Today I had the pleasure of meeting with the students at Setauket Elementary School. I am always impressed with how quickly they can grasp the concept of handling money responsibly, if they are shown the way. The trouble is, as parents, we are pulled in many directions (as are our children) and there is always something more fun, exciting or urgent for us to do rather than have a "money lesson." But the lessons are all around us, every single day. If we spend a few minutes to point out some Read on...
A Plan for Easing Your Worries
It's great to be aware of what is going on in the world, but if you find yourself so pre-occupied with the markets that you are wringing your hands and stressed out, it is time to meet with your financial professional, make sure you are on board with the strategy and then stop watching the day-to-day market fluctuations. Not sure what to ask? Here are some points to raise with your financial professional: What is my overall risk relative to the S&P 500? In other words, if the S&P Read on...
Get the Most Mileage Out of Your Tax Refund
The average tax refund for 2016 is estimated to be $2,900. While it might be tempting to use this windfall for something fun, like a vacation to someplace warm and exotic, there are better ways to spend your refund that can help improve your finances for years to come. Yes, you can call me a kill-joy, but delaying gratification can have its rewards in bigger and better ways, like being able to buy your dream home sooner than expected, or being able to take that once in a lifetime vacation that Read on...
Survival of the Fittest
As hard as we try to control our environment, the reality is that things are always changing; things that are beyond our control. Adaptability becomes the great separator between surviving well, getting by, and being destroyed. How we choose to move forward, and how well we anticipate and adjust to circumstances makes all the difference to the outcome. Those things we do control. Survival mode isn’t a bad thing; it actually forces us to be more creative and look at our challenges with Read on...