I’ve had an eye-opening week dealing with people’s misconceptions about retirement planning. In three situations I heard a potentially useful retirement technique attacked or dismissed. First, a reporter wanted to talk to me because she had heard so many bad things about annuities.

Next, when discussing a friend’s concerns with his elderly mother’s finances, I asked if he had considered a reverse mortgage. He gave me the raised-eyebrow look and asked, “is that all you have?” Finally, at a legal conference, an acquaintance criticized a fellow attorney, saying “he’s the kind of lawyer who hawks living trusts.” Three viable planning ideas rejected.

Read more at Forbes.

When most people think of owning multifamily properties, they believe that the cost would be prohibitive. After all, you can find solid apartment building in many markets, such as Texas, Florida and Georgia for $70,000–$150,000 per unit. So how could it be possible to own 100 apartments for just $100,000?

The answer is surprisingly simple: by investing as a limited partner in a syndication. Syndication lets you invest money in properties, along with other investors, and own a share of the asset for a fraction of its value.

Read more at Forbes.

Inspired by her father, a doctor who devoted his life to caring for the underserved, the third-year family medicine resident works at the Desert Regional Medical Center hospital and the UCR Health Family Medicine Center in a part of Palm Springs, California, that seems light years from the plush playgrounds of Hollywood golden-era icons like Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.

Many of her hospital patients are homeless, living in their cars or crammed into tiny apartments with relatives, with little protection from the blazing 120-degree heat in summer. They suffer from uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and some from the ravages of addiction.

Read more at US News.

Feeling bloated? You’re not alone. Abdominal bloating and gas are among the most common digestive complaints that doctors hear from patients.

Belly bloating bothers some people largely because of how it looks. They may think a protruding tummy makes them look “pregnant.” Some are frustrated when that swollen stomach sticks around even after weight loss. They hate having to unbutton their pants to make room for bloating.

Read more at US News.

Parliament reconvenes in the United Kingdom on Sept. 3, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend the legislative body for up to five weeks ahead of the Brexit deadline.

Read more at US News.

A bit more on the latest Tory MP to show a lack of support in the prime minister. Former Conservative Phillip Lee, MP for Bracknell, crossed the floor of the Commons to join the Liberal Democrats in dramatic fashion.

The ex-justice minister, who supported Remain in the 2016 EU referendum, has previously warned about the economic impact of Brexit and called for a second referendum on the matter.

Read more at BBC News.

The slow-moving hurricane is the most powerful storm to hit the Bahamas since records began, bringing sustained winds of up to 165mph (270km/h) and the risk of storm surges of up to 23ft (seven metres).

It has now been downgraded from the highest, category five level, to category three, but officials warn of catastrophic winds and the risk of life-threatening floods.

Read more at BBC News.

You have to watch where you step in Paga, on the very edge of northern Ghana. Wander into the wrong part of this dusty African border town and you may just come face to face with the toothy grin belonging to one of the resident crocodile population.

The local people here have cultivated an alarmingly close relationship with these powerful reptiles, which live in “sacred” ponds around the town. According to local legend, the first chief of Paga was saved by a crocodile while on a hunting expedition and he decreed that none of his people would harm the animals from that day forward.

Read more at BBC.

As an entrepreneur, you can work all day long on developing the next killer product, balancing your budget, and securing data, but if you don’t have a marketing plan in place, you’re likely to find your business dead in the water in no time. Any entrepreneur that is looking for genuine success needs to take a hands-on, diversified approach to their marketing efforts.

This doesn’t mean a small business owner needs to make all of the decisions themselves. If you can find a marketing guru that you trust who is up to date on best practices, get them involved. However, when it comes to marketing your business, it’s important that you have a hand on the wheel. You are the most intimately acquainted with your products, services, mission, and message. You are the one with the vision, voice, and purpose behind what your company stands for.

Read more at Bankless Times.

In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville, at the age of twenty-five, was sent by France’s Ministry of Justice to study the American penal system. He spent ten months in the United States, dutifully visiting prisons and meeting hundreds of people, including President Andrew Jackson and his predecessor, John Quincy Adams. On his return to France, he wrote a book about his observations, “Democracy in America,” the first volume of which was published in 1835. Many of the observations have weathered well (he noted, for instance, how American individualism coexisted with conformism). Others have not. For example, Tocqueville, who was the youngest son of a count, was deeply impressed by how equal the economic conditions in the United States were.

Read more at New Yorker.