Briefcase Study: How Low Can You Go?
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 …
Briefcase Study: Financial Independence is a Myth
‘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 – …
Briefcase Study: Now That I’m Retired
“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 …
Briefcase Study: House Fever
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 …
Briefcase Study: Consider the Platinum Rule
Are You A Caregiver? Consider the Platinum Rule In this Briefcase Study, we’re going to focus on a topic that isn’t financial, necessarily, but a heart issue instead. If you find yourself, like so many others, caring for a family member as they age, you’re doing some very challenging work. We hear a lot of the stories from the families …
Briefcase Study: From One Retiree To Another
Your retirement will likely look very different from that of just about anyone else’s. After all, you’re you and they’re them, right? And while I suppose that’s categorically true, there are quite a few similarities that we get to witness when talking with all of the folks we serve who’ve crossed that line into retirement from paid work. So, what …
Briefcase Study: Can The Financial Markets Be Trusted?
Quite often, I’ll receive a call or an email that goes something like this: “So-and-so on the news said the market is ripe for a big selloff in October or November, what do you think?” I hope you know by now that I always welcome the opportunity to help you with your questions. Keep them coming. This question in particular …
Briefcase Study: If a Tree Falls In the Woods
If a Tree Falls In the Woods, and Other Election Year Thoughts During a recent meeting, and then at another meeting, and another…the question came up: “With an election coming up, what should we be doing about our investments?” Here we are, in the midst of a presidential election season, and we’re all searching for answers. People are asking themselves, …
Briefcase Study: What Is Your First Memory Of Money?
What Is Your First Memory Of Money? A few years ago, I was talking with a man who was contemplating retirement. He and his wife had worked very hard for a long time and had accumulated considerable assets and carried no debt. As we ran and re-ran the numbers, tweaking and questioning all assumptions and variables, he continued to struggle …
Briefcase Study: What Is Your First Memory Of Money?
What Is Your First Memory Of Money? A few years ago, I was talking with a man who was contemplating retirement. He and his wife had worked very hard for a long time and had accumulated considerable assets and carried no debt. As we ran and re-ran the numbers, tweaking and questioning all assumptions and variables, he continued to struggle …
