Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had different conversations with different retirees the common thread with them was their interest and time spent gambling. Whether at casinos in Michigan or Las Vegas part of their time was spent gambling. Clearly its a form of entertainment. They say they do okay at it. But I know the casinos were not built because the house always lost money. One person is at the level where he and his wife get rooms comped to them both here in Michigan and affiliated casinos in the Carribean. These casinos know their business and their customers. He’s got to be a net loser and in a pretty big way.

I think about those of us though that have a hobby. Maybe more retirees would be better off with a hobby. Even paying money for little Boy Scout patches, which may sound crazy to many, at the end of the day you still have a Boy Scout patch. And there is so much more that one can do within the hobby that doesn’t cost money (for example, researching out your local camps, early Eagle Scouts, jamboree troops, conclaves – the list of ideas is nearly endless). Further, in this hobby, the people are really nice.

There are a lot of us approaching retirement age. How many have planned for what they are going to do with their remaining time? Casino gambling can be fun and entertaining but the experience passes. With collections, you have something to show for time and resources.