When you own a home, one of the many requirements is maintaining the structure of the house. The classic Honey Do list will come to mind, typically one person looks after the cleaning of the insides, the other person looks after the maintenance of the structure. As time goes on, changing the structure is considered. Books such as Fix It Before it Breaks by Terry Kennedy, McGraw Hill, NY, 2004 has a wonderful checklist which we should do. In reality, most of us check a little and hope nothing bad happens. We hope and trust the builders did a good job when building. One of the worst elements which causes damage is water – we need water to live but if the house is not protected if will find an opening and as the weather cools and heats the openings get bigger and larger repairs are needed. The Fix It book is something most owners do not have or think about when they are buying a home; it is something you tend to get after the home needs repairs. Many years ago, when people lived in the rural area, building skills were something you learned naturally. As time went on and we now live in urbanized area, many of our building skills are basic in nature, but we can do prevention.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, when you buy an investment there are some investments which you can put away in the “safe” and leave for a while, while others need more constant attention. Over time you will likely have developed a checklist of what needs to be done – including to ensure the company makes a profit or developing the next million or multi million dollar idea. If you have a check list similar to your home repairs or things to do in the garden, a check list for your investments is a good idea. If you do not have a checklist, if you have an advisor have them send you one. Making money is great, saving money and not losing it helps you be wealthier in the long run.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions