How do you decide when and where to spend your money? Do you use a rational, well thought-out process — with every dollar being accounted for or do you just throw caution into the wind and go with what feels right? If you’re like most people, you probably do a little of both. Consider this: just about any decision that … Read More
The Value of Financial Discipline
Making the right decisions when it comes to your money can be tough. I mean, you’ve worked hard to earn it, so you can spend it on what you want when you want, right? Technically, yes…buuuut that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. This is where discipline comes into play. Discipline means being able to say no when you don’t feel … Read More
Focus on What Matters
It’s no secret that we live in a consumer-driven culture. In our quest for ‘more’, it’s considered normal to think “if I only earned $________ more per year” or “drove a ______ car” or “had a bigger house…” I’d be happy. In fact, as a Certified Financial Planner™, I catch myself thinking some of these same thoughts from time to … Read More
Do You Need a Financial Timeout?
At one time or another we’ve all been guilty of buying things that we didn’t really need. Sometimes it’s the newest smartphone on the market; at other times, it’s eating out when a home-cooked meal would have done the trick. No matter the reason, haphazard spending is the direct result of not having a plan in place when it comes … Read More
The Secret to Growing a Beautiful Garden
For my birthday, one of my good friends gave me a beautiful plant. A dahlia. Given the fact that I really enjoy flowers, this was (at least in theory) a great gift. There was just one problem: I’m not very good at growing things. I actually killed a cactus one time! Anyway, I wanted to keep these looking good because … Read More
What to Do When You’re on the Bubble
With graduation looming, many parents are bracing themselves for the inevitable rollercoaster ride that is the transition from high school to college with their eyes (and wallets) wide open. For a large number, there’s still ‘parental homework’ left to complete with the myriad of testing, applications, essays, visits, scholarships and financial aid paperwork, many with deadlines approaching over the next … Read More
How Much Money Do You Need to be Happy?
How much money do you need to be happy? The answer finds that most people fall into one of three categories. 1.) Those that believe the best things in life are free. 2.) Others that attribute their happiness to earning more and subsequently acquiring more stuff. 3.) And finally, those that are happy with enough to afford life’s necessities of … Read More
Do You Really Need a 401k or IRA?
Having enough money to retire comfortably is something that most Americans think about on a regular basis. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, nearly 80% of workers believe that they will have more difficulty achieving financial security than their parents’. But why is that? Is it because, with high-debt loads and competing … Read More
How to Overcome Anchoring Bias to Start Spending Less
Have you ever been on a long-standing committee? If so, then you’ve probably encountered an exchange where someone comes up with a new idea that seems logical, then someone else wonders why we need to go through all the effort to change. “We’ve always done it this way,” they say. They become immovable. As we go through life, it’s easy … Read More
When a 50-cent Part Breaks: Protecting Against Life’s Uncertainties
Last October, my oldest nephew got married in a beautiful ceremony at a mountaintop chapel about two hours away from our home. Since we were already going to be away for the day of the wedding, we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it and spent three days with family and close friends. It was a really great time, … Read More