Taxes Done

My tax return is complete and e-filed. This year I get no refund and owe no taxes. I earned no income this year; the only reason I had to file was to report the "gain" ... read that as "(loss)" ... on some mutual funds I sold to have enough money to live on.

I'll be honest about those funds: I invested for a bad reason. They were one of those "socially responsible" funds that attempt to avoid trashing the planet in their choice of investments. I have finally realized, far too late, that you can't make money investing only in green products. Trash the planet and retire comfortably... or else. The satisfaction of knowing your investments are eco-friendly is tempered rather drastically by the knowledge that they lost you a ton of money.

What can I say about Wall Street vs. the ordinary citizen? I'll keep it short: a shoebox, or maybe a mattress for better security, will give you a better rate of return. Here ends the lesson for the day.