By now you should have most of your tax documents in hand and you’re thinking about tackling that task of doing your taxes. Maybe you have some charitable donations to consider, or maybe you’re thinking you want to start a giving plan now to maximize your refund next year. Wondering where to start? We can help.
A neutral third party is a good idea in many situations – right? Take personal training. Telling my significant other to work out more and eat better probably wouldn’t go over well, would it? She’d either ignore me, take offense, or get mad. Really mad! But a personal trainer is supposed to do all those things. That’s what they get paid for, after all.
Every year about this time I try to go through some of the clutter in my house. Invariably, I get to my sock drawer and find about eight socks without mates. I also usually find boxes that never got unpacked from the last move, and my basement these days seems like its sole purpose is to store unused junk. Who needs mismatched socks, or a room full of stuff you don’t use? Once a year, I toss anything I haven’t used in the last year and get rid of all those unworn socks.
Winter weather is upon us, and I know the snowfall has lots of people hunkering down inside. I know I’m trying to use this extra time on my hands to get my own finances in order for the year, and I’m encouraging all my clients to do the same. Here are three ways to be productive while you’re snowed in to help you kick off 2017 financially fit. First, simply ask yourself if you know where everything is in your financial life. By now you’ve probably started a work-sponsored retirement plan or two, opened an emergency fund account, and bought a few insurance policies.
Whether we participate in the annual ritual or not, we’re all aware of that thing called spring cleaning that happens each year (or does it?) when the weather finally starts to warm up. Well, with the first snow of the year predicted for this week, now is a good time to hunker down and tackle a winter cleaning – for your finances.
It’s safe to say that 2016 has been an unusual year. From celebrity deaths to wacky election stories to creepy clowns roaming the streets, there hasn’t been a dull moment. But perhaps the most newsworthy happening in your life was that you got married! Congrats! Now, let’s talk about a few ways you and your new beloved can end the year on strong financial footing – even if the wacky news stories continue! First, just sit down and talk with your spouse.
This past Sunday, Stephanie took the kids and went out back-to-school shopping. She noted that, for the first time, we’ve got one in middle school, one in elementary school and one in pre-school.
We’ve had several new clients come on board recently, and I always hear a few new questions from folks as we start our relationship and planning process. “Alan Greenspan was just on the radio saying we’re heading towards another bubble,” one client recently told us. “What do you think, and how should we protect ourselves?
We’ve been in the financial planning business for nearly two decades. In talking with friends and prospective clients, I find that even now, many people aren’t aware of everything a financial planning team does. “You’re just stocks and bonds, right?” is something we hear a lot.
We’ve been exploring the topic of what money can buy in our last few newsletters. This week, I thought I’d explore this topic as it pertains to kids. I’m not sure how things were in your house growing up, but when I was a kid, I got a minimal allowance for doing chores around the house. And I always made sure those chores got done because I loved the reward of getting that money.
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