Health, Wealth & Retirement Newsletter

This Issue of Health Wealth and Retirement brings you insight into a health issue that is of importance to those who have diabetes or a loved one with diabetes – “Diabetes Foot Care”, an article created especially for HWR by David Mandil, DPM and Gabrielle Laurenti, DPM, Podiatry Resident, PGY2, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Lenox Hill Hospital at the request of our Medical Editor, Steven Mandel, MD.

There are approximately 30 million adults with diabetes and another 1.5 million adults are diagnosed every year in the US. Along with the diagnosis of diabetes comes the realization that changes in diet, lifestyle and routine medical care become a necessity. However, one often overlooked aspect is the importance of proper foot care. Diabetic foot issues can lead to possible limb threatening and even life threatening conditions.

Diabetes affects the feet in 2 general ways; by disrupting nerve function and by impeding proper blood flow. Uncontrolled diabetes damages nerves in such a way that one may lose feelings in the feet and hands. This loss of feeling may also be accompanied by painful burning, cramps or pins and needle like sensation in the feet. Because the nerves that supply the small muscles in the foot become damaged, the muscle themselves start to weaken and atrophy and the delicate balance keeping toes straight is disrupted. This can result in hammertoes, painful corns and calluses as well. The nerves that control moisture and sweat glands can become impaired which leads to dry cracked skin with deep fissures. All these symptoms fall under the category of “diabetic neuropathy”. Having neuropathy significantly increases the likelihood of developing an ulcer. Roughly 15% of diabetics will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime.

Prevention is the best medicine. If you are diabetic then check your feet daily. Small sores and blisters can become larger problems if infections develop. If you have neuropathy check the temperature of the water with your hand or elbow first. Be sure to dry between the toes as that area is optimal for fungal infections to take root. Use a lotion, petroleum jelly or lanolin to keep your feet moist after showering however do not put them between the toes. Trim your toenails straight across, curving the edges increases the chance of ingrown nails. If you have decreased sensation in your feet have a healthcare provider trim them for you. Diabetics with corns and calluses should see a podiatrist for trimming and shoe modifications to offload the area. Do not use medicated pads or try to shave them away at home unless given permission by your provider. Do not walk barefoot, use slippers around the house and sandals at the beach or by the pool. Lastly, if all these preventative measures fail, it is important to know when to call the doctor. Signs such as, redness with increasing warmth or swelling, new open sores puncture wounds, wounds that drain pus or begin to have a bad odor fevers, chills or other signs of systemic infection are signs of an emergency and need prompt medical attention. Diabetes can be controlled, and its impact on your quality of life can be limited with just a few preventative steps.

We would like to thank our sponsor RCA, Retirement Corporation of America. They have graciously been our primary sponsor for the last 2 years.

It’s the end of the year, and the start of a new tax environment: Is it time to rebalance your assets and your portfolio?

"Markets often rise higher than you think is possible, and fall lower than you can possibly imagine.” Legendary investor Jim Rogers

This quote is never so true as today. Many of us remember the devastation of 2008. Some of us also were prepared for some of what happened.

So today some people are scared about investing. We may ask some questions; Should I invest today? What should I do with my money. I do not want to miss out on gains but I do not want to lose money.

Dr. David Eifrig in retirement millionaire, Porter Stansberry, Barons newsletter, T-Rowe Price and many others offer some insights into what we might consider in the face of the longest Bull Market in generations.

In this issue we are discussing how to Prepare when the Bull Market ends. This will affect every American. The Bull Market will end, questions is “When?” it could be 1-3 years or 1-3 months.

It is important to understand that preservation of capital and growing our income is paramount, especially as we age. When you are younger you can take more risks. Remember Bull Markets will not end till consumers stop spending! This Bull Market Will End….Prepare now

Cash is misunderstood and one of the most underrated assets. Many of us do not want to keep large portions of cash because we feel like we have to be invested. Holding cash can reduce market-related stress. Also holding 10-20% in cash will allow us to be ready if the market falls or if real estate falls to be able to invest at the lows of the markets.

When the market crashes it is ugly. Gold and silver tend to do better. For this reason gold and silver are irreplaceable. If the we have a market crash you want to have some precious metals. This also includes platinum and, palladium. Precious metals is an important hedge. It is also at a fairly low valuation now.

