As a financial planner, I hear all sorts of reasons about why people’s finances are the way they are; all the reasons why they’re financially stuck and not making progress. Let me know if any of these sound familiar: We have $10,000 in credit card debt because my wife lost her job. My credit score…
5 Stock Market Basics You Ought to Know Before You Invest
The number-one thing you can know about the stock market is that it’s unpredictable. Think of it like a wild bull — and I don’t mean “wildly successful bull market” where everyone is always making money. I mean literally a wild bull: a large, powerful entity that has zero interest in your personal concerns, happiness,…
The 3 Factors That Set Financially Successful People Apart from Those Who Struggle
Ever wonder what it really takes to become wealthy? Assuming you don’t have a very rich relative who leaves you a lot of cash or you’re not on track to be the next Silicon Valley tech startup wunderkind, then you’re probably taking the same path most of the rest of us take: Earn a strong…
How Much House Equity Are You REALLY Building?
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…
The #1 Sign You’re Not Good with Money
There’s one sure way I can tell when someone is not good with money, even when they feel like they’re really nailing it. It’s not having lots of student loans or credit card debt (although those can be tough to deal with, there could be reasonable explanations for someone having debt they’re working to repay)….
How to Run an Investment Advisor Search: 7 Things You Must Know to Find the Right Advisor
Recently, I spoke at an event where the topic was “how to be good with money.” It was a fun conversation and the audience was really engaged and eager to learn. After the event, one attendee approached me to ask a question. “I know I need a financial advisor,” she said. She shared she inherited…
This Is the Best Financial Shortcut There Is: Are You Taking Advantage?
If you’re interested in a financial shortcut, you probably don’t have too much time on your hands. You’re busy, focused on a million things, and you need to get to the good stuff fast so you can get back to work. So I’ll keep this short, and get to the point. I’m going to share…
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…