When shopping for a new car, buyers are now faced with many more choices than whether to get the blue one or the silver one. Choosing among powertrain options has made the process much more intellectual and even political. While some may choose a traditional gas-powered engine, others opt for the chance to go all electric. But for some, the …
A wonderful blessing and a curse of marriage is the joining together of two very different people. While their values are likely the same, the challenges of living life together have caused many a couple to struggle with financial decision-making. One spouse may obsess over every penny, while the other spouse is a never-ending party, spending money feely, because “Hey, …
Much has been written and said about taxes. Nobody likes paying them, but pay them we must. Few people would volunteer to have a detailed discussion about taxes, but here we are, deciding whether to keep reading or just hit delete and hope everything just turns out okay. In light of the un-exciting nature of tax talk, I’ll start with …
If you want to see my heart break, tell me a story about a family ripped apart by money quarrels. I just cannot stand to think that relationships once valued were severed by a disagreement over financial matters. I’m actually sick to my stomach having just written those two sentences. It just seems unnecessary, but it happens all the time. …
It’s coming, can you feel it? The next recession is getting closer and closer, there’s no doubt. How do I know this? Simply put, recessions happen and we haven’t had one in quite some time, so it’s a safe prediction to make that the passing of each day moves us closer to the next. Are you ready? Before we get …
When retirement planning, it’s best to expect to do the big (and more expensive) stuff early on, when you’re healthier, then slow things down as you get older. What comes to mind when you hear the term “retirement planning”? Most people think of investments, Social Security, health insurance, tax strategies and other money-related issues. These pieces are all a big …
This past March we went on, what we would consider, a trip of a lifetime. We flew into Sydney, Australia, boarded the Coral Princes and cruised around Australia and Tasmania. From Sydney we headed north, travelling counter clockwise around the continent stopping at every major city and some smaller towns. In Tasmania we stopped at Burnie and Hobart. At each …
SAVE THE DATE Rise Against Hunger Event Friday, June 28th from 5 to 7 p.m. Juan Diego High School We are excited to announce that we have finalized the details for our annual Rise Against Hunger meal packing event! Mark your calendars now and make plans to join us Friday, June 28th from 5 to 7 p.m. as we pack …
My business partner, Scott Dougan (Kansas City) and I started the year off with a bang. We were invited to a global financial advisors conference in January in Las Vegas where he and I were both, individually, inducted into the Advisors Excel Hall of Fame. This recognition is awarded to financial advisors who have seen prolonged success in financial planning …
Often in discussions of retirement planning, the home comes up as a planning item. After all, a home can represent one of the single largest items of value a person owns. But since we live in our homes, must maintain them, and constantly reinvest in them, the question for us non-Silicon Valley homeowners sometimes arises, “Is my home really an …
