Ever wonder what it really takes to become wealthy and financially successful? 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:…
Build an Emergency Fund: 5 Questions to Consider As You Save
To build an emergency fund sounds simple when you first think about it: An emergency fund is nothing more than money you set aside for a rainy day. The intention of those funds is to be there for you in case all else fails and you can’t cover an unpredictable expense with your normal monthly…
Our Considerations When Financially Preparing for Kids
Are you financially preparing for kids? Starting a family is a big decision – financially and otherwise. There’s a lot to consider when it’s time to make this choice. As a fee only financial planner in Boston who specializes in working with couples in their 30s and 40s, I have a lot of experience talking…
The 3-Step Process to Saving 40 Percent of Income
Prefer to listen rather than read? Pair this post with Episode 25 of the Beyond Finances podcast, where we talk about the process of saving 40 percent of income and the steps to take to make that happen. Do you know how much money you save right now? And perhaps more importantly… do you know…
What You Need to Save Before Having a Baby Might Be the Wrong Question
Most of my clients are in their 30s and 40s, and many of them are either starting families or adding to them. Many of these soon-to-be parents ask me, “how much do we need to save before having a baby? What should we have in the bank before we start thinking about having kids?” It’s…
How to Better Manage Money with Just Two Simple Rules of Thumb
Personal finance doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Yes, the complexity in your financial life will increase as you build assets and grow wealth—but don’t confuse complex for overly elaborate and impossible to understand. At the end of the day, most of what it takes to reach (and maintain) financial success comes down to some…
Looking for Your 2021 Financial Goal? Try This One
This essay was written by BYH’s creative director, Kali Roberge. It was published on Business Insider, and we’ve republished a version of it here. If you’re looking for insight into the kinds of goals we set each year, or need inspiration for your own 2021 focus, read on to learn about our number-one annual priority…
Managing Money as a Couple: Tips and Tricks to Get It Right
If you ask 10 different couples how they manage their money, you’ll probably get 10 different answers… including something along the lines of “We don’t. Budget? What budget?” Let me go ahead and say that might be the only wrong answer here. Some couples keep separate finances, both before and after marriage. Others combine everything…
The Unusual Financial Planning Process to Buy a Vacation Home
My wife and I rarely do anything in what could be described as “the usual way.” We think outside the box and generally choose to forge our own path instead of following the well-known and mainstream; from the fact that we’re both extremely independent and prefer to work for ourselves to choosing to rent in…
Spend Better: 5 Ways to Be Smarter About How You Use Your Money
The majority of personal finance advice can be boiled down to some simple rules. The biggest two? Spend less. Save more. This is good advice, and certainly part of the fundamentals to master if you want to be financially successful. But putting all of the focus on spending less and saving more means we’re telling…