Perspective On Our Changing World

Age, general health and social makeup of each of us make tremendous differences in how we approach and cope with today’s fast-changing world.

For those of us at the upper end of the spectrum there are calls from a certain segment of society that we must be willing to “die for the Dow.” Literally, there are howls from certain media outlets and groups that make this our destiny, that encourage the medical field to just write us off so that supplies and medicine can be directed to the young and so the rest of the world can get back to worrying about the economy rather than the pandemic.

This is a huge turn from our nation’s wars when the young were called to save our democracy – not our dollars.

For the youngsters among us, the current dual crises of the pandemic and the economic collapse is utterly devastating. They can’t understand the need to self-isolate, or stay at home when they are at an age for parties and fun. They can’t understand why jobs must disappear for now. Unemployment is rocketing upward even as the Dow makes a hesitating recovery. But we are far from a stable economy and a healthy populace. The youngsters need to understand that the older generation has much to share, much to give and a much greater perspective. When the youngsters ignore the social restrictions now being imposed or yet to come they directly endanger the oldsters. Their parent and grandparents. The parents and grandparents of others. The political leadership of the nation – many of whom are old.

But the intense feelings against social isolation are not restricted to the young. Many of the older folks chafe at the restrictions. Extroverts find it very, very depressing and discouraging to be cut off from their normal social outlets – golf, bridge, shopping, parties, dinners and more. It is very difficult to accept that the world’s longest border, the 5,525 mile line between the U.S. and Canada, is not fully open today due to restrictions imposed by each nation. It is hard to contemplate that Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, is suffering from the Corona virus.

Our society has seen a lot of this before. The Great Depression – 1929-1941 – disrupted the lives of millions. World War II did so as well, putting millions of women to work for the first time. Before all that in the U.S prohibition sent women to the speakeasies alongside their men because Americans, like Canadians, simply don’t like to be told what to do. The Spanish flu of 1918-1919 killed tens of thousands in a manner much like the Corona virus of today. There were no individual funerals. Obituaries – those last words of kindness about a departed one – consisted of a list of names of those who had died. Burials were often en masse.

The aftermath of 9/11 devastated many lives, disrupting trade and the economy. The financial collapse of 2007-2008 engendered great distrust in a U.S. government that gave away billions intended to help the economy, but resulting mainly in further enriching the rich. The $2+ trillion stimulus working its way through the U.S. Congress this week is likely to do much the same, though it is spreading some crumbs for the working class, or at least for those who pay income taxes.

If there were magical solutions, we all would be wildly waving our wands. But, alas, there are no magical solutions. We simply must have patience as our nations work through it. There will be better days ahead for those who survive, as most of us will.

May God Bless America.
May God Save the Queen.
And don’t forget to wash your hands – thoroughly and often.

Micro Investing May Bring New Investors

Real estate investing may still feel out of reach to many consumers, but a new trend growing from startups is fostering “micro-investing” to help a new wave of investors jump in – sometimes for as little as $5. It sounds a bit like penny stocks, but property, not stocks, is involved.

“The best portfolios are diversified, and real estate performs very uniquely, in a way that is uncorrelated to the stock market and bonds…. We want to offer the same asset at a lower price point,” Janine Yorio, founder and CEO of Compound, a real estate micro-investment startup offering an app that allows micro-investors to purchase shares of properties the company hopes to sell at a profit for investors.

Following a model similar to real estate investment trusts, micro-investing companies offer investors the chance to become part owners of a property. “REITs are just like owning stock, subject to stock market volatility and other unrelated factors to the actual performance of a property,” Darren Powderly, co-founder of CrowdStreet Inc., a micro-investment company that allows investors to buy shares of commercial real estate nationwide. “So in addition to REITs, savvy individual investors add private real estate to their portfolios for greater diversification and returns.”

The startup Compound says it intends to raise $10 billion a year to purchase properties and make them available as micro-investments. To date, the company has raised $2 million. Compound currently allows people to invest in a share of a luxury apartment in Miami Beach’s “Billionaire Bunker” island for $260. After three to five years, Compound will sell the properties and then distribute the profits to the investors.

“We’re looking to give people access to properties they would want to own for themselves and are proud to say they own a part of—but that also makes a great long-term investment,” Yorio told Yahoo Finance.

Storage Solutions for Home & Business

Storage Solutions for Home & Business

Need to declutter to sell a property? Have too much stuff on hand at your home, office or business? Need someplace to hold the stuff in this era of stocking up?

There’s a Dino’s near you where you can keep your stuff safe & secure! Dino’s Storage offers indoor storage, climate controlled or not, outdoor storage, parking.and even free use of a moving truck. We even have specialized contractor bays at some locations. We have packing materials, mattress covers and boxes available, too.

Access hours and office hours vary. Please check on our website www.dinosstorage.com for details on the location you prefer: Or you can call us at 402-916-4015.

Here’s the list of our locations:
Nebraska
Bellevue – 1001 Cornhusker Rd. – 402-293-4667
Elkhorn – 20800 West Dodge Rd. – 402-289-0923
Lincoln – 1945 N. 84th St. – 402-486-3466
Omaha Midtown Crossing –2724 Douglas St. – 402-553-0828
Omaha Downtown – 2757 Harney St. – 402-345-3466
Omaha Aksarben- 5328 Center St. 402-504-4600
Omaha Millard – 14301 Josephine St. – 402-896-6500
Omaha West Maple – 14650 W. Maple Rd. – 402-916-4441
Omaha Benson – 7201 Maple St. – 402-614-7356
Omaha Blackstone – 4412 Dodge St. – 402-502-4948
Omaha Little Italy – 1220 S. 13th St. – 402-502-0553
Omaha Stockyards – 4520 S. 36th St. – 402-800-3770
Papillion – 921 Cedardale Rd. – 402-331-1555
South Omaha – 2816 B St. – 402-502-3540
West Omaha – 4876 S. 192nd St.
Iowa
Bondurant – 411 Brick St. SE – 515-967-9346
Des Moines – 5327 SE 14th St. – 515-953-3466
Urbandale – 4880 NW Urbandale Dr. – 515-251-5967
Manitoba
Winnipeg – 1569 Orange St. – 204-772-0526

Dino’s has been providing excellence, safety and security in storage since 1998.