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Money is much more than a medium of exchange for goods and services. Money reflects our personal values and the hard work we put into earning it. How we treat money, save it and spend it, is a reflection of our internal beliefs — our money mindset. When it comes to money, we all have strongly held beliefs, whether or not we realize it. Many of these beliefs grew out of childhood and come from lessons we learned from our families or picked up through life experiences. Want to learn more about how your unconscious money beliefs can affect your finances? Click here for access to the full newsletter! Your Mindset is the Key to Financial Health What does the word "money" bring to mind? Are the associations positive or negative? Beliefs about money are complicated. It's a symbol of one's self: respect, love, freedom, control, power, worth, and much more

We get it, life gets crazy and many of our clients don’t have time to focus on their own personal financial situation. That’s why we wanted to share the term “Personal CFO” with you. It’s a service we provide to help you manage all the details and people involved in your financial life, so you can make the best decisions for yourself and live your life to the fullest. A Personal CFO is like a Chief Financial Officer for a business, except it’s for you and your lifestyle. No matter how you have built your wealth, you likely have a team of professionals that you rely on for expert advice. From attorneys to accountants, it can be difficult to coordinate these individuals and keep them on the same page in terms of your particular financial goals. That’s where a Personal CFO comes into play. Here are the three main areas we

About 7 in 10 workers expect to work for pay in retirement, but only a quarter of retirees have actually done so. Retirement can have many meanings. For some, it will be a time to travel and spend time with family members. For others, it will be a time to start a new business or begin a charitable endeavor. A wide variety of emotions are linked to retirement. Some feel elation and relief, while others feel dread and unease. From financial constraints and financial freedoms, each person’s path in retirement will be different depending upon their personal beliefs and their ability to seize opportunity. Regardless of what approach you intend to take, here are five things about retirement that might surprise you: In 2017, more than two-thirds of retirees depended on Social Security as a major source of their income The average monthly Social Security benefit at the beginning of 2018

As a woman, you’re expected to manage more than your share. When you’re growing up in your family, you’re more likely to have to help out with chores and household responsibilities than a brother might be…on top of school, a part-time job, and however else you spend your time. As an adult, society says you can have it all. But in reality, that’s only true if you plan to work 25 hours a day. If you’re single or married, have a family or don’t, work in the home or outside of it, being a woman means being constantly moving, working and learning. With that in mind, a woman’s retirement should be easy breezy, right? Not exactly. As it turns out, women and men are also different when it comes to financial planning and investments. Whether due to nature or nurture, women tend to take a more cautious approach in investing. And

We don’t always hear about it in the news, but identity theft is on the rise. Our constant internet usage has given us a large digital footprint. And the more you are online, the greater your risk of criminals hijacking your information and using it to commit fraud. It is nearly impossible to go completely off the grid once you are on it, but there are steps you can take to minimize your risk. And understanding where your personal data might be living is a great place to start. Here are six different ways that personal information shared online can end up in the wrong hands: Retail and social media websites Data collection websites that store your information (White Pages, PeopleFinder) Old website pages you appear on (such as forums or blogs) Personal information on websites (old addresses, contact information) Outdated search results where you may still appear (such as former employer pages)

Personal finance is typically spoken about in relation to big financial decisions. From things like establishing long-term savings goals to purchasing a home, choices made surrounding money are frequently thought about on a large scale. More often than not, smaller financial decisions are overlooked or disregarded, many deeming them too small to make an impact. However, seemingly tiny money choices made daily tend to add up to make a significant impact in the long run, especially when analyzed over time. Deciphering between purchases made based on wants versus needs is an important step in reassessing how you look at small financial decisions. Discretionary spending is a broad, vague category by nature, so spending some extra time to think about how you allocate money there is critical. One way to find the money to meet your spending or saving needs is to examine your current spending habits and consider eliminating money wasters.

When it comes to retirement, everyone has a different vision. But the path to retirement is generally the same: you work, you save, and hopefully at some point you’ve saved enough that you can stop working and do something else. How much work before retirement is enough? And how much savings is enough? How long will “retirement” last? Years ago, retirement meant you stopped working, started collecting a pension, and sailed away to Margarita Ville for the last 10 to 15 years of your life. But nowadays, retirement could last 30+ years and could include a second career, travel, making new friends, or really, whatever intrigues you. Nearly 70% of workers expect to work for pay in retirement, but only 26% of retirees actually have done so. So how do you plan for a stage in your life in which virtually anything can happen? With no crystal ball to peer

Last year we saw the return of volatility to the stock market. This was a hard pill to swallow after a very smooth ride in 2017. In 2018, the stock market had two notable downturns. At one point, the SP500 was down 19.8%. But here we are, mid-way through February and the SP500 was back up to 2,753 (as of the close of business on 2/13/19). Remember, the SP500 hit its peak in September when it closed at 2,930. We’ve gone through a lot of ups and down to end up in roughly the same spot. So what do we do from here? We believe that with portfolio management, it is better to prepare than it is to repair. By “prepare” I do not mean market timing as we know this is next to impossible to do with any level of consistency. Rather, we believe it is important to design a

Coming fresh off of your New Year celebrations means that April 15th is approaching. And while no one likes to think about it, tax season is quickly approaching. Tax Day 2019 is on Monday, April 15th and that means that it is time to start preparing to file. Anyone who has prepared for tax time before knows the process seem like endless gathering and sorting of information. Unfortunately, there is no getting around that, but there are some steps to take now that can help you breeze through it more efficiently and with fewer headaches. Getting organized is an important aspect of potentially minimizing your tax burden. As with the majority of things in life, being prepared is your key to success. Today, we examine 3 simple and effective steps to properly preparing for tax season: Decide How to File You really have two choices here: file your taxes yourself or

Knowledge is power in every aspect of life. Imagine driving a car without a basic understanding of the rules of the road, or even how to operate it. That’s quite a scary thought. What’s even scarier? Many Americans are operating their personal finances with only the barest minimum of knowledge. One study found that, when asked five basic questions about finances and the markets, 61 percent of Americans were unable to answer more than 3 questions correctly.¹ That same study also found that 18 percent of Americans routinely spend more than their household income. Additionally, it found that one-in-five Americans have overdue medical bills. The reality is that knowledge puts people, retirees especially, in a powerful position. Unfortunately, however, far too many Americans lack the power to control their financial futures. But education lays the foundation for a journey towards a successful and sound financial future. One of the obstacles to