, Poor Grandpa
Unlike Robert Kiyosaki, I only have one Dad. I did have two grandfather’s though. One was rich and one was poor (or at least poorer that the rich one). What did they teach me?
My Poor(er) Grandpa
My poor(er) grandpa worked odd jobs his whole life. He never owned a business that I was aware of. I don’t think investing was his thing because he never had all that much money, but he did have Social Security.
Frankly, all he wanted to do was bowl, and he had a 300 game at least once, which I think was his crowning achievement in life.
Despite his lack of financial acumen or success, he never really wanted for anything. After his wife (my grandmother) developed dementia and moved into a nursing home, he lived independently right up until the end of his life in a small apartment that was near his children and the bowling alley.
He drove a perfectly fine car.
He went out for meals when he wanted, his favorite meal being well done steak at any local diner.
He had Medicare for his health insurance.
What’s the lesson here?
Poor Grandpa Lesson #1 – A modest lifestyle and low spending will make up for a less than impressive nest egg.
He lived into his nineties despite having severe heart and vascular disease, prostate cancer, and smoking nearly his whole life. He stayed mentally intact the entire time, and was bowling right up until the end. What was his secret? As he told me many times…
Poor Grandpa Lesson #2 – “Never drink anything but beer or coffee. Water will rust your insides.”
My Rich Grandpa
There are many things you can learn from his financial life.
He lived in a small town in Pennsylvania that had a population of 2,069 in the 2010 census. In that town, he ran a small business selling furniture and running a funeral parlor. As he once told me, the furniture makers made the coffins, so the businesses were linked in the old days. He and his brother worked for his father, who ran the business before them.
Running this small business allowed him to build a significant net worth by anyone’s definition.
Rich Grandpa Lesson #1 – The easiest way to become wealthy is to own a successful business.
He never owned more than one car while I knew him, although his business owned delivery trucks he could use.
He lived in the same house the entire time, which was a modest brick house on main street of his town. It was 2300 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and sold for $185,000 in 2015 when he moved into a nursing home. According to Zillow it is now worth $228,044.
He had the same spouse, my grandmother, and never divorced.
Rich Grandpa Lesson #2 – The path to wealth = one spouse, one house.
During his life, he made periodic investments by purchasing stock in a local bank. Over the years and after twenty or so bank mergers, that local bank was now a subsidiary of a large international bank. Along came the 2008-2009 financial crisis…and that investment was worth only a small fraction of what it once was. A very small fraction.
Rich Grandpa Lesson #3 – Diversify to reduce your risk. Don’t put all your financial eggs in one basket.
There is one final lesson that I learned from my rich grandfather that I’ll never forget.
Rich Grandpa Lesson #4 – If you are a young boy and you want to see nudity for the first time, go on a furniture delivery with your grandpa who owns a furniture store. There just might be a Playboy calendar hanging above the kitchen table.
OB/GYN No More – USUHS Renames Department Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics (GS&O or GSO)
USUHS is renaming its department to better reflect GSO’s contribution to readiness as surgeons:
Health Security Cooperation Officer at NAVSOUTH (Mayport, FL)
The Global Health Engagement Office (GHEO) is looking for a motivated Medical Department Officer to fill the Health Security Cooperation Officer (HSCO) billet at US Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSOUTH) located in Mayport, FL. The billet is an O5 Medical Corps billet, but all Corps and ranks can apply. The current PD is here:
Please submit questions and applications to CAPT Melanie Merrick, Director of GHEO, BUMED M52 (contact is in the global). There was no specific due date provided, so I’d inquire immediately/ASAP.
Updated Tour Lengths for Physicians
The chapter of the Military Personnel Manual that sets tour lengths for various specialties and locations has been updated (medical stuff starts on page 22):
Per the Medical Corps Detailers, the following changes were made, largely to prevent skill degradation in certain areas:
- Gynecologic Surgery & Obstetrics (GS&O or GSO, the new triservice name for OB/GYN) now stay only 1 year at 29 Palms
- GSO, Anesthesiology, General Surgery, and Orthopedics now stay only 1 year at Lemoore
- GSO and Anesthesiology now stay only 12 months unaccompanied or 18 months accompanied at Iwakuni (although it sounds like they were already doing that)
New SECDEF Posts/Articles
Here are a bunch of post/articles about the new SECDEF:
