If you have or believe you are going to receive an amount of money that you define as “life-changing,” I’d like to share some thoughts with you. These are hopefully thoughts that will give you comfort as well as caution when dealing with a new financial position. Receiving “life-changing money” …
Last week, my family and I spent 7 days rafting through the Grand Canyon. Alice and I had rafted “the upper half” from Lee’s Ferry to Phantom Ranch, hiking out the Bright Angel Trail, in 1995. That trip had a deep impact on me. I was a 31-year-old newlywed in …
It’s easy to claim that we all have values. The question becomes, “What are your values?” The question can seem daunting, but determining what your core values are is an interesting question that I believe must be answered by anyone who seeks to have a more fulfilling life. Part of …
Have you ever gotten to the end of the month, looked at your bank account balance, and asked yourself, “Where did all the money go?!” Or worse, had a spouse ask you this. (The last one is from my own experience on numerous occasions after 27+ years of marriage.) It …
We are in a period of the lowest interest rates ever. If you are borrowing money, these are some of the best of times. We have never been able to borrow money for homes, businesses, cars, etc. as low as we have been able to this past year. As a …
My son Matthew earned his Eagle Scout several years ago. The Eagle Scout motto is “Be Prepared,” and the program’s focus is to help boys and girls be ready to face various challenges in life. I was thinking of that training often this past week when Texas was faced with …
You have probably seen the “SMART” goal-setting acronym, which stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. These principles apply well to our financial goals as well as other goals. Here are some brief reminders to help keep you focused and SMART this year! Specific: When setting a saving or …
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about people who used high risk methods to buy high risk investments. These folks had turned relatively small amounts of money into exceptionally large gains in the past year. Earlier in the year, the WSJ also published an article about investors who …
As this year comes to a close, here are my top 3 important financial tasks to consider. Review Retirement Plan Contributions: Whether you contribute to a 401(k), 403(b), IRA, or Roth, look at your year-to-date contributions. You can make 2020 contributions into IRAs and Roth IRAs until April 15, 2021 …
You know you’ve been doing something for a long time when a colleague describes you as an “industry veteran.” That’s the way Will Hepburn described me to his clients last week. And yes, it made me aware that I did start as an advisor in 1992 and have been an …
