My senior year of college wasn’t filled with the dread that some of my classmates seemed to carry. All the “countdown” parties went on without me; I didn’t feel the need to squeeze the last bit of juice out of my carefree days as a student. I was itching to get on with it; the next big event in my life was hovering on the horizon and was taking forever to arrive. I was impatient for my real life to begin. Had I not been so doe-eyed, I might have clung to every moment of what was slipping Read on...
No Substitute for Personal Responsibility
I had the privilege of attending a parent/student meeting at South Side High School in Rockville Centre the other night. For a change, I was neither an attending parent nor a presenter; I was a very interested observer for a number of reasons. As a mother to teenagers, I was happy to see a school district take a novel approach to support teens in making better choices. It’s hard enough to do the right thing in life; when you’re young and inexperienced, filled with emotions and dying to be Read on...
Investor Self Defense Checklist
I had the pleasure of speaking with Dina Cataldo of Soul Roadmap podcast to discuss "How to Reach Your Money Goals." She has put together an informative and inspiring show aimed at giving people tools and strategies to live their best lives, and she covers a myriad of topics. It was a lively discussion and it inspired me to put together an Investor Self Defense Checklist to help make sure your financial plan works for you: ____I have an emergency fund of 3-6 months' worth of living expenses Read on...
Simple Questions, Convoluted Answers
A new client wanted to switch out of an annuity she had bought in her retirement account with a previous adviser. Needless to say, my antenna goes up when I see annuities in a retirement account because it is both unnecessary and expensive to own these insurance products for their tax-deferral benefits, when this feature is "free" to retirement accounts. As I waded through her paperwork, I clearly saw that she would be hit with a $3,000 surrender charge to get out -- and I Read on...