It happens to the most contentious of us. We say we won’t go overboard on holiday spending (and, let’s face it, eating), but we get caught up in the moment. Or, your kid asks for something at the last minute and you don’t have time to bargain shop. And, your Aunt Gertrude is so hard…
Happy New Year! As a financial planner I have some hopes for your 2016 to pass along. May you find joy in the free (or very inexpensive) things in life – sunsets, walks with your dog, a home cooked dinner with family, or hugging a friend. And then, take the savings from fancy vacations, dinners…
Seventy two percent of grandparents polled in a 2014 Fidelity survey felt it was important to help pay for grandchildren’s’ educations. Wow! That is a very large number. For those who are in a position to chip in a little (or a lot) for college for their grandchildren, here are a couple of ideas. Open…
One question I help people answer in retirement planning is when to take Social Security. A couple of reminders on the rules: You can take Social Security as early as age 62, but your amount will be lower than if you waited until your full Social Security age. For most people considering the question today,…
The Denver Post recently reprinted a list from Kiplinger Washington Editors called “9 financial get-on-with-being-an-adult tips for your 30s.” The list included: Advance your career Rethink your budget Write Your will Pay off non-mortgage debt Save at least 15% of your income for retirement Adjust your insurance coverage Increase your emergency fund Diversify and rebalance…
Recently I was asked to contribute some personal finance articles to Triage Cancer (http://triagecancer.org/). One of the topics was about credit scores and budgeting. Being the lazy person I am, I am going to use the blog twice – once for me and once for Triage Cancer! So, what is a FICO score? The Fair…
I have done a ton of retirement plan enrollment meetings in my career. One question that consistently comes up is “How much should I be putting into my work retirement account?” In order to not induce sticker shock, I lay out a three step plan. Step 1: 6% Minimum Contribution. When you are young and…
The attached article has some great stories about how there is not just one way to retire. While some people consider stopping work as a one-way train to crotchety old age, others keep active and busy with hobbies, grandkids, volunteer work, and even their memberships in the American Association for Nude Recreation. No lie, click…
I went to the Financial Planning Association’s annual Symposium in September. This is a great opportunity for financial planners to get new information and catch up with old friends. As usual, it was a great event and I learned lots of cool stuff. Our lunch keynote speaker was Joe Hurley, founder of the website www.savingforcollege.com.…
Now, this is the kind of news I like to see. Charitable giving from all sources was $358 billion in 2014, the highest amount since its 2007 peak. Fifty four percent of the year over year growth from 2013 was driven by individuals. See, we don’t all have to be Bill and Melinda Gates to…
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