If you’ve felt the squeeze lately, you’re not alone. Just a few years ago, most Americans felt pretty confident. Wages were strong. Money was flowing through the economy. Prices felt manageable. Bank accounts looked healthier than they had in a long time. Fast forward to today, and that season feels like a distant memory. Inflation…
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Kids these days! How many times have you heard…or even said this? Parents these days! Yes, your children will be saying this someday, if they aren’t already. There is an ongoing disconnect between generations and the way they think about a lot of things, including money. This is evident in any family, so the good…
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Too often money is looked and considered for just what it is: money. A financial plan focuses on numbers, targets, returns, risk, etc., with a lot of hype placed on the latest and greatest investments, and returns on your money. After all, almost everyone wants their money to grow and they want to protect it,…
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Everything is so expensive! Can I still retire? For most of the last 30 years, we Americans have lived in a bubble where no one really understood first-hand what inflation was. There were a couple years from 1991-2020 that the cost of living increased by over 4%, but for most of these years the cost…
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Inflation has been a beast on the ole’ pocketbook. In the 4th quarter of 2023, household debt reached 17.5 trillion dollars with credit card debt – an increase of 50 billion dollars within that same quarter. This translates to Americans spending more with less capability to pay their debt. All while most of these same…
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Across most of the world, our American work ethic is perceived as crazy. There was an article in Business Insider called, 11 American Work Habits Other Countries Avoid at All Costs.1. It named these: Crazy long hours Very little vacation time Not enough family leave Americans eat at their desk Breaks during the day are…
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Over the weekend, I read commentary around a new book by a gentleman named Bill Perkins. The book is called “Die with Zero,” and the premises is just that—you don’t get to take it with you, so you need to enjoy it and attain fulfillment. This fulfillment, Perkins states, may include giving money to your…
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Money is tight for many families today. Just a couple of years ago, most Americans felt pretty good. We had higher than ever real wages, the government was pumping money into the economy, and prices were cheap. Today these are mere memories: Families are being squeezed by both inflation and the government pulling money out…
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Do you look at your money for what it is or do you look at it for what it is for? A few weeks ago, Dad came on our weekly radio program “Life Planning 101.” He shared several stories that have given us insight we use to help the families we work with today. One…
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Money Magazine interviewed several successful individuals, asking them about the smartest financial advice they have ever received. Billionaire and founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson shared a story about his lack of knowledge in the financial realm and being humble about what you don’t know. Wow! Billionaire Richard Branson! Everyone else in the world…
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