Michael T. Starks

Author: admin

  • Estate Planning

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    While I don’t love the idea of planning for what might happen when I die, I recognize the importance of doing what I can to make things easier for my surviving family members. Lori Trawinski wrote about her experience as an executor in the AARP article My Mom Died. Then Came the Ordeal. She has…

  • Building Wealth

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    I got an email from Motley Fool Wealth Management today that does a great job of reviewing the habits that allow everyday people to build wealth. Here are Five Money Habits to seriously consider. Let’s take a closer look at each of these. To save money, consider using the “50/30/20 budget rule”. Allocate 50% of…

  • Clutter

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    I want to make a more concerted effort to eliminate clutter. For me, the following amount of clutter on my desk is fine. However, it’s not unusual for my desk to look like this. Or worse! One strategy to eliminate clutter is to throw it all into a box or a bag. Then, you can…

  • Who’s Who

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    Apparently, I’ve been listed in Who’s Who again. While I haven’t purchased the services that would let me confirm what the listing looks like, I have downloaded this fancy PNG. Some honors are more meaningful than others.

  • Marcel Proust

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    I’ve never made it all the way through Proust’s epic, Remembrance of Things Past, aka A la Recherche du Temps Perdu. Still, I consider Marcel Proust one of my heroes. His insights into the human condition are nothing short of extraordinary. Here is one of my favorite quotes from the translation by C.K. Scott Moncrieff…

  • Missing Activities

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    It’s been a long time since I’ve been shooting a movie. It’s been a long time since I’ve prepared and presented a Toastmasters speech. It’s been a long time since I’ve taught math and physics classes. It’s been a long time since I’ve played a board game. It’s been a long time since I’ve attended…

  • Getting Discovered

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    Before Facebook was big, smaller communities could gather online using Content Management Systems. For some reason, I found Drupal. Karilyn and I decided to create an online community for teenage ghost hunters. We called it the Teen Paranormal Adventure Club (TPAC). In retrospect, this wasn’t a great name. However, the original idea was strong. We…

  • Deep Cleaning

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    It’s been an insane day of deep cleaning. While I don’t collect much, I tend to let bills and other paperwork accumulate. Today, I recycled lots of paperwork and removed some clutter from my office. Karilyn dived into the deep cleaning: dusting, vacuuming, and helping to make my office more functional. Dare I say liveable?…

  • Blink

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    Watching the movie Blink was one of my favorite experiences at the Telluride Film Festival. Waiting in line, I didn’t know if I would get in. So when I did, it was a thrill just knowing I would be able to see the movie. The movie is about a family that decides to travel throughout…

  • Movies to See

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    While I watched a few excellent movies at the Telluride Film Festival this year, I didn’t take the opportunity to watch as many as I would like. Here’s my brief list of movies I still want to see that were shown at Telluride. Yes, this is my brief list. There are plenty of other movies…