Whenever I talk about investing with someone, risk almost always comes up at some point. Investing can be risky especially in the short-term. Life is inherently risky which means that life can certainly teach us valuable lessons about investing especially around the concept of risk. Morgan Housel, one of my favorite authors and speakers, wrote a blog in 2020 about the most […]
On August 24th, the Biden administration announced a student loan debt relief program. I’m all about optimizing finances and not about talking politics. If you, or someone you know, has outstanding student debt or paid it off since March 2020, you will likely qualify for some forgiveness. Learn more at the the Federal Student Aid website. This is definitely time sensitive information so pass it along […]
Interest rates continue to rise as the Federal Reserve looks to combat inflation by slowing the economy. In both June and July the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark rates by 0.75% and hinted at more rate increases coming in the near future. What does this mean for you? Rising interest rates can affect you in many ways. Rising rates typically hit the housing market […]
The S&P 500 fell into a bear market in June, more than 20% off its January all-time highs. Investing through prolonged downturns can be painful. My personal portfolio is down WAY more than 20%. Historically, the best results come from continuing to invest throughout the painful times using dollar cost averaging. Making regular contributions month after month makes investing a habit and keeps you […]
In some exciting news, I’m putting on a webinar this winter through the City of Plymouth. In February I will cover 4 sessions titled “Individual Investing 101.” The cost is only $20 for each course which I think is a great deal for 4 hours worth of information. You can find and register for those at this link. All 4 […]
Sometimes you read something and realize that finally there is someone else in the world who can verbalize what you’ve been feeling. I’ve often had the flickering thought about being a coach of some sort. The most legit option for me is being a financial coach. I looked into that briefly. Talked to a few Dave Ramsey reps about their […]
I’ve talked a ton about investing on my blog recently because a huge part of following your authentic self is having the financial flexibility and freedom to focus on the things that matter most to you. I shared some of the key reasons I “fired” my financial advisor and decided to go at it alone. I even laid out a […]
After everything I’ve written about being true to yourself and going for your goals, you might wonder why I’m now telling you to think about waiting. This concept comes from Kristy Shen. She gives some intriguing reasons to wait to follow your passion and focus on finances first. One of her main arguments is that money buys you time and financial […]
First things first: Optimized budget? Out of debt? Substantial emergency fund established? Great! Why those three things first? The stock market is volatile meaning that you don’t want money in the stock market that you need to use tomorrow, next month, or even next year. Preferably, you won’t need that money for at least 3-5 years. Money invested in the […]
Retire early?!? For many, I’m sure that seems like a crazy idea. That’s only for rich people or people who own their own self-sustaining business, right? I used to feel this way until I was introduced to the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement. There is a very large community of people who are seeking financial independence and many who […]
