Columns/Opinions

   Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. 
   Learn when and how you should wash your hands to stay healthy. 
   You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:
   Before, during, and after preparing food
   Before eating food
   Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
   Before and after treating a cut or wound
   After using the toilet
   After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
   After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
   After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
   After handling pet food or pet treats
   After touching garbage
   Follow Five Steps to Wash Your Hands the Right Way

   We’re all in various forms of disbelief at how rapidly things are happening with coronavirus – the stock market plunge, big events like the 10-day South by Southwest cancelling this year, colleges cancelling classes, 
   Fort Worth and Austin disaster declarations and the disease itself.
   I have friends who still (this week) dismiss the disease as something that will pass – no worse than the flu – and point to what they say are the few cases in Texas.
   Here’s what we do know Tuesday afternoon, March 10, as I write this. 
   I realize this information will be soon dated – a big problem for reporters writing about coronavirus.
   In Texas, there have been 27 known confirmed cases – 11 who traveled abroad in quarantine at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and 16 elsewhere.
   Other newer Texas cases are in Collin and Gregg counties in north and east Texas, respectively.

   My friends and I are always talking about things that make us feel old.
   And I know that anyone over 50 is just going to roll their eyes at this since I’m barely in my 30s, but, still!
   A lot of my friends count adult moments by huge milestones like weddings or having children or buying a home.
   But, some, like me, count it with minor things like getting a good vacuum or new tires for a vehicle instead of something fun like a new TV.
   I know it sounds like something that’s normal or a fact of life, but, for me, it feels like a big deal sometimes.
   It’s an adult decision to make an investment in something rather than just making it rain dollar bills for nonsense like cat toys, acrylic nails or an unnecessary amount of post-Valentine’s Day sale candy.
   It gets harder to choose between some nicer necessities and the boring ones as I get older, too.

   If you pay attention to your monthly statement on the value of your retirement account, I promise you it will be significantly less this month. 
   The combination of concerns over the coronavirus and the drop in crude prices have the various equity averages and indexes down almost 20% from the record highs of just three weeks ago.
   To say that February and March have been a fork in the road is an understatement.
   Remember that we have been on an upswing for over 12 years since the 2008 financial disaster sent us into a recession.
   We’ve had pullbacks that could hardly be even considered a correction. We have not come close to 20%.
   To say it is overdue is an understatement.
   The concern was evident this week with the Dow dropping over 2,000 points - the worst since the financial crisis.
   The weekend news that Saudi Arabia decided to increase production is a problem close to home.

   Many people are afraid of running out of money during retirement.
   How can you help ensure your money will last as long as you do?
   For starters, estimate your longevity based on your health and family history.
   Even a ballpark figure will help you calculate how much money you’ll need to put away.
   And during your working years, contribute as much as you can afford to your IRA and your 401(k) or similar retirement plan.
   Every time you get a raise, try to increase the amount you put into your employer’s plan.
   Here’s another tip: Consider long-term care insurance or a similar policy to protect yourself from the huge costs of a long stay in a nursing home.
   One last word: Once you’re retired, be careful about how much you withdraw each year from your retirement accounts.
   You need to pick a withdrawal rate that’s appropriate for your needs.

   Each week I send my column to a few papers. For my readers outside of Fairfield, stick with me. 
   We just got home from San Antonio. Our Lady Eagles Basketball Team won state last night.
   I played basketball, but was never good. I could post-up, but never dribble. If the ball got passed to me in a situation where I needed to move down court, I froze! 
   I nearly “froze” a few times this weekend too. I escorted a carload of teenage Eagle fans to the Alamodome, around San Antonio, and back home safely. 
   We prayed before each adventure. I am still waiting on my oldest to get back home. When she arrives, I will know God granted traveling mercies. 
   The game last night was something! The Dallas Morning News wrote “Fairfield overcame a 15-point deficit in the first half to stun the five-time defending state champion, Argyle.” 

   A burglar once broke into a house one night.  
   He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said, ‘Jesus knows you’re here.’  
   He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. He hears the voice again, ‘Jesus is watching you.’  
   Startled, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice.  
   Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot. 
   ‘Did you say that?’ he hissed at the parrot.’Yes’, the parrot confessed, then squawked, ‘I’m just trying to warn you that he’s watching you.’  
   The burglar relaxed. ‘Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?’ ‘Moses,’ replied the bird.  
   ‘Moses?’ the burglar laughed. ‘What kind of people would name a bird Moses?’ ‘The kind of people who would name a Rottweiler Jesus.’ 

   It’s been a while since I’ve seen a kid-friendly movie, so I decided to check out “Onward” during its opening weekend. 
   I have to admit that I didn’t know what to expect when I started this film, but, it’s definitely heartwarming, cute and emotional in all the right ways. 
   The movie clocks in at one hour and 42 minutes of run time at a PG rating for action/peril and some mild thematic elements and has generated over $68 million worldwide. 
   Onward is a computer-animated urban fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. 
   The film is directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae from a screenplay written by Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin. 
   It stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kyle Bornheimer, Mel Rodriguez, and Octavia Spencer. 
   In a world inhabited by mythical creatures, magic is commonplace and its wielders are greatly respected. 

Every time the carnival rolls into town, I’m hit with instant nostalgia followed closely by thing the fact that I’m an adult now. 
   I mean, a lot of those rides are mainly made for children and some teenagers – then there isn’t anything for adults that’s fun except for the Ferris wheel. 
   And believe me, I can only ride that so many times before I’m bored out of my gourd. 
   There’s also midway games and vendors to shop at, but, I never really got into those. 
   It was always about the rides and making my little sister go with me on the scary ones. 
   I’m talking about the rides that flip you upside down or spin you so fast you can get motion sickness. 
   The only problem that I’ve ever had with either of those is having someone to give my glasses to hold. 
   That’s all that ever really mattered to me back then. 

   Not a pretty week for stock investors. In fact, last week was the worst week since the financial crisis of 2008. Stocks were not the only ones on the sell side as crude had its worst week since 2011. 
   The Dow Jones Industrial average dropped over 2000 points and retreated to territory not seen since last year. 
   This is the coronavirus impact on the world’s economy. 
   What is important is the markets were flat way over priced for perfection. 
   This pullback is more than welcomed as the rise was going to fail based on some perceived problem. 
   Never forget that we have been in a bull market for over 10 years. We have yet to even move into a pullback that could be labeled a bear market. 
   We have had multiple 10% corrections, but no real significant selloff. I certainly don’t see this as the bear market that finally had to happen. 
   I do see earnings multiples moving back to more reasonable levels.