Imagine: you give a teenager access to car keys when they have never driven a car or taken Driver's Education. You simply tell them to drive carefully and you hope for the best. That would be setting them up for failure, and yet, we do this every day with personal finance. The stakes might not be dying in a car crash, but racking up massive amounts of student loan debt before even starting a career may be a death of a certain kind, nonetheless. According to The Student Loan Report, national Read on...
Change Your Tune
My son considered his course options for next year. His dilemma was how to meet the visual arts requirement; art classes interest him like watching paint peel. We suggested a digital photography class. “I hear it’s a lot of work!” he said, “It’s not easy, you have to know about camera settings – you don’t just go off and use the camera.” I started to scold him that he was being lazy and not challenging himself, but the truth is I remember looking for the easy way out to classes that didn’t Read on...
Life’s Unpleasantries
My husband was up to something. He was pounding away at the computer and printing like a madman. When I didn’t hear the whir of the printer, there was the distinct sound of the three-hole punch chewing its way through paper. “I’m working on something,” is all he would say. It seemed to excite him, this project. I wondered what it was. When “it” appeared, it wasn’t impressive looking. It was a plain white three-ring binder. “Open it,” is all he said, smiling. I wondered if it was Read on...
Why the “F” Word is so important for Women Investors
Ladies, it’s time to take charge of your money. You know you need to; you know you want to. So what’s holding you back? According to a 2015 Money Fit Women Study conducted by Fidelity Investments, 92% of women want to learn more about financial planning, and yet only 47% feel comfortable discussing money with a planner on their own. What is the cause for this insecurity? Trust. They don't trust their own knowledge and they are not sure what professional they can trust. Here’s the “F” Read on...