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Briefcase Study: The Cash and Happiness Relationship

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, Fall 2023, SLC Fall 2023 by Scott Dougan

The Cash and Happiness Relationship With the dramatic change in interest rates this year, a lot of people are rethinking how much cash is appropriate in a financial plan. And while the answer depends on goals, resources available for short or long-term needs, and personal preference, this reminds us of the big question people continue to ponder: “Does money buy …

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Briefcase Study: Clutter: When Too Much Is Just Not Enough

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Summer 2023, Summer 2023 by Scott Dougan

Clutter: When Too Much Is Just Not Enough  It may be time to declutter. Nobody is forcing you to declutter, but if I were to guess, I bet you’re probably feeling that desire on some level. You may have done some decluttering during the pandemic, but clutter doesn’t rest; it grows and sneaks up on you. Looking back, we spent …

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Briefcase Study: Team of Three: Who’s in Your Financial Planning Trio?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Spring 2023, Spring 2023 by Scott Dougan

There’s such power in the number three. Whether in literature, joke telling, the meats of a club sandwich, or nature itself, three represents completeness, rhythm, and strength. In fact, the triangle is the strongest geometric shape; you see the triangle in roof trusses and bridges. There’s just an elegance and magic to it that is so easily overlooked. We see …

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Briefcase Study: The Aspect of Debt You May Not Have Considered

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Winter 2023, Winter 2023 by Scott Dougan

If you’re like many of our fellow Americans, you’re considering what rising inflation, a declining stock (and bond) market, and higher interest rates mean to you and your financial choices. And while there are a lot of varied consequences to this new ‘normal’, I think we can agree that one big change is that it’s immediately more painful to borrow …

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Briefcase Study: The One Word Retirement Plan

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, Fall 2022, SLC Fall 2022 by Scott Dougan

Working in the retirement planning realm for so long has given me the opportunity to talk with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people about what they hope to experience during retirement. Discussions of money, time, and purpose lead to so many interesting insights about what a life well-lived might look like. A simple question like, “What would you like retirement to …

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Briefcase Study: Breakthrough in a Box

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Summer 2022, Summer 2022 by Scott Dougan

When an Amazon box arrives at the front door, it’s an exciting moment. Is it…for me? Boy, I sure hope so (having forgotten what I may have ordered in the first place). Generally, the thing in that box is the result of a decision process that was either minutes long or one that took months of research. Either way, taking …

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Briefcase Study: How Low Can You Go?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Spring 2022, Spring 2022 by Scott Dougan

Reduced Stress Through Rehearsed Austerity  A recent client review meeting reminded me that money can be stressful. This is a statement so obvious that it seems silly to write it out, but there it is. It can stress me out, and I’ll bet you feel it from time-to-time as well. While I won’t suggest that money’s emotional and intellectual burdens …

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Briefcase Study: Financial Independence is a Myth

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Winter 2022, Winter 2022 by Scott Dougan

‘Financial Independence’ is a wonderful goal, a beautiful aspiration, a worthy pursuit. But it’s impossible. If true financial independence is the point at which we have enough money to be free from needing to serve or be served by other people, then we’ve missed the point entirely. If we look at a pile of wealth – money, property, possessions – …

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Briefcase Study: Now That I’m Retired

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, Fall 2021, SLC Fall 2021 by Scott Dougan

“Now That I’m Retired, I Wonder How I Got Anything Done When I Was Working!”  “How’s retirement treating you?” – I asked. “I’m failing miserably at it. I’m so busy now that I wonder how I got anything done when I was working. “ If I had a dollar for each time I’ve heard something to this effect, I’d be …

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Briefcase Study: House Fever

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Summer 2021, Summer 2021 by Scott Dougan

Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like home. When the house is a rockin’ don’t bother knockin’. There’s no questioning the fact that a home is a critical piece of our lifestyle and identify. Where we live has a lot to do with whom we associate and spend time as well as how we perceive our standing …