Is True Financial Independence Even Possible?
‘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 – …
Heading Toward the Financial Finish Line
The Boston Marathon is an event where otherwise normal people travel great distances, at great expense, to punish themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally for 26.2 uninterrupted miles, sometimes in the rain. The very nature of a marathon race really does beg the question, “Why?” In fact, I asked a marathon runner this question years ago, “Why would you choose to …
“So, are we doing better or worse than your other clients?”
This question came up recently, and it comes up often. Don’t you secretly want to know if you’ve saved more than your friends or if your income is higher? It’s easy to tell if your house is bigger or if your car is more expensive. But when it comes to retirement planning, we’d all like to know how well we’re …
Office Move and Office Closures
Office Move We are so close to being all set up at the new office. The end is in sight, and we’ll be ready to serve our wonderful clients in Draper soon. Once we are settled, we will send out the details for our open house event to make things official. We are extremely excited for this change and look …
Can You See the Storm Coming?
Imagine for a moment that you’re tasked with instructing others how to select a wardrobe. Given the regularity of the seasons, you could do pretty well suggesting a mix of warm clothes for winter and cool clothes for summer. However, naming the exact day when a 70-degree day interrupts the 40-degree days of early spring would prove to be much …
Back to the Basics: When Should We Claim Social Security Benefits?
When approaching retirement, one of the big questions you may be considering is when to file for Social Security benefits. Because most people can claim and receive benefits as early as age 62, but each year that you wait earns a bump in pay for the rest of your life, the decision can be confusing and anxiety-inducing. And while it’s …
Briefcase Study: The Cash and Happiness Relationship
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 …
What’s So Risky About Retirement?
Life is fraught with danger; everybody knows this. When we take a closer look at one particular slice of life, retirement, we begin to see more clearly what those risks are. This recognition allows us to begin hedging against risks as best we can, through prudent planning. Before we get started, we must first agree on the desired outcome of …
The Right Retirement Ratio?
I don’t know what a perfect life looks like or a perfect retirement plan either. What I can say is that it would be really fun to plan a life that was built upon a 70/100 ratio (I just made that up, it’s not a thing). That is, a person would enjoy their work enough to retire from it at …
How Interest Rates Change Almost Everything About Investing
We need to talk about the stock market for just a bit. And before some of you tune me out because investments aren’t your thing, at least read far enough that you learn a new term with which to impress your friends. Because not only do I want you to win financially, I also want you to have a strong …
