{"id":90889,"date":"2026-05-02T01:00:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T08:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=90889"},"modified":"2026-05-01T12:52:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:52:01","slug":"black-coffee-surf-turf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id90889-black-coffee-surf-turf.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: Surf & Turf"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe …<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

I’ve got another busy weekend ahead of me, so let’s get right to this week’s commentary …<\/p>\n

Some people want champagne and caviar when they should be having beer and hot dogs.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2013 Dwight D. Eisenhower<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Did you see this? If you\u2019re still thinking about whether or not to travel abroad for this year’s summer vacation, keep in mind that United Airlines says surging jet fuel costs \u2013 which have doubled over the past four weeks \u2013 are forcing them to raise ticket prices<\/a> by as much as 20%. If there is a silver lining to that news, it\u2019s that United admits that those higher prices will almost certainly result in planes that aren\u2019t flying at full capacity. By the way, it isn\u2019t just jet fuel prices that are soaring. So is gasoline. Lobster prices are too \u2013 and for good reason …<\/p>\n

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Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Meanwhile, a new study has found that half of all Americans age 25 or older with investable assets of at least $150,000 say they \u201cimmediately\u201d check their retirement accounts on each day that ends with a market decline. Talk about pointless self-inflicted punishment. Even more disturbing, 67% admit that they\u2019re more worried about running out of money<\/a> than dying, with Gen X most likely to fear being in the red over being six feet under. In fact, 73% of Gen Xers said they worry more about going broke than death, followed by millennials (69%) and boomers (59%). They might have a point …<\/p>\n

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Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Fortunately, the world\u2019s richest man, Elon Musk, insists that people shouldn\u2019t stress<\/a> over building a nest egg for the distant future because saving for retirement is now pointless because of the impending \u201csupersonic tsunami\u201d of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, which will bring about a world of zero scarcity within the next 15 years or so. So there\u2019s that. Then again, maybe Elon should try selling that here …<\/p>\n