When many investors pull money out of stocks and bonds, they don’t do not want to stay in cash. People often buy hard assets. Commodities like energy, metals, agriculture are very important to the daily lives of people. During crisis these become more important toward survival. Commodities are near 40 year lows. Also, during crisis real estate is important to own. Holding real estate or a farm or other land assets should be part of what you own.

If you hold much of your assets in stocks and mutual funds proceed cautiously. Make sure you find someone to help manage these assets. Hold high quality stocks that can weather severe market moves. Be careful if you have not sold those assets that you do not sell at bottoms. Do not panic. Stocks have always come back. People get caught up in selling too late and when this happens your portfolio is doomed. Stick with a stock as long as the reason you bought the stock in the first place still exists.

If you put a trailing stop on your stock this prevents you from taking heavy losses. It takes the emotional aspect out of owning a stock. It may also not allow you to enjoy some huge gains. The way it works is, lets say you buy a stock for 20 dollars a share and you put a 25% trailing stop. If the stock drops to 15 you will sell it automatically. This limits your downside risk.

On the other hand, lets say that same stock goes up to 25 automatically raising your trailing stop to 18.75. The negative is that if the stock goes down to 18.75 and you get stopped out and the stock then turns around and goes to 35 you missed out..This strategy takes much of the stress out of your investing.

It is very important to balance your portfolio. Both from allocating assets over a number of different industries as well as putting not more then 5-7 % in any one asset. Many cautious investors will do this religiously quarterly of after a position goes up or down more than others.

Using these 5 tips will help to buffer you from a major downturn. Adding these tips to your repertoire will help you do much better than most investors and traders when the market turns. You will continue to grow your wealth and come off this bull market with lots of cash ready to invest.

I hope you enjoyed these tips. Research was completed by using newsletters and reading from Boggle, from T-Rowe Price, Stansberry newsletters. If you have any questions or comments please email

This issue is prepared by a bunch of guys who are continuing to GIVE BACK to FJMC. We invite you to also give back to FJMC through your participation and most importantly through donations supporting FJMC as Friends of FJMC. Participate by clicking on “Become a Friend of FJMC” on www.FJMC.org or contact Gary Smith at gsmith@fjmc.org.

Richard Gray, an FJMC donor, past FJMC international officer and past New England Region President who likes to hang out with great guys and finds FJMC a good place to work to make a difference. He and Gary Smith lead the Wealth Management initiatives in FJMC and are part of the group building Family Conversations.
Gary Smith, past International Vice President, an FJMC donor, is Co-editor of the HWR newsletters as well as being an FJMC donor he is Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Life.
Dr. Steven Mandel, FJMC Member, our Medical Editor from Lenox Hill hospital in NY.
Mark Druy, past FJMC International Vice President, past New England Region President, and an FJMC donor, is the Publisher of this newsletter.

Send your comments to Richard Gray at rgray@fjmc.org. We want to hear from you. HWR is a publication of the FJMC.

We hope that you enjoyed this issue and will consider sharing with other members of your club, family, and friends. Ask them to opt-in and receive this newsletter. We are building a nice following and appreciate your support. Dr Steven Mandel is our Medical Editor and Richard Gray and Gary Smith write the wealth articles. We are looking for guest writers; if interested please contact with Richard or Gary. If you're receiving this from a friend forwarding you the newsletter, you’ll need to ‘opt-in’ to receive this newsletter. To opt-in, and receive this bi-weekly publication, click on the following link, and provide us with your email address: https://fjmc.org/civicrm/mailing/subscribe?reset=1&gid=1302.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This work is based on current events, interviews, corporate press releases, and what we've learned from several mentioned health and wealth newsletters. It is also based on some personal experiences. It may contain errors and you shouldn't make any investment decision based solely on what you read here. It's your money and your responsibility. FJMC is not making specific recomendations of stocks or bonds just possible ideas that might be considered for research and investing purposes. This information is being provided for informational purposes only.

FJMC - Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs - Involving Jewish Men in Jewish Life. The FJMC involves Jewish Men in Jewish Life through Leadership Innovation Community