The idea that you’re either “good” or “bad with money” is a myth. Good money habits are a choice that anyone can make and being “good with money” is something you can learn. That doesn’t mean good money habits are easy to form, and it can be a massive struggle and challenge to make the change…
Investing on Thin Ice: Record Stock Market Highs and the Inevitability of a Crash
My fiancee is from Georgia and has never walked on a frozen body of water (outside a small skating rink) in her life. A few weeks ago when we went through that cold snap where temperatures barely rose above single digits in Boston, we wandered out on the ice of the frozen-over pond in the…
This Might Be Your Biggest Investment Temptation You Have to Avoid
I can’t tell you how many times that people tell me about their friend’s cousin’s girlfriend’s brother who got rich by choosing one or two stocks that performed well. “All you have to do is find that one company,” they say, “and put your money in at the right time. Boom.” It sounds nice because…
This Is the Best-Kept Secret to Financial Success
Most people waste a lot of time and energy seeking the one investment to solve all their financial worries. They want to unlock some secret to financial success that only rich people know about, thinking if they just knew that one magical place to put their money, it would make them wealthy, too. I hate…
What’s Your Savings Rate? Here’s How We Save 30 Percent (or More) of Our Income
Financial freedom is the biggest goal I have right now — both personally and professionally. What I mean by that is it’s my goal to help as many of my clients as possible build and grow wealth to the point where they can enjoy financial independence. It’s also my own personal goal for my financial…
5 Ways We Save Money Living in Boston
When it comes to finances and building wealth as a financial planner in Boston, I live by a few important mantras. The most important one to me — and the one that helps guide my clients — is to use money as a tool to live a life I love today… while still planning responsibly…
Here’s How Much I’m Spending on a Wedding — and Why
As someone who works with professionals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, the topic of weddings comes up relatively often in client meetings (and even in casual conversation, as friends and acquaintances want my take on the financial side of wedding planning). While I’ve helped many people set up savings goals and responsibly spend on…
6 Ways to Avoid Getting Distracted from Financial Success
Distraction is everywhere on the long road to what you really want. There are countless reasons why people lose focus and put their attention on things that aren’t relevant to their financial goals and dreams. It’s easier to buy something today rather than save for a year (or more!) to buy something later. This applies to…
Don’t Have Specific Financial Goals? That’s Okay If You Have One of These Instead
It’s hard to plot out every goal you want to accomplish in your long life — especially if you’re in your 20s, 30s, or 40s right now. You have decades of life to live ahead of you, and these are the prime decades to experience some major life milestones and changes. Trying to understand exactly…
Timing the Market Doesn’t Work, So Here’s What to Do Instead
We’ve enjoyed a bull market for the last 8 years. In the last year alone, we’ve seen the S&P 500 rise 15% percent. For at least the last 4 years, you’ve also probably heard people — in the media, on TV, in your office — talk about how a downturn is inevitable and will happen…