Connecting Your Money with Your Life
So how’s that money connection going in your life? As financial planners we spend a lot of time putting things together like budgets, net worth...
Read More >Introduction to Annuities
Annuities account for a significant part of all investment sales, partly because they offer features and benefits that are unavailable...
Read More >Thinking About a Tax Refund Loan?
The formal name is refund anticipation loans, or RALs. They're marketed primarily to cash-poor taxpayers who use their annual federal and...
Read More >Shopping for a Mortgage
A mortgage is a long-term loan that a homebuyer obtains from a bank, savings and loan, mortgage broker, online broker or even the property...
Read More >10 Ways to Cut Energy Costs
Winter is fast approaching. And that means it's time to examine the many ways you can conserve energy and cut costs. Below is a checklist of...
Read More >Health Care Reform and You
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, has many facets to it and its implementation will be done over several years....
Read More >Should I Own Life Insurance in Retirement
When people near retirement they often wonder how much, if any, life insurance they should have during retirement. When you are working and...
Read More >What if You Had Stayed the Course?
As I was thinking about what topic to write about for my blog that you are reading now, the market pundits pointed out that the Dow Jones...
Read More >What Common QDRO Mistakes Should You Avoid in Your Divorce
How can you and your soon-to-be-former spouse split your individual qualified retirement savings, frequently the largest asset you may each own...
Read More >Five Financial Resolutions for a Prosperous New Year
You have goals for the New Year, things you want to accomplish for yourself or your loved ones, or a cause you want to support. And because...
Read More >Invest Outside the Box
Most people consider the Morningstar Style Box, the ubiquitous 9 square grid seen all over financial publications, as the entire spectrum of...
Read More >Protecting Your Bond Investments from a Downturn
If you have been following your bond investments recently, you may have noticed that after a nice, steady increase in values, most bonds have...
Read More >Creating Your First Budget
Budgeting is one of the first great lessons of personal finance, yet relatively few people are taught the basics of creating one. Or if they’re...
Read More >Questions To Ask at Free Lunch Seminars
Long before Bernard Madoff was arrested and charged with securities fraud, many Americans would often be invited to free-lunch seminars to...
Read More >A Checklist for Open Enrollment
This is the time of year to plan for what next year may look like and make your best guess as to what benefits you may need in terms of health,...
Read More >The Advantages of Divorce Mediation
As financial planners, we are sometimes called on to assist with some of the sadder events in life – for example, death, disability and divorce...
Read More >Company Sponsored Retirement Plans Mistakes to Avoid and Solutions for Success
A company sponsored retirement plan is one of the best benefits your employer can offer you; but in order to realize the greatest success with...
Read More >What If I’m Wrong
If you’ve ever watched Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech, you will likely remember the poignant description of his morning ritual in...
Read More >How to Buy Commodities
You have probably heard that commodities are a great way to protect your portfolio from inflation and offer variety from traditional stocks and...
Read More >Just Married - Financial Planning for Newlyweds
Last Updated: April 19, 2010 The vows have been exchanged. The honeymoon is over. Now comes the hard part. Now it's time, if you haven't...
Read More >Investment Abuse Part 2 How to Take Action if Youre a Victim
Last month we looked at several common investment abuses, such as misrepresentation, unsuitable recommendations, and excessive trading. Now we...
Read More >Beneficiaries and Inheriting a Retirement Account
As your financial planner did an annual review of your financial plans, he or she probably went over your beneficiary designations to review...
Read More >Why Invest in the Roth IRA
Roth IRA! Roth IRA! Roth IRA! I am sure you have never heard that pep rally cheer at any program you have gone to. But then again, most times...
Read More >Mutual Accountability
We talk a lot at the financial planning firm I work for about mutual accountability. In fact, it is part of our vision statement. What it means...
Read More >Financial Planning Be Part of Your Wedding Preparation
The excitement starts with an engagement ring. This starts months of planning for the big wedding day. Invitations, dresses, flowers, tuxedos,...
Read More >Financial Tips for Families of Activated Military Personnel
Reservist and National Guard families whose loved ones have been activated for duty in Iraq or other distant lands face not only separation but...
Read More >October: A Trick or Treat for Investors
“October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May,...
Read More >Taking Inventory of Your Marriage in Divorce
Your marriage is coming to an end. You look around and suddenly realize how do you go about deciding who gets what? Who gets the antique silver...
Read More >Mapping Your Financial Future
We live in a world that likes to make models. We’re obsessed with economists modeling what inflation may be, how weather patterns will emerge,...
Read More >Financial Planning Insights from Behavioral Finance
Without the proper perspective you can be your own worst enemy when it comes to financial planning. Finance-related behavior is often...
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