Fee-Only Financial Planning Advice

Just Starting Out – Resources to Help With Money Stuff

Sep 21 2020

Photo credit: jb

A recent college graduate approached me recently to ask about saving and investing. He had begun investing using one of the micro-brokerage apps, and had a few questions about getting started with saving and investing.

We briefly talked about saving concepts, including emergency funds, goals for saving activities and whatnot, as well as the concept of diversification. But I knew that the brief amount of time we had available to talk would not be enough to answer all of his questions. In addition, although at one time I was in his very shoes (starting his first …

Stay Positive While Adjusting Your Financial Planning

Sep 15 2020

This past Sunday (September 13) was National Positive Thinking Day. With all that is happening in the world, it can be difficult to continue to think positive but it is important to do so.

There are a lot of people who are suffering and a lot of people who do not have enough. If you are scraping by but still worried, try to focus on what you do have and how you can use all of your resources efficiently.

Many people reached a point of fatigue with the pandemic long before now. They miss the things they used to do. …

Use This Time to Reevaluate Financial Priorities

Sep 08 2020

Perhaps it is time to re-think how you manage your finances. If you are fortunate enough to have steady employment, you do not have to spend as much money you did before. And if you do spend, you can change the way you spend and allocate your money. This is an opportunity to decide what is really important to you. Even if you do not end up making drastic cuts to your budget, you could find ways to make more of your resources differently so you were able to reach more of your goals.

The Washington Post published an …

A Review of Finances at Age 60

Sep 08 2020

I’m turning 60 this week. Even though I plan on working as long as possible, this is an important check point. It’s a good time to assess progress on all fronts – physical, emotional, spiritual, and of course financial. If you are close to either side of 60, I’d like to outline the ideal scenario to help you make your own financial assessment.

Many people are beginning to think about Social Security. In truth, taking Social Security at age 62 is usually a terrible idea. You should have your Social Security analyzed and take the recommendation of a professional. Delaying …

Are your finances your fault?

Sep 03 2020

Many of us tend to blame every disaster on ourselves. Except for the few who thing everything is the other guy’s fault. Even in this pandemic, I hear a lot of people blaming themselves for losing their job, or making bad investment choices, or not seeing it coming.

If you’re making a financial plan, it’s very important to be realistic about what you can control and what you can’t. For example, you can certainly take advantage of all the job training offered you, put together a crackerjack resume, keep up your networking contacts, and try to do the best job …

Unbiased financial advice from fee-only financial planners