Budgeting is arguably the most important aspect of financial planning. Saving, investing, insurance, retirement planning, and projections are useless if you have no idea how much money you are spending today and how much you would like to spend (or have the ability to spend) in the future. We all have a limited amount of […]
Utilizing Risk To Your Advantage
As planners who attempt to evaluate and manage numerous variables in our Member’s financial lives, the question of risk comes up often. To many novice investors, these questions are almost framed as if we, as retirement and financial experts, have some proprietary insight into the future, a crystal ball that has been honed by years […]
What Should I do with the Market at All Time-Highs?
It is a common fear. Nobody wants to be the one who invested money in March of 2000 or October of 2007. Investing at the top of a market rally can leave a sting not only to your investment account, but also to your pride. In fact, behavioral finance experiments have proven that people are […]
A Few Year End Financial Tips
2019 is quickly coming to an end. The coming months represent not just the last few weeks or the year, but of the decade. Here are a few financial tips to consider as we approach December 31st: Income Taxes – If you are paid irregularly, on 1099, or own your own business, you are required […]
Some of the Best Advice You’ll Never Hear
Buy High, Sell Low Your investments have not been performing so well. Despite the lackluster performance, your financial advisor continues to purchase additional shares with any free cash. Meanwhile, everyone is talking about how great Amazon stock is performing and you can’t help but wonder what is wrong with your advisor. You could not be […]
Debt Dissolver: Getting Out of Credit Card Debt
One of the biggest challenges in personal finance is managing credit card debt. Credit card debt levels in the United States are staggering and with high interest rates and multiple cards, the prospect of getting out of debt can seem overwhelming and even insurmountable. If you can afford little more than the minimum payments, the […]
Presidents and Founding Fathers on Money
In honor of Presidents’ weekend, we took a look at the Presidents and Founding Fathers whose faces grace our currency, to see what we can learn from them about money. Interestingly enough, in the case of many of them and despite the fact that they are all respected leaders, the lessons on personal finance to […]
Getting Your Financial House in Order
‘Tis the season for making resolutions, and some of the most common New Year’s resolutions are getting organized, budgeting and saving more. Although most make these commitments with the best of intentions, the truth is fewer than 40% of resolutions will be kept for even the next six months. If you have resolved to improve […]
When There’s A Will There’s a Way
The world was rocked last week with news of the death of American music icon Aretha Franklin. Known as the Queen of Soul, Aretha leaves behind a strong legacy with songs that will go on forever. But what of the legacy that she left for her family? Aretha Franklin joins a long list of icons, […]
How Much Home Can I Afford?
This article by Ryan Zacharczyk, CFP®, MBA originally appeared at O’Brien Realty. Buying a home is the biggest purchase most people will make during their lifetime. In addition, taking on a liability (mortgage) payment for as long as 30-years can cause many first-time home buyers sleepless nights. However, purchasing a home not only instills a […]
