You know the often-suggested retirement savings checklist: If your employer offers a 401(k), contribute enough to get a match. Max out a Roth IRA if you qualify. Go back to your 401(k) and work toward contributing the maximum of $19,500 per year for 2021. Generally, you fund these accounts for the long-term, because early withdrawals can lead to penalties. But here’s why I love Roth IRAs … [Read more...] about Hacking Your Roth IRA
The Best Financial Tools, Apps, and Calculators I Recommend All the Time
Managing and automating your finances has never been easier. There are so many online and mobile tools available (most for free!) that setting yourself up for financial success involves little more than 30 minutes of set-up and a few minutes of monitoring a month. You’re more likely to meet your financial goals if those goals are specific and actionable. Online tools, apps, and calculators put … [Read more...] about The Best Financial Tools, Apps, and Calculators I Recommend All the Time
My Favorite Online Experts
Helping a client with their financial plan involves a lot of conversations about numerical data. We chat about their current net worth, their debts, the amount they have in savings, and their financial goals like buying a home or retiring. My clients are in a phase of life that comes with a ton of change -- they’re completing their educations, moving to new cities, starting businesses, buying … [Read more...] about My Favorite Online Experts
Personal Finance Blogs and Podcasts to Add to Your List
Summer’s a quiet time for financial planners. Lots of clients worry about money in January after setting New Year’s resolutions, or in April when taxes are due. For now, everyone’s going on vacation! But summer is a great time to learn about personal finance. You’ve got time to fill on long flights, after all! And when you head into the winter and start thinking about what goals you’d like to set … [Read more...] about Personal Finance Blogs and Podcasts to Add to Your List
How to Teach Your Kids to Create Their Own Money Values
Teaching your kids about financial literacy is really important. But being money-savvy isn’t just about knowing how to count coins in kindergarