You’ve probably heard something along the lines of “If you want to get along with others, don’t talk about politics or religion.” For most people, a third topic could be […]
5 Scarily Easy Ways to Accumulate Debt
It’s officially “spooky season,” but there are scarier things than goblins, ghouls, and vampires. As a financial advisor, one of the truly frightening things I encounter is people in tough […]
Budgeting for Fall: 4 Considerations
Each season comes with its own set of joys and difficulties, and fall is no different. Kids may (or may not) be excited for the school year. We may (or […]
The grasshopper and the ant: why planning ahead matters
One of Aesop’s fables features a hardworking ant and a lazy grasshopper. While the ant toils away, socking away food for the coming winter, the grasshopper sings, dances, and doesn’t […]
Preparing Financially for a Longer Life
The great news is, people (in general) are living longer, healthier lives. The bad news is, those long lives require a good deal of long-term planning, and many of us […]
Investment Lessons from the Dot-Com Era
Do you remember the late 1990s? It wasn’t only a time of flannel shirts and jeans. It wasn’t just Beanie Babies, “Friends,” and Leonardo DiCaprio. It was also a time […]
Why Trust the S&P 500?
Let me begin this post by saying yes, I do trust the S&P (Standard & Poor’s) 500 Index (with a certain amount of caution, of course). But why? Why is […]
Breaking the Taboo of Talking About Money
Like many good Midwestern families, we didn’t talk much about money when I was growing up. The topic came up occasionally, but never in much depth, and certainly never in […]
Give Your Child Wings to Achieve Financial Independence
When I was young, there was no such thing as “helicopter parents.” We roamed around, rode our bikes everywhere, and returned home for dinner. We were also expected to work […]
Financially Preparation is a Gift to Those You Leave Behind
No one likes to think about their own mortality. That goes against all the advice books on happiness that tell us to “live in the moment” or “don’t worry about […]