Helping pave the way towards financial freedom
When thinking of topics to post about, I couldn’t help but think about some of the less desirable customer service experiences I have had lately. These kinds of things have been happening more and more recently, but here’s what has happened to me this month alone: My mortgage person has become non-responsive to my 2…
We all know that prices typically go up over time: this is called inflation. Inflation is generally a result of an increase in the supply of money. As more money becomes available, the purchasing power of a dollar drops. As the value of the currency decreases, the prices of goods and services increase. We’ve seen…
Charitable giving is a personal choice, and several factors typically determine how much a person “gives” away. Financial status. Upbringing. Trust factors. Priorities. Egos. I’ve had this topic come up lately with clients – people wondering HOW MUCH SHOULD WE BE GIVING? HOW MUCH DO OTHER PEOPLE GIVE? It’s a welcome discussion, particularly with all…
The big industry news in the past week is that some of the biggest brokerage firms slashed their commission rates to zero. The trend was inevitable, as declining commissions have been happening across the industry for decades. Some smaller outfits experimented with $0 trades recently, but it wasn’t until Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and E*Trade…
June is the time of year when school wraps up, with parents celebrating and guiding their kids to the next chapter in their exciting lives. I was reminded of it this week when looking at my Instagram. I am seeing friends post graduating pics, whether it’s moving on to middle school or moving on to…
As I have mentioned previously, I have been a big “podcast addict” (coincidentally that’s also the name of the android app that I use to listen) since discovering podcasts in early 2017. I don’t know how long they existed prior to me discovering them, but it’s been one of the best things to happen to…
Here are some things that I read recently that I wanted to share my thoughts on: Why advisors end client relationships (Financial-Planning.com, by Amanda Schiavo) Many articles are written about how consumers can choose financial advisors, as well as reasons to search for a new advisor. Not as frequently discussed – the other side of the…
In no particular order, here’s a few interesting things I heard and read recently that I wanted to share: Use Your Tax Return to Map Out a Better Financial Future (Liz Weston, NerdWallet) This past week, I reviewed my 2017 tax return and played around with an online tax calculator to see what the 2018 tax…
In no particular order, here’s a few interesting things I heard and read recently that I wanted to share: The Great Fund Fee Divide (Barron’s, by Reshma Kapadia) You want to know what I love about this article – EVERYTHING. Well, it may be boring to some people, but if you want to know more about…
In no particular order, here’s a few interesting things I heard and read recently that I wanted to share: U.S. stocks mount milestone-shattering run in 2017 (The Philadelphia Tribune, by Alex Viega) Since the final stock market trading day took place this past Friday, we can now discuss how the markets fared for the year….