The Life Planning 101 Podcast

81 Reasons Why Not to Invest in the Stock Market

1934 Great Depression1935 Spanish Civil War1936 Economy Still Struggling1937 Recession1938 War Clouds Gather1939 War in Europe...

The Financial Impact of Caregiving

Did you know…52 million caregivers (one out of every five households) are involved in caregiving to persons aged 18 and over, and that number continues to grow? 1 You might be thinking: ”Wow, but that will never pertain to me.” But you might want to ask yourself this question: “Will one of my family members need my care in the future?” If the answer is no, you might want to think again. 80% of caregivers in this country are...

Is Organization Hurting Your Financial Future?

Ted was savvy with numbers and kept all his personal finances extremely organized. He was a successful middle class American and had several accounts set up, each with a purpose. There was an account dedicated to saving money to buy his next car, an account for emergency funds, an account for the grandkids, and various investment accounts. Ted was also...

Why Do I Need Life Planning?

The August 2008 Money Magazine offered up an article of several successful individuals talking about the smartest financial advice they have ever received. Billionaire and CEO of Virgin records, Richard Branson shared a story about his lack of knowledge in the financial realm and being humble about what you don’t know...

Annuities - Good or Bad?

There is a lot of controversy around annuities. Some advisors use them as if they were a cookie cutter for every client and some advisors despise all of them. Then, there are the majority of advisors that either fall somewhere between these two extremes or the solution-based advisors that use them when they see fit. So, what is the real story with annuities? Why do the extreme viewpoints exist? And, what is right for you?...

Unacceptable Regrets

We live our lives and are encouraged to live life fully and to not have regrets. Though in fact, that word itself establishes a negative frame of mind. However, we have found that this same word can produce a positive outcome  with the addition of a simple adjective: unacceptable.
At the end of your life, what would be a regret that you absolutely do not want to have?...

What Is Your Biggest Financial Concern?

If you Google the top financial concerns of Americans, you will see zillions of polls taken. The interesting thing is that the top three, though interchangeable, are fairly consistent: retirement and/or maintaining their current lifestyle, living paycheck to paycheck, and paying for healthcare.
Louisa May Alcott had it...

Will Recent Social Security Changes Affect You?

By now you are probably aware that if you are taking your Social Security benefits, you won’t be getting a raise in 2016. You may even be aware that in addition to not having a Cost of Living Adjustment next year, the maximum benefit amount you can receive was actually reduced. Yet there is an even bigger concern when it comes to future benefits...

Can You Give More Without It Costing More?

It is probably safe to assume that all of us have at one time or another been touched by, and wanted to contribute to, a good cause. And it is probably safe to assume that all of us have wished we could do more for that something that touched our heart. What if I told you that it is possible to do more and it may not cost you anything?...

Wealthy or Not...a Poor Credit Score Can Hurt You

Just recently I was speaking with one of my more affluent clients who wanted to lease a new vehicle and could not! Why? Her credit score was not high enough.
Whether you are wealthy or not,having a bad credit score can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime. Suppose two executives who have worked at the same company for the same amount...

How Do You Measure Your Wealth?

If you ‘Google’ this question, it results in all sorts of mathematical tools that tell you how you should add up your assets that you have acquired over your lifetime. However, if you read about half way down the first page of search results, something changes with the addition of the word “true.”  There is a perfect quote by...

Estate Planning for Blended Families

Maybe you have drawn up a will or even went to the extent to attend a seminar about something such as The 6 Things That Could Be Missing In Your Estate Plan and subsequently met with the firm who gave the presentation for a first and last meeting to set your plan in place. You probably even have a beautiful leather bounded binder with all of your estate planning papers secured inside as well as a list of the attorney and/or financial planner’s name address...