Ask Doc Every morning, when I was growing up, my dad followed the same routine...
He'd get down his shaving brush and razor from the cabinet... He'd lather up with a soap mug... I can still remember the smell, and the ceramic mug with the Navy emblem of the USS Albany... before moving on to his double-edged safety razor...
Growing up, my dad's daily ritual seemed like part of what it meant to be a man. The heft of his razor and trimmer made it clear that they were tools meant to be used... and respected.
Today, I've had a beard for more than 30 years now.
And except for the times I shaved for my Goldman Sachs interviews, I've kept it growing – though well-trimmed. So I'm not really a razor aficionado anymore...
But a few years ago, one razor changed my mind about shaving.
At our 2015 Alliance Conference in Las Vegas, my good friend and publisher Porter Stansberry flew in a barber for a special demonstration. I let the barber trim my neck underneath my beard with a OneBlade razor... Wow. The cut was clean, with no whiskers pulled the way a second or third cheap blade tries to make the cut and not clip skin with it.
The heft and precision of this razor is incredible. It's made with German stainless steel – the best in the world. Then it's treated with a military-grade coating, making it permanently resistant to corrosion. It's guaranteed to never rust... and never break. Forever.
This heirloom-quality razor reminds me of my dad.
You'll teach your children... or grandchildren... to shave with this razor. And in the process, you'll teach that proper tools require proper, careful use.
But don't just take my word for it...
Porter says this razor is an investment that could change your life.
Click here to watch Porter explain how OneBlade gives you the best at-home shave you'll ever have and give you a special offer you can take advantage of right now.
(Full disclosure: I own a small stake in OneBlade.)
Q: Can you discuss if it is a good idea to do covered calls on stocks you own that give good dividends? Is there a good or bad time to be selling covered calls when the stock is going to do a payout of dividends? – E.B.
A: It's a great strategy for many different environments. I've sold calls to try to capture a little more income on dividend-paying stocks, even though I want to continue holding the stock.
But there are other reasons to trade this way... For example, an investor may want to sell a stock at a higher price than the market is offering. So he could sell a call option at his preferred price that expires a few months out (three or four months). Or someone may want to sell a stock he's owned for 10 months, but he wants to pay the lower "long-term" capital gain tax (rather than the short-term one). He could sell a call that expires after two or more months.
Just remember that option prices include the dividend options. So if you sell a call with a strike price at or below the stock's market price... the buyer of the call may exercise his option early to capture the dividend. It's not a strategy that makes much sense for most individual investors, but people do it.
Q: For those of us well into retirement, do you recommend reinvesting dividends, or just taking the income out as dividends are paid? – A.C.
A: This is a great question. The answer depends on what your needs and goals are. I don't know your personal circumstances... And even if I did, I am barred from giving individual advice.
In general, it makes sense for investors who are past retirement and need the income to use the cash payments to pay living expenses. For people who are fortunate enough to not need the cash immediately, there's no harm in reinvesting. Subscribers in this situation should revisit their income needs every 12 months.
Q: Do the plastic bottles that most of our bottled water is sold in have the same issues as the plastic bottles for soda and the processed food packaging? I would assume that some of those chemicals in the plastic leach out into the water.
I am an airline pilot and when I am flying most of the water that I drink, and I drink a lot to stay hydrated at the 7,000- to 8,000-foot cabin altitude and dry air, is bottled water.
Any studies on bottled water? – C.N.
A: Studies over the years show us that plastic water bottles leach chemicals into your beverage. The bottles contain BPA and phthalates.
Bisphenol A or "BPA" is found in certain plastics, receipts, and newspapers.
Scientists have linked BPA to prostate and breast cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. Even low doses of BPA can wreak havoc on your hormones.
Phthalates are chemicals added to plastic and vinyl to make them more flexible. Because of their structure, they easily leach out of the plastic into whatever the plastic contains, including our food.
Years of research on the phthalates have linked them to obesity, cancer, and even male infertility.
For most people, I recommend avoiding plastic water bottles. But when you're in the air you don't have a lot of choices.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates tap water on airplanes. The tanks and water systems that contain drinking water only have to be cleaned a minimum of once per year. But a 2015 study found that these systems are the perfect environment for bacteria growth, which is especially true on long-haul flights.
If you can, fill up a BPA-free reusable bottle or two on the ground and keep them with you in the cockpit. You'll avoid the dangers of the throwaway plastic battles and any bacteria that could be in the plane's tap water.
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What We're Reading...
- Something different: Never-before-published photos of Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
May 18, 2018