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…
Suffering from Job Burnout? How to Prevent Your Career from Running Your Life
It happens to all of us from time to time. You get down. You feel tired. You’re overworked and overwhelmed. Dealing with work stress is something we all experience — but sometimes that stress devolves into something much worse if it goes on for long enough. If you let you career run your life for…
Got a Cash Windfall? Take These Steps So You Don’t Screw It Up
Who doesn’t love the idea of suddenly, unexpectedly coming into a lot of cash? Although this idea of a cash windfall sounds great in theory, the reality isn’t always quite as fantastic. Receiving a lot of money — especially when you didn’t know or expect it — can also introduce a lot of financial complexity…
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 to Leverage an HSA Account to Grow Your Wealth: A Real-Life Example
Have you considered a high deductible health plan, or HDHP, as an option for your health insurance? Many people shy away from plans with high deductibles because if you go to the doctor’s office often, require procedures not considered “preventative care”, or end up in the hospital overnight, you may be on the hook for…
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…
Fund Your Financial Goals with This Easy Strategy
One of our biggest financial goals over the last 18 months was to save up and pay for our own wedding. Over the last year and a half, we saved $1,250 per month — which put us in a position to achieve that goal to pay for the wedding we enjoyed back in June. It…
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)….