How is Investing Different Than Gambling?
This is a question I was asked and thought it was worth writing about. (Although I must admit it was much more challenging to answer than I originally thought.)There are some similarities between investing and gambling but overall I do not view investing...
How to Choose a 529 College Savings Plan
In my last article, I recommended that you invest in a 529 College Savings Plan if you are saving for college or private school education.Today we will talk about “How do you know which 529 Plan to choose?”There are many choices. Almost every state has...
What is the Difference Between an ESA and a 529 Plan?
This is a question I received and I thought it was worth writing about. An ESA is an Educational Savings Account. It is also called a Coverdell ESA. A 529 Plan or a 529 College Savings Plan is a special kind of state government account or investment plan...
Which Advisor Payment Type is Best?
Based on last week’s article, I got the following questions – Which payment type is best? What are the pros and cons for the different ways advisors get paid? I thought these were good questions and will briefly try to answer them here. The payment type...
Different Ways Advisors Are Paid
One of the things I dislike about the financial services business is that all too often it tries to make things (seem) complicated and difficult to understand. I believe part of my role as an advisor is to help others understand and feel comfortable with...
Cushion!
I touched on this concept last week but felt the need to write about it even further. I am a huge fan of what I call “cushion”. I want to have cushion or space for surprises in my life. This applies to money, time, and even driving. Money...
How is Money Management like Weight Management?
We are getting into the crazy time of year when many of us over spend AND over eat. How can you help keep yourself on track? Try to think of one easy thing you can commit to do in one of these areas to help you avoid regrets later.Working as both a life...
How to Choose a Financial Advisor
Maybe you know you would benefit from working with a financial advisor but don’t know how to choose one.Here are a few of my recommendations in trying to find a financial advisor:1) Look for someone who has their CFP® or CERTIFIED FINANICAL PLANNER™...
Money Beliefs
I don’t think I understood (maybe I had not even heard of?) the power of beliefs or even what they were until I went to Life Coaching school in 2004. My background in science never included this. I wonder how many other people knew about and understood the power of...
School’s OUT for Summer!
My boys finally finished school on June 22. Woo hoo! Man, there is nothing like the feeling after the last day of school. The schedule and obligations are behind you. The freedom, the open possibilities of what the summer may bring are all still in front of you. I...
My Reset Experiment
My big attempted reset is that I want to use my time more effectively and memorably. This past year I did not have big blocks of time to work or do what I wanted. (That feels like the understatement of the year!) Now I want to get more clarity on what I want to do...
Summer Planning
I know for me, I am starting to plan our summer. My son told me the other day that I am talking about summer way TOO much. Yes, other parts of the country are already in full summer mode, but here in NJ my boys go to school until Tuesday, June 23. What do I want to do...
The Big Reset
I have been seeing and hearing about how we can intentionally use this transition time, this opening up post pandemic, to decide HOW we want to move forward. Any time there is a change is a good time to piggyback on those changes to make more desired ones. The bigger...
What Is Good Controversy?
I am not comfortable with conflict. I very much shy away from any controversy. My personality and one of my issues is that I am a people pleaser. I do not like to see people upset, so this concept of desiring “good controversy” sounded unnerving and undesirable to me....
How To Be A Better Negotiator
I am currently reading, Adam Grant’s new book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What you Don’t Know. In the book he presents a chapter on what successful expert negotiators do differently. I thought this was worth sharing since this is useful information that can be...
How Do We Find Our Sweet Spots?
I often think about the “fine” line between two extremes such as: Rethinking versus over analyzing Going with the flow and slowing down versus being lazy or complacent Feeling your feelings versus wallowing Saving money versus being a scrooge Trying too hard and...
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