Why Money is Taking Up More Space in My Mind Lately
I always loved newspapers. I even gave reporting a try back in 11th grade on my high school paper. It didn’t last long—I struggled with deadlines and once botched the front page with a layout mistake called a “tombstone,” where two headlines sit side by side and confuse readers. Still, that didn’t stop me from becoming a devoted reader over the years.
Recently, I came across an article from The USA Today that hit close to home for me. It reveals that many Americans are now spending nearly four hours a day thinking about money. Some of their concerns are bills, inflation, and housing costs. Although I have different financial concerns, I find myself thinking more about money, too.
What kind of money issues are on my mind? Here are three that keep coming up:
1. Should we be doing more to help my stepson?
I’ve mostly tried to stay in my lane when it comes to finances and my stepson. My wife raised him, and she’s done an amazing job. I’ve never raised a kid myself, so I figure she knows best. He’s got a good job, he’s responsible, hardworking, and completely self-sufficient. He’s never asked us for money, but sometimes I wonder if we could do a little more to make things easier for him.
The only time I really spoke up was around Christmas. We gave the neighbor's sons the same amount of money we gave him, and that just didn’t feel right to me. We ended up giving him more, which I think was the right call.
I think my wife’s take is that he’s doing fine, so there’s no need to mess with that. And honestly, she’s probably right. He’s independent—just like she is—and even if we offered help, he might not take it. But still, I’d like to try. We live comfortably, and if we can make his life a little easier, why not? At the end of the day, though, I trust her judgment. She knows him best.
That question—about offering help when it's not strictly needed—has me thinking more about Rachel and me. What about when we’re the ones who might need help down the road? That brings me to our next financial conundrum: should we move into a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) while we’re still healthy, or wait until assistance becomes a necessity?
2. Weighing the CCRC option while we’re still independent.
Lately, I’ve been thinking more seriously about whether we should move to a CCRC. But realistically, I’m starting to accept that it’s unlikely to happen.
We love our home and our life, and as long as we can live independently, we’re not eager to give that up. But I also know that waiting too long could close that door—some communities have strict medical screenings, and we may not qualify if we wait until we need assistance. Not to mention the long wait times at some CCRCs.
Even if we were accepted, the financial picture doesn’t really add up. We’d probably only qualify for a Type C, or fee-for-service, contract. That means no guaranteed lifetime care. Entrance fees may be lower, but monthly fees are high, and we’d paying full market rates for assisted living, memory care, or nursing care.
If and when we do need help, it might make more sense to move to a community that offers care without requiring an upfront fee. Yes, we'd still pay market rates, but we’d be doing that anyway at a CCRC. And if we need extra support navigating the healthcare system, we could always hire a healthcare advocate.
For now, we’re choosing to stay where we are. But the question of future care is one we’ll keep revisiting.
3. What's going on in the stock market?
I’ve been thinking about the stock market more often this year, which is unusual for me. The uncertainty surrounding the tariffs hasn’t kept the market from reaching new highs this year. Our savings have been flirting with a personal best.
We have some extra cash from my required minimum distribution that I was thinking about putting into the stock market. But is that a smart move given how high valuations are right now? It seems like everyone’s buying stocks—corporations are spending billions on buybacks, and workers of all ages are putting a record portion of their 401(k)s into stocks. More and more people are buying the dips these days.
But you have to wonder: would people be this enthusiastic if we were coming out of a 10-year bear market? It seems like people prefer buying at record highs rather than when stocks are actually on sale. Maybe because it feels safer when the crowd is buying. So far, it’s worked out. But that doesn’t mean it always will.
Money might not be the only thing on my mind these days, but it’s definitely taken up more space than it used to. Maybe that’s just part of getting older—the world feels a little more uncertain and a little more expensive. That’s why the USA Today article resonated with me. It reminded me that I’m not the only one thinking about these things.
Recently, I came across an article from The USA Today that hit close to home for me. It reveals that many Americans are now spending nearly four hours a day thinking about money. Some of their concerns are bills, inflation, and housing costs. Although I have different financial concerns, I find myself thinking more about money, too.
What kind of money issues are on my mind? Here are three that keep coming up:
1. Should we be doing more to help my stepson?
I’ve mostly tried to stay in my lane when it comes to finances and my stepson. My wife raised him, and she’s done an amazing job. I’ve never raised a kid myself, so I figure she knows best. He’s got a good job, he’s responsible, hardworking, and completely self-sufficient. He’s never asked us for money, but sometimes I wonder if we could do a little more to make things easier for him.
The only time I really spoke up was around Christmas. We gave the neighbor's sons the same amount of money we gave him, and that just didn’t feel right to me. We ended up giving him more, which I think was the right call.
I think my wife’s take is that he’s doing fine, so there’s no need to mess with that. And honestly, she’s probably right. He’s independent—just like she is—and even if we offered help, he might not take it. But still, I’d like to try. We live comfortably, and if we can make his life a little easier, why not? At the end of the day, though, I trust her judgment. She knows him best.
That question—about offering help when it's not strictly needed—has me thinking more about Rachel and me. What about when we’re the ones who might need help down the road? That brings me to our next financial conundrum: should we move into a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) while we’re still healthy, or wait until assistance becomes a necessity?
2. Weighing the CCRC option while we’re still independent.
Lately, I’ve been thinking more seriously about whether we should move to a CCRC. But realistically, I’m starting to accept that it’s unlikely to happen.
We love our home and our life, and as long as we can live independently, we’re not eager to give that up. But I also know that waiting too long could close that door—some communities have strict medical screenings, and we may not qualify if we wait until we need assistance. Not to mention the long wait times at some CCRCs.
Even if we were accepted, the financial picture doesn’t really add up. We’d probably only qualify for a Type C, or fee-for-service, contract. That means no guaranteed lifetime care. Entrance fees may be lower, but monthly fees are high, and we’d paying full market rates for assisted living, memory care, or nursing care.
If and when we do need help, it might make more sense to move to a community that offers care without requiring an upfront fee. Yes, we'd still pay market rates, but we’d be doing that anyway at a CCRC. And if we need extra support navigating the healthcare system, we could always hire a healthcare advocate.
For now, we’re choosing to stay where we are. But the question of future care is one we’ll keep revisiting.
3. What's going on in the stock market?
I’ve been thinking about the stock market more often this year, which is unusual for me. The uncertainty surrounding the tariffs hasn’t kept the market from reaching new highs this year. Our savings have been flirting with a personal best.
We have some extra cash from my required minimum distribution that I was thinking about putting into the stock market. But is that a smart move given how high valuations are right now? It seems like everyone’s buying stocks—corporations are spending billions on buybacks, and workers of all ages are putting a record portion of their 401(k)s into stocks. More and more people are buying the dips these days.
But you have to wonder: would people be this enthusiastic if we were coming out of a 10-year bear market? It seems like people prefer buying at record highs rather than when stocks are actually on sale. Maybe because it feels safer when the crowd is buying. So far, it’s worked out. But that doesn’t mean it always will.
Money might not be the only thing on my mind these days, but it’s definitely taken up more space than it used to. Maybe that’s just part of getting older—the world feels a little more uncertain and a little more expensive. That’s why the USA Today article resonated with me. It reminded me that I’m not the only one thinking about these things.
The post Why Money is Taking Up More Space in My Mind Lately appeared first on HumbleDollar.
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