Thanks to alert reader and all around supportive husband Sean Sullivan for showing me this graphic from Visual Capitalist illustrating how much income it takes to live comfortably in each state. This is helpful in my business, because often clients talk about relocating to a less expensive place to live. But what does…
It’s looming! Around the country, freshman dorm move-in date is coming up in 2 weeks. Let’s all join hands and NOT spend as much as a semester’s tuition on stuff for our kids’ dorm rooms. Now, I realize that some of you have girls and it’s going to be much harder to reign in the…
Do we have to be serious all the time about investments? Here’s hoping that even when stocks and bonds go down, a sense of humor can keep us from making emotional trading mistakes.
I’ll make this quick: Roth Conversions for people entering retirement are often not the best idea, despite what you read in (numerous, unending, relentless) articles in financial media. Yes, some of you may have outsized buckets of tax-deferred money, which means you did a great job saving in tax-deferred retirement accounts when that was the…
Waaayyyy back in the day, when I worked for a large discount brokerage that shall remain unnamed, but was headquartered in Boston, and still shall remain unnamed, management introduced a groundbreaking new software called the Retirement Income Planner. The irony that our new offering for those transitioning to retirement was called R.I.P. was not lost…
Have you ever wondered why your financial advisor describes your retirement readiness in terms of a known gambling mecca? Is he or she so uncertain of their advice, that they are actually saying it’s all just a crap shoot? It might help to explain the progression of retirement projection techniques by giving a little history.…
It feels like a tale of two economies out there. On the one hand, headlines talk of lower unemployment claims and plenty of job openings. On the other hand, clients from experienced professionals to my teenaged kids are sending out 100 resumes and barely getting a look. What is up? Here are some insights: Economic…
The Oracle is not me. It’s always good to hear wise words from someone who has been there and done that. When world news seems ever more dire, you may be wondering how to handle your investments in the face of uncertainty. Who better than Warren Buffett to soothe our collective worried brow? Here are…
A huge red flag when I’m talking to potential new clients is when they are upset at their current advisor about their returns. Especially when I hear things like, “I’ve been with this guy 2 whole years and haven’t made any money.” Two years? That’s a blip in time in an investor’s return history. As…
This month, I am going to rudely interrupt your sunny summer activities with a reminder that financial storms can always happen. However, to build emotional resilience against investment losses, it’s good to exercise your “I can ignore it and not make bad investment decision” muscle before you need to use it. When calculating financial projections…
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