Retirement Compatibility

Preparation for retirement is extremely important, and it extends well beyond finances. In addition to knowing how you’re going to fund it, you also need to know what your time will look like when you say you’re done with being a wage earner. With this new lifestyle, you not only need to determine how to […]

What Is A Fiduciary?

What is a fiduciary? When selecting a Financial Advisor, it’s important to know they will be looking out for you and the money you worked hard for all your life. Not all financial advisors are the same. When considering a financial advisor to partner with, it’s important to know if they are fiduciaries, meaning they […]

Year-End Financial Planning

Don’t get caught up in the here and now. Short-term moves and market timing are not sound financial strategies for your serious long-term plan of pursuing financial independence.  Good planning does, however, require intermediary decision-making. A few things to consider before year-end: Charitable Giving – To receive 2020 tax benefits, donations must be made by […]

How Indecision Is Killing Your Pocketbook

Awareness is key to change, but you also need action. In fact, you need focused, decisive and immediate action to see change and to get yourself back on the road to financial independence. There are a lot of decisions to make when forging your way to financial independence, there are also countless paths to each […]

The Economy and the Election

  Today, conversations, screens, and ads on how the upcoming election will affect our economy and the American way of life are unavoidable. Naturally, we start to ponder how the outcome might impact our own financial independence. Since market forecasters and economic commentators ever really get it right only part of the time, formulating investment […]

Behavioral Finance: The Key to Your Financial Independence

Recently, I came across two competing headlines: “Dow Dropped Because the Wheels are Coming Off” and “The Dow is Up Because there are Flashes of Optimism.” On any given day, financial markets swing—one-day values are up and the next they are down. Trying to figure out how to build your wealth by focusing on market […]

Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Financial Health

Top 10 Ways To Improve Your Financial Health Create an emergency fund (3-6 months fixed expenses) Identify your priorities/goals Plan for unexpected life events Understand your monthly cash flow (money in vs money out) Discuss finances with your spouse/partner Reward yourself for hitting financial goals Save up for large purchases Use risk tolerances and an […]

3 Lessons Learned During a Difficult Season

When is the “end” of this Coronavirus season? Do we return to “normal” at the end of the summer? I have no idea. However, I do know that when it happens, I will have already given intentional thought to my plan to return because there are some lessons learned and best practices to hold on […]

Making Sure Your Spouse is the MVP of Your Financial Team

It’s no surprise that I often talk about the need to have a strong, supportive financial team to pursue financial independence. These financial teams can consist of a CPA, an estate planning attorney or a real estate agent, with your trusted financial advisor acting as the general manager of your team. While each one provides […]

Grateful

In almost every journal entry I write, I include, “I am grateful for…” and list three to four items from my day that reminded me of how grateful I am. Just last night my wife of 10 years, laughed out at loud as she noticed, I had written, “Popcorn” as I enjoyed a bag in […]