Monthly Newsletters

4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Tax Refund (and What Yours Says About You)

If you’ve worked in business, healthcare, ministry or almost any corporate entity in the last generation, chances are good you’ve taken a personality test – perhaps even a few. You found out you’re an ENFP or an INTJ or an Otter/Lion, or a Steady Wing 2 who needs to focus on your Bright Side. These tests tell you how you digest information, how you play with others and often things you didn’t know about yourself. Read more

Spring Cleaning for Your Estate Plan: Is Everything in its Place?

Many of us are “celebrating” the warmer weather this time of year by sweeping away dust bunnies and vacuuming behind the couch. Spring cleaning has been part of our annual rhythm for centuries, from ancient religious traditions to scrubbing coal soot off the walls in Victorian times. Read more

Retirement Fund Catch-Up Contributions: An Ace Up Your Sleeve for the Long Game

For many of us, retirement planning is a persistent boogie man in the back of our minds. The statistics on people’s lack of retirement preparation are staggering, and the official retirement age seems to increase by the minute. Life expectancy is getting longer, and resources seem to be getting scarcer. Any hand that savers and wage-earners play at this point in life seems like a bet against the house, sure to lose. Read more

From Washington to Your Wallet: How the Federal Funds Rate Affects Personal Finance

If you’ve watched the headlines at all in the last month, you know the markets aren’t sitting still. From the worst Christmas Eve on record to the Dow’s largest jump ever just a few days later – losses and gains seem to have less pattern every day. Experts are divided on how 2019 will look, but predictable isn’t the word any of them are using. Read more

How to Save More in 2019

The start of a new year always brings with it new personal goals – lose a few pounds, go on regular date nights with your significant other, get rid of a bad habit or create more good habits. Of course, many of our goals revolve around finances.

In fact, 37 percent of U.S. adults said their New Year’s Resolution was to save money or save more money in 2018, according to YouGov. One of the few ways to keep that promise to yourself is to pre-plan. Losing weight? Invest in that gym membership. More dates? Buy a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant. But how do you plan to save more this year? Read more

Gifts without the Guilt – Tips for Avoiding Financial Stress at the Holidays

Pop quiz: Can you name more than three gifts you got for the holidays last year? A sweater, an Apple watch, a popcorn tin … and, ummmm? Most of us would be hard-pressed to answer this question, even by late January.

What we remember, of course, are the moments with family and friends – the relationships that are renewed in the holiday time of slowing down. Material gifts are fine for the moment, but they are usually forgotten even before they have the chance to break and wear out. Read more

Pass the Turkey! – Financial Tips for the Season of Giving

As the year begins its close, traditions start to appear. From the silverware for feasts, to the tacky lawn decorations the kids love, to the choice of holiday movies, traditions remind us of who we are. There’s a story behind almost every detail, whether it’s grandma’s antique table runner or your secret family recipe for cranberry sauce, and everything is intentional, or at least seems that way. Read more

October Newsletter: 3 Tips for National Financial Planning Month

The leaves are changing, and we find ourselves changing as well. Depending on where you are in the country, you may be draining the pool or storing the patio furniture, or even harvesting the year’s crops. Whatever form it takes in your life, the cool weather causes us to slow down, take stock, and see where the summer left everything.

It’s no surprise then, that October is National Financial Planning month. This can be a great time for a meeting with your financial planner, especially if you only meet a few times a year. Let’s look at a few financial fitness items to discuss with your financial planner and to keep in mind as the leaves fall outside. Read more

September Monthly Newsletter: All Your Pencils Sharpened – A Financial Fine-Tuning for Autumn

We all remember it. You have your pencils all sharpened, your new outfit on, and a fresh new school year ahead of you. Long after our academic days are over, we can’t help feeling that autumn is the time – after the exuberance of summer – to re-check and re-tighten everything to prepare for the colder seasons ahead. Read more

August Monthly Newsletter: 4 Financial Lessons Your New College Student Needs to Hear from You (and 2 Important Items for Parents)

As summer comes to a close, many parents and teenagers are packing up the station wagon (or hybrid crossover) for a trip that, for at least one passenger, is one way. You’re ready for this. You’ve done the shopping trips, you’ve packed the boxes, you’ve even shed a few tears. Now it’s time to send your child(ren) off to college. Read more