Well, things have slowed down a bit here at Max Out of Pocket. We are about a month out from meeting little Max or Maxine and we have reallocated our time accordingly. After closing out a large project at work in early March, we took one last weeklong trip to New York and Michigan to see family. Now, we will sit tight for the next thirty days. The lead-up to this has been surprisingly calm....
Have you ever considered having sound waves bounced off your baby to create an image that we can use to measure a small pocket of liquid near the neck that might signal chromosome abnormalities? Yeah, the thought never crossed my mind either. I probably don’t even know how to change a diaper. Fortunately, we get to benefit from all those before us who studied this kind of thing. In many ways, their work has made...
Over the years, I have seen several investment experts suggest they are ‘tilting’ their portfolio one way or another. It sounds sophisticated. They might generally follow total stock market indexing principles, but they deviate ever so slightly into a certain strategy. They tilt their way into ‘international equities,’ ‘value stocks,’ or even ‘alternatives.’ Tilt: move or cause to move into a sloping position. As they tout their tilt, I sometimes have a hard time reading...
Adding a new human to the family roster can be a shock to the system. Sure, we have cuddles and snuggles to look forward to. But on top of that, ENTIRE routines need to change. Baby colic, infant reflux, and a labor recovery are all on the table. That’s not to mention the crying. Adjusting to feeding routines is one thing, but having the time to properly bond with a child is huge. In my...
A few weeks back, I reviewed how much an obstetric ultrasound should cost in the first trimester. We learned this service could run between $250 – $1,200 in the hospital setting in the United States. It is a much more reasonable $150 – $325 in a clinic or imaging center setting. The take-home was that unless it was an emergency, it might make sense to steer clear of the hospital for this kind of service. It’s...