Those of us who work in personal finance sometimes forget that our jargon is not fully understood by others. Just like when my son’s teachers explain his test scores using a ton of alphabet soup assuming I can put this information into some sort of parenting use, when really, I don’t get it at all.…
Recessions, inflation, and bears, oh, my! Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Man didn’t know how easy they had it just worried about lions and tigers and bears. What is a Bear Market, anyway? How does it compare to a Bull Market? How is a Bear related to a Recession? Herewith, the answers: A…
If it bleeds it leads and that can certainly be said about the media frenzy around high inflation rates. Of course, prices are going up and it’s uncomfortable. But are all your costs going up 8%? Maybe, maybe not. The Consumer Price Index is the measure most often cited to show the cost of…
With the stock market experiencing painful losses in 2022, you might wish you had another way to pay bills that didn’t involve selling investments while they are down. If you are a homeowner with more than 50% equity in your property, there may be a way to do that. Reverse mortgages are available to…
I bonds are getting a lot of interest because inflation is finally up. Over the past 10 years, the return has been around 2%-3% average over the long term. Consider these things about I Bonds: You can only put $10,000/year per Social Security number in them per year. You must hold them for 1…
Do you feel like the financial services industry is plotting to sell you yet a new way to invest your money? Do you wonder if investment companies are constantly looking for a way to make themselves seem smarter than you and justify charging you fees? You are right! Enter the idea of Direct Indexing. …
Dear Readers, Allow me to introduce you to estate planning attorney Brandon Rains. Brandon is an experienced estate planning and business planning attorney practicing in the Denver Metro and Fort Collins areas of Colorado. The Rains’ Law Firm values include Compassion, Comprehensiveness, Family First, Integrity, and Purposefulness. Brandon has kindly answered my questions…
In honor of the upcoming Holiday of Cupid, to be contrary, here is a blog on divorce. This week, I welcome long time friend and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst ® Bev Banfield to enlighten us a bit on the logistics of dividing assets during divorce. KS: Are there certain times of year where people…
Sometimes it’s easier to learn things when it’s fun. So, test your smarts or gain some new knowledge by spotting the lie about 529 College Savings Accounts from the four statements: 529 College Investment Accounts can only be used in the state where the account is located. 529 College Investment Accounts can be transferred…
With supply shortages in all areas of the economy, one of the biggest attention grabbers is the lack of car inventory. Today, I’m happy to interview Patsy Butterfield of H.M. Brown and Associates to get her perspective on buying a vehicle. Kristi: We are hearing horror stories about supply chain issues as it relates…
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