We live in a time when expressing an opinion and having an audience is as nearby as a cellphone. We can always have lots of people agreeing with us, in fact – algorithms for social media, such as Facebook, guarantee that we will find our very own choir to preach to. It makes us feel better to know others share our opinion; it makes us feel smarter, too. If that is not enough, we get immediate gratification in the forms of likes, share, and retweets to make us feel bigger and more Read on...
The Kids Will Be Alright
“I’m mad at myself for wasting time,” he said. “Nine whole years have passed that I won’t get back, and I did nothing!” I suppressed a laugh, but I was not making fun; I was astonished. I’ve heard this many, many times but this guy was different. He was 25 years old, lamenting about what he did not do at age 16. His wise grandmother had told him to start contributing to a Roth IRA when he was 16. She showed him how $5,500 invested annually until he retired at 66 would Read on...
Planning for the “Big” Day
One of the greatest “gifts” I ever received from my parents did not feel like a gift a first; it was a torturous exercise, truth be told. Involving me in their estate planning would be something that would offer my entire family peace of mind, but not until much later down the road. I did not ask to be involved; I actually was uncomfortable looking at my parents’ finances; it felt like TMI. To put things in perspective, I was not a financial advisor at the time, nor was Tony. I Read on...
Simple Does It
There are a few things that immediately make me more relaxed and happy to face the day: a strong cup of coffee, a nice walk, and a hot shower. It’s nice to know that I can guarantee myself a good start to the day with such simple things. It got me thinking that people rarely do this with their finances. Instead, financial matters are treated like an overstuffed, messy closet that needs to be dealt with but remains closed (and avoided). Make no mistake, procrastination weighs on the Read on...