Are you one of the many Americans who sets a money goal as your New Year's resolution? As a financial coach, many people come to me with money goals in mind, from paying off debt to saving money for retirement. The truth is many people may have the same goals, but everyone works towards achieving them differently. Sometimes managing personal finances can be overwhelming. With a bit of planning, Continue Reading
3 Steps to Tackling Your Student Loans
Your education got you to where you are now, so it was probably a great investment in your future! If you graduated with student loan debt, you may feel like the financial odds are stacked against you, but the truth is student loans don't have to be painful. In fact, paying off student loan debt can help set the tone of good financial behavior. My advice as a financial coach is don't ignore Continue Reading
Money Concerns of The Millennial Next Door
It seems like everywhere you turn today you hear something - good or bad - about millennials. Some people say they live for today without looking forward to the future and some say millennials expect too much financially without working for it. As a financial coach, I see both the strengths and weaknesses of millennials. According to a recent study by MoneyTips.com only 50% of those millennials Continue Reading
New Year’s Resolutions for Your Money – And How a Financial Coach Can Help
It's officially 2015 and what does a New Year bring? New goals, of course. It's the time of the year when people download apps to help them set goals, make lists and set reminders to track the progress of their New Year's resolutions. A New Year is a fresh beginning; it's the time we get a second chance to learn from our past mistakes and look forward to a do-over. What's your New Year's Continue Reading
7 Year End Tax Tips to Consider
You may be focused on family gatherings, hot chocolate, and ugly sweater parties, but make sure you also take a few minutes to evaluate your end of year tax strategy. There are a few more things that you can still do before the end of the year to make sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. The following tax tips could save you money. Contribute all that you can to your 401(k) or Continue Reading
Estate Planning Lessons We Can Learn From Cinderella
We’re all familiar with the story of Cinderella. Her mother died when she was young, and she was raised by her loving father. Eventually, he remarries in order to give his beloved Cinderella a stepmother and stepsisters. Then Cinderella’s father dies and leaves everything to the stepmother, who uses the inherited riches for herself and her two daughters. The stepmother and sisters are cruel to Continue Reading
4 Retirement Tips for Your 40s
Preparing for retirement can seem intimidating and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. By planning for retirement one small piece at a time, you can eliminate the stress many people experience in the months leading up to it. If you are in your 40s and looking for practical, tangible ways to ensure your retirement is secure, it’s time to begin looking at the big picture while also paying Continue Reading
7 Financial Planning Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
Becoming wealthy doesn’t mean you have to invent a billion dollar idea, become CEO of a company, or strike it rich. Even a meager salary can lead to long-term financial security if you make smart decisions along the way. However, you can just as easily derail your financial success if you make poor decisions and mistakes. Characteristics and Habits That Lead to Trouble Over the past few Continue Reading
Making the Most of Open Enrollment
It’s that time of the year when you get to snuggle up next to the fireplace, sip hot cocoa ... and look at your employee benefits. Yes, it’s open enrollment time, and you may find yourself looking at a big ol’ packet of information, not really understanding what everything is, and electing the same stuff that you had last year. This may mean that you are missing out! Since employee benefits can Continue Reading
10 Things Every Aspiring Homeowner Needs to Know: Making an Offer and Closing
We are covering the 10 Things Every Aspiring Homeowner Needs to Know. So far, we’ve discussed: Whether you should really be buying, or if you should stick with renting What your credit situation looks like to lenders How much house you can afford How to pick a realtor, or if you should do it yourself How to pick a lender, and whether you need to get pre-qualified How to pick the Continue Reading