General Discussion

During the big downturn when COVID was at its height, my husband had our financial planner take a chunk of money out of the Market and move it to a safe Money Market account. What stocks and other investments we had still, survived and bounced back up in latter 2021. He then had more funds put back into Mutual Funds and things have been steady. Our IRAs are back up as the Dow Jones have reached record levels.

As far as food prices go, it is the Corporate farms and the crackdown of Immigrant Labor driving up food costs. The wildfires in Texas will surely drive up Beef prices. With inflation at 3.1%, Unemployment well under 4%, wages up, things have been steady. Having moved from Rochester to a Twin Cities suburb after selling our home, paying off loans, we find we come out a bit ahead though we now live in a Senior Living facility where we rent our apartment. Rents are not cheap, but the amenities are nice. We look at it as a good trade off.

My eldest Granddaughter, who lives down in Rochester, starts a new job with Mayo in a few weeks. Her computer and Customer Service skills she learned from her previous job over the last 8 years, will be a plus. A bit less money, but way better benefits. Many are retiring from Mayo in the Patient Support, Research, Nursing, and other areas. Also, Mayo announced a multi-Billion dollar expansion over the next decade. Housing, transportation and other infrastructure will be booming.

Making adjustments is a universal thing. Living with less is more. I am finding that out.