A recent article from the Wall Street Journal interviews the creators of the 401k plan. Several of the original proponents acknowledge that 401ks are not being used as originally hoped. The article questions whether or not 401ks have helped Americans retire or if they...
A Donor Advised Fund is another way to gift money to your favorite charities and be financially beneficial to you at the same time. The DAF allows you to set aside money to contribute to a charity in the future, even without knowing the details of who you want to...
Last fall, I asked a 5th grade class via Twitter what they thought the best money advice a financial planner could give was. They sent back the following list: Buy things that last Separate needs from wants Spend money on the things you will use Spend money wisely...
As I’ve been examining why I have been resistant to goals, I have started re-thinking how I approach them, and I’ll tell you why. A goal is a clearly defined personal objective, something you want to achieve in a specific time period. What I have recently realized is...
I have struggled with goals lately. As a financial planner, I’m naturally wired to set goals. An integral part of working with my clients is looking at their goals and the financial ramifications of those goals. In fact, some of the most powerful meetings a financial...
Clients describe the meeting as shocking, even while admitting that they knew it was coming. It’s the financial planning meeting in which we look at their retirement projections to see if they are on track to meet their financial goals. Some couples have figured it...
“I have no idea how we did it back then,” a client couple commented on a copy of their budget from fifteen years prior. They laughed as they remembered their early struggles. They knew that their life had altered over the years, but hadn’t realized how much it had...
In my freshman year of college I had to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment. Two of my top five strengths were “Competition” and “Achiever.” Over the years I’ve had to come to terms with the blessings and curses of being a competitive overachiever. “No matter...
Hannah was asked to guest post on I Am That Lady. The following is the article that recently appeared. It’s that time of year again. Time for the onslaught of perfect holiday decorations, perfect family portraits and perfectly wrapped gifts under the tree. And we...
