"THERE IS A VERY fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'," according to humorist Dave Barry. Some years ago, we had a weekend place—a cabin on acreage—which we greatly enjoyed, even if it did come with challenges. One thing I especially enjoyed: taking the kids on nighttime walks to see how many critters we could spot. That led to an interest in flashlights, and I collected a bunch of them. That, in turn, led to a keen interest in pocketknives. Believe it or not, there’s a strong overlap between flashaholics and knifeaholics. In recent years, I’ve amassed a sizable collection of knives, sharpening equipment and so on, plus a goodly number of shiny new flashlights as the ongoing advances in LED technology continue to impress me. But even more than pocketknives or flashlights, I love dogs. In fact, every member of our family shares this affection for our canine friends. Maybe there’s a gene? Over the years, my wife and I have contributed—regularly, if modestly—to a variety of animal welfare organizations that help the pups. But I’ve always wanted to do more. Nine years ago, I hit upon a way to combine two of my great loves—an annual pocketknife benefit sale. I’m active on a large online knife forum where I regularly discuss—as well as buy and sell—knives. Typical collector that I am, I always have too many knives. I decided to sell a portion and donate the proceeds to worthy organizations that help dogs. If I’m honest, I have to admit that another purpose was served. During most of my career, I worked long hours with no spare time for much else. In recent years, I gradually slowed down my work, allowing me to take on a hobby. Now I’m retired, I have the luxury of even more available time. But I confess that, through it all, I’ve suffered from an overactive work ethic. I felt a little guilty about spending time and money on a mere hobby. Selling off a chunk of my collection to benefit a worthy cause has done wonders for assuaging my guilt. [xyz-ihs snippet="Mobile-Subscribe"] Happily, the benefit sale has grown substantially over the years. I’ve even had good luck lining up matching donations for whatever sum I could raise. It turns out that lots of “knife people” are also “dog people.” Many good-hearted folks have bought knives during the benefit sale, kicked in extra cash contributions, and generally offered moral support and encouragement. Moreover, a number of really remarkable gentlemen every year donate a bunch of their own knives for me to sell for the cause. This has resulted in yet another collateral benefit of the sale. I have a host of great friends from the knife forum who I enjoy keeping up with throughout the year. You can check out the opening chapter of my most recent sale here—and the happy ending here. The latest sale raised $8,465. I know my experience isn’t unique. There are countless other people who have combined a hobby with a good cause. One of my favorite examples: A retired doctor used his love of flying to start a transport service for shelter dogs. The pilots fly dogs from areas of the country with overcrowded shelters—where the dogs are doomed to euthanasia—to parts of the country where shelters are less crowded, so the dogs can be placed in loving homes. The name of the charity: Dog is My CoPilot. Andrew Forsythe retired in 2017 after almost four decades practicing criminal law in Austin, Texas, first as a prosecutor and then as a defense attorney. His wife Rosalinda and he, along with their dogs, live outside Austin, at the edge of the Texas Hill Country. Their four kids are now grown, independent and successful. They're also blessed with four beautiful grandkids. Andrew loves dogs, and enjoys collecting pocketknives and flashlights. Check out his earlier articles. [xyz-ihs snippet="Donate"]

After just being hit with an almost 30% premium increase from Mutual of Omaha (MOO), I'm shopping around for a new Medicare Supplement carrier. I actually like MOO for their generally good customer service, user friendly website, and fast claims processing. Twice in past years, I've been able to stay with MOO but avoid a price hike by switching to one of their sister companies, which I wrote about here. It seems that option is no longer available, hence my looking into other carriers. I'm fortunate to have good health and should be able to pass medical underwriting. I've gotten somewhat lower quotes from Humana and Cigna. I've gotten substantially lower quotes from two less familiar names: Banker's Fidelity (part of Atlantic Capital Life Assurance Co.) and Wellabe (formerly Medico). I'd appreciate a post from anyone who's had experience with any of these companies, including their recent history of premium increases, customer service, website user friendliness, and claims processing. I'm particularly interested in hearing about Wellabe/Medico. Thanks!

