One of the big arguments for home ownership or buying a house goes something like this: “When you rent, you’re just throwing money away because you’re not building house equity. With your own home, though, that’s exactly what happens when you pay your mortgage: you’re building equity.” At first glance, this seems like it could…
Financial Advisor Vs Planner: What’s the Difference?
“Are you a financial advisor, or a financial planner?” I’ve had a handful of people ask me this at events I’ve attended or spoken at, and I can understand why people pose the question. You don’t just have to figure out the differences between a financial advisor vs planner. There are countless different titles people…
Financial Planning for Retirement Is an Important Thing, But It’s Not the Only Thing
What do you think of when you hear “financial planning?” If the answer revolves around financial planning for retirement, you’re not wrong… but it might also be an incomplete picture of what proper planning can do for you. Or it might not be the right way to think about the kind of planning that’s best…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Binary Decisions Are for Computers, Not for Humans
We often act like we live in a binary world, where we have only two choices: 0 or 1. These binary decisions work for computers, but not for humans. Luckily for us, there’s a better way. The more I speak with people about their finances, the more I realize how interesting humans really are. We…
Here’s How to Stop Fighting About Money with Your Spouse
Do you ever find that your conversations with your spouse or significant other get derailed when the topic of money comes up? If you said yes, you’re not alone. This is a challenging area for most couples, and there is a solution. One of my clients, Ryan, recently shared this story with me. He said…
Money Is A Tool, So Stop Treating It As The Goal
“I want more money.” “I need to save more money.” “I wish I had more money.” I hear these phrases all the time — and I’m guilty of saying them, too. While it’s natural to think this way, doing so only creates more stress around money. When we look at more money as the ultimate…