Even if you love your friends and family, have you ever considered the impact other people have on your finances? Some of them might be a real hazard to your financial health. It’s time to take a look at your relationships and learn to recognize the signs as well as how to set financial boundaries with friends and family without feeling lousy. Be on the lookout for these situations: 1. The dealmaker. This person is full of great … Read More
Do you have anxiety or fear when you start thinking about holiday spending? Too many families go into debt each holiday. It adds unnecessary and unwanted stress to what should be a joyous season. It’s certainly no way to spend the holidays — no pun intended. So what’s the solution? Actually, if you start preparing for the holidays now you can enjoy a financially lower-stress season. Here’s how: 1. Become the Ghost of Christmas Past Take … Read More
Sometimes, it’s hard as parents to watch your teens squander their allowance or money they’ve earned from a job. You want them to do better, but how do you teach them? Or maybe you are just beginning with the basics of money management, and you want to make sure they get off to a good start. Money management for teens comes with practice and consistency. Wherever you are in the financial planning process, it’s … Read More
You probably get regular check-ups from your dentist and doctor. Even cars and pianos receive regular tune-ups. So why do most individuals fail to get a financial check up? It seems many either don’t think about it until there is an issue or don’t want to know and choose to avoid the subject. While a fee-only financial planner can conduct this for you and can likely help you find things you may not have considered (especially when looking at items … Read More
Ready to give your finances a swift kick? It’s easy for overwhelm and the busy-ness of life to get in the way, but allowing your finances to “just happen” is a recipe for disaster. Your financial life doesn’t need to be complicated. The small steps you take over time can lead to big changes, but it all starts with taking constructive action. To help you with this, I’m launching a FREE 30 DAY MONEY … Read More
If you’re having trouble making your financial goals stick or feel a disconnect between your money and life, I have a suggestion: Stop focusing on the goals as a “to do” list and start focusing on your purpose and what you value most in life. Once you know what makes you tick, setting and prioritizing goals that support the life you want becomes much easier to achieve. Money is a tool that can help us live the … Read More
When it comes to budgeting or a spending plan, I am of the belief that keeping it simple is the best approach for most folks. I like the idea of paying yourself first and then prioritizing what is left over to first cover your core living needs and then discretionary items. My recommendation is to track expenses as they happen into either a core living expense or discretionary item allowance. I don’t think it’s useful for most … Read More
In a speech at AARP on Monday, my business mentor and the founder of the Garrett Planning Network, Sheryl Garrett CFP®, AIF® was recognized and quoted by President Obama for her commitment to championing fiduciary standards in the financial advisory arena. The above video clip from CSpan captures the moment. I’m so happy she received recognition for her fight on behalf of consumers and I’m honored that I have been able to be a part of this mission … Read More
I’m excited to launch the first episode of the Speak of Money Podcast! In this episode, I share what I have found to be the top reasons why people have trouble achieving their financial life goals. I also discuss the three key areas you should work on to develop your long term financial success, and give you three different challenge exercises that you can starting working on now to start getting smart, comfortable and focused with your money. Links mentioned … Read More
There are many financial rules we’ve all heard over and over again. But some of these rules aren’t perfect or don’t apply well to individual situations. Instead of blindly following general financial rules that someone else made, consider how they impact you with these counter perspectives: 1. Cutting expenses is the key to long-term financial success. Most of the well-known personal finance gurus focus on cutting expenses and saving money. While there’s no reason … Read More