The idea of legacy is rarely discussed in traditional financial planning. Few of us identify as wealthy and we tend to associate “legacy” with having a university building named after you or XYZ’s trust fund that endowed your favorite PBS show. It seems impractical and unattainable — something only for the super-rich.
But legacy, as I see it, is a much broader concept that most people should consider including in their financial plan, because it is not limited to famous family foundations and public works. Yes, things like Carnegie libraries change the world, but you change it too, albeit on…
Fear. Anxiety. Inadequacy. These feelings are extremely common around money issues and personal finance, regardless of income level. It’s especially true of women, who often have a sense that money matters are “beyond them” or simply belong on a list of things that are somehow inappropriate or otherwise irrelevant for them personally.
Women often grew up watching their mothers and grandmothers turn the household finances over to a husband. Frequently this model included trusting the male partner’s judgement and power for all financial decisions and relying on him to perform the routine tasks like paying bills and reconciling bank statements.
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Is money something to be managed, engaged with and used to achieve personal goals? Or is it something to be feared, ignored or left to others to manage? A tool we can leverage strategically or a wild card — something highly influential in our lives that is controlled only by the chance of fate?
The idea of financial education can seem intimidating. We think immediately of CPA exams, unintelligible federal reserve pronouncements and mathematical formulas that require a dozen years of post-graduate study to unravel. …
Teaching toddlers about money is different than teaching teenagers, but some core principles of financial education persist from age to age. That is, I believe the lessons appropriate for each age group should be structured to support a set of key tenets that remain constant no matter how old or young your child may be.
Skin in the game
Who really cares if an expenditure was a good value or a waste of money? Someone who worked hard to get that money, that’s who. Our kids don’t have to work in coal mines or farms — or at all, in…
Parents often wonder how to handle the time-honored tradition of providing their children with an allowance, or whether it’s a good idea at all. You’ll find a wide range of opinions among experts, but one point of agreement: Kids should receive an allowance of some sort to give them practice budgeting, spending, saving and making financial choices.
Beyond the necessity of an allowance, all bets are off. Families approach the allowance issue very differently based on their beliefs about money, income level and individual preferences, and that’s perfectly okay. …
Go Ahead and Eat the Avocado Toast … Assuming You’re Doing Everything Right
How many times have you been smugly informed that your generation sucks? To be more specific, that millennials are irresponsible and all financial challenges you face are a result of your foolish addiction to avocado toast. If you weren’t so self-indulgent, then you’d be financially secure by now!
It’s a lot to put on a fruit, even one that’s so extraordinarily delicious — and healthy to boot!
As a financial advisor with more than two decades of professional experience, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay…
For financial decisions, knowing beats guessing
“I’d rather be vaguely right than precisely wrong.” — Keynes
You’re considering a mortgage refi that will free up 100 bucks a month. You are in the process of purchasing some life insurance (finally) and wonder how much to buy. After all, you don’t want to be worth more dead than alive (a common and annoying phrase often heard in my line of work). You want to retire or go “work optional” at some point. Are you on track to have enough savings?
These are super-common questions that virtually everyone faces at one time…
Politics has been screaming at all of us for the better part of 6 months, and we naturally tend to give attention to what screams the loudest. I caught myself last weekend constantly thinking about politics, which is only to be expected when we’re deluged by political news and discussions wherever we turn.
As a way of changing my internal channel, I CHOSE to go for a very cold run down by the river, akin to taking a cold plunge. Doing sprints in the freezing air does something transformational to your lungs. …
The pivots these leading business women describe may have come about as a response to an immediate threat, but they represent more than mere crisis management.
By Meredith Moore
It isn’t the year any of us expected as we entered 2020. The pandemic has disrupted so many aspects of our lives that it’s hard at times to remember what “normal” looked like. …
You say it’s your birthday…happy birthday to you! If you’re old enough to have read those words to the tune of a popular Beatles song, you should be aware of key birthday milestones that hold financial significance.
Even if the words didn’t recall a familiar tune, listen up because some birthdays (and half-birthdays) represent financial opportunities and responsibilities — and a few give you only one opportunity to get it right. Miss the moment and the oversight could cost you in terms of financial penalties as well as missed opportunities.
Key age milestones in your financial life
- 50 — The…