I RECENTLY STUMBLED on a way to save a significant sum on my home and auto insurance. While I knew that insurance companies use credit scores in setting premiums, I didn’t know about a policy option that could be turned to our advantage. Our home, auto and umbrella policies are with Safeco, which is part of Liberty Mutual. I don’t know if this option is available with other insurers, although Liberty Mutual has many subsidiaries and I would guess it may be available with them. If and how credit history can be used in setting premiums also varies by state. Buried in the pile of documents I receive every year with my policies is an innocuous-looking page titled “information about your policy.” It says that Safeco considers my credit history in setting my premiums and that, if I want the insurer to update my credit information, I can mail back the page. It also warns that the review could either raise or lower my premiums. I never paid much attention to this. I had assumed Safeco was already monitoring my credit history and factoring it into my annual premiums. Also, the language about possibly increasing my premiums gave me pause. Recently, when I received my annual policies, I called my local agent to grouse about the premium increases. She brought up the credit review forms, asked about my credit score—it hovers around 800—and suggested I send in the forms. She recently had another client who did so and received a premium reduction of several hundred dollars. I took her advice and mailed in the forms, one for home and one for auto. The option didn’t apply to my umbrella policy. To my happy surprise, a couple of weeks later, I received a 20% reduction on my homeowner’s premium, worth $606, and a 27% cut on my auto premium, or $489, for a total savings of $1,095. During this process, I had an online chat with a Safeco rep, who explained that the company runs my credit history when the policy is first issued. After that, it’s up to me to request it, which can be done once a year. It dawned on me that I’ve had my Safeco policies for many years, so my credit score must have increased a good bit during that time. I keep an eye on my credit score with Credit Karma, so I felt comfortable that my score was good before I sent in the forms. Insurance companies use a credit-based insurance score, which is different from a regular credit score, but I figured they were likely similar. If your insurer offers a credit review, I suggest checking your score right before making the request. Indeed, after paying my now-reduced annual premiums in full using my credit card, I raised my card balance relative to my card’s credit limit—and my credit score dropped 12 points.

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone. They say that one of the best financial decisions you can make, if you’re married, is to stay married. So I figure that gives me just enough of a hook to justify sharing on Humble Dollar why I celebrate today. I met my wife Rosalinda for the first time…twice. In 1977, I was a 2nd year law student at the University of Texas in Austin. That spring I found myself spending another boring and tedious weekend studying at the UT law library. I took a break and was walking the halls when I saw a beautiful girl sitting alone on the steps. I mustered my courage and sat down beside her. We talked for just a few minutes and I thought things were going pretty well---right up until she told me she was there with her boyfriend. I said my goodbyes and left, impressed not only with her beauty but with her kindness. Ten years later I was a lawyer in Austin, enjoying my bachelor life. One Friday at a local Happy Hour, I noticed a woman enter. She was quite a distance away, but her smile lit up the whole room. There was something absolutely electric about her presence. I walked over, introduced myself and said, “I think we’ve met somewhere before.” Naturally, she rolled her eyes at the oldest line in the book. But somehow a distant memory had surfaced in my mind. “You’re from the Rio Grande Valley”, I said. “Your father is Mexicano and your mother is Puertorriquena. You once had an orange sweatshirt. And, about 10 years ago, you spent time in the law school library.” How a 10 minute conversation survived 10 years in my musty brain, I can only attribute to fate. But I got her attention, and eventually I got her phone number. This spring, we celebrated 36 years of marriage. And that Friday in March of 1987, when I met Rosalinda for the second time? Yep, it was the 13th --- Friday the 13th  --- the luckiest day of my life.    

I SPENT 40 YEARS practicing criminal law, and there was always a lot to read: police reports, lab reports, probation and pre-sentence reports, motions, orders and court opinions. These were required reading and there was little time left to read for pleasure. One of the great joys of retirement is the freedom to read a lot—and whatever I choose. Which, in this season of reflecting on the things we’re thankful for, brings me to one of mine: public libraries. Since this is a personal finance site, let me add that—when it comes to great buys—it’s hard to beat libraries. For just a tiny slice of your tax dollars, the benefits are enormous. I confess I may be prejudiced. After I graduated from the University of Texas, I wondered what career to pursue. My sociology degree didn’t exactly open a lot of doors, so I was casting about. The university offered one of those aptitude tests that would indicate which careers most suited me. Given my introvert streak, I wasn’t too surprised when the results listed my No. 1 potential career as “librarian.” I ultimately went to law school but never lost my love of libraries. A quiet spacious room where you can dive into a smorgasbord of books is my idea of a great place to hang out. We’re lucky to have several libraries within an easy drive, but the one we frequent most is the Lake Travis Community Library. Not too small, not too big, it’s a real jewel. For a fee of exactly nothing, you get: A wide variety of books, magazines, movies and reference materials. Classes on a multitude of subjects, both in person and online. A subscription to Kanopy, which offers foreign, older and cult streaming movies you won’t find on the better-known streaming services. Interlibrary loans so you can request a book from another library. A great staff that happily entertains suggestions for new acquisitions. Handy online features such as “bookmarks”—a list of books you intend to read—and “history,” which lists books you’ve previously checked out. The latter can be helpful for those with an imperfect memory. In our de-cluttering stage of life, libraries also mean no additional crowding on the bookshelf. While e-books accomplish the same, I’m one of those dinosaurs who likes books made of paper that you hold in your hand. I’m quite happy to go online for news and research, but when it comes to books, I’m old school. Finally, a library encourages experimentation. I’ll often check out a couple of books by authors I know and love. Then I’ll add an extra volume by someone I’m curious about—one which I never would’ve risked purchasing. So, I’m appreciative of and thankful for my local library. In fact, when I die, just send me to that great library in the sky. Oh yes, and please make it dog friendly.

Do you write reviews for items you buy from Amazon? Most people probably don’t bother. But I do at times, especially if I find a particular purchase to be either great or horrible. Although the ways of the Amazon Vine program are mysterious, I’m guessing that’s why last October I was invited to join. The Vine program allows members to pick from a daily and ever changing menu of Amazon items to receive for free. In exchange, members are required to write reviews for at least 60% of the items received. There’s a footnote to the “free” part: Amazon sends a 1099 at year end to the IRS listing the total taxable value of the items you received. You’re then responsible for paying income tax on that amount. For food and certain medical items, though, Amazon assigns a zero taxable value. So, not quite free, but seriously discounted. Amazon merchants choose to participate in Vine if they’re launching a new product and are eager to get some early reviews posted. My feeling is that if I’m getting the items (almost) for free, I should try to review every one, not just 60%. Since October, I’ve received 46 items and I’ve reviewed 45. The one review lacking is for a TENS/EMS electrical stimulation device that I thought might be helpful for my wife’s leg and hip arthritis. Somehow she never seems to be available to try it out, maybe because she’s afraid I’ll dial the current up too high! So what kind of items have I received over the last 8 months? It’s an extremely wide ranging list, and includes a dog bed, chair cushions, bolt cutters, a table lamp and a floor lamp, a knife block, a flashlight, steel toe boots, 2 stainless steel garden hoses, Italian biscotti, a carving knife, a large bag of macadamia nuts, a 12-pack of Ben’s risotto, a cordless tire inflator, a pressure washer, and several items my wife has found handy: slippers, a set of plant stands, a nice sweater, a huge set of makeup brushes, and more. And lest I forget, there was the 25 lb. bucket of lentils, which may last us decades. There is a lot of chaff with the wheat. Amazon has undoubtedly figured out my age as the items on offer always include countless wheelchair accessories, canes, knee braces, shower stools, etc. But at the other end of the spectrum, I’ve been surprised to see some really wild offerings, including paternity test kits, “Nuclear / Chemical Survival Gas Masks”, at home insemination kits, and even, believe it or not, sex toys. I’m just at the “Silver” level, which means my limit is 3 items per day (more than I’d ever choose), and the items have a list price of $100 or less each. If you’re a really ambitious Viner, you can try to make “Gold” status, which allows up to 8 items a day with no limit on the list price. I have no desire for that status as it strikes me as a full time job. But there are plenty of these “extreme Viners” out there, and a NYT article provided a peek into their very busy world. I’ll probably tire of it eventually, but so far Amazon Vine has been fun and rewarding. And it’s probably as close as I’ll ever come to working after retirement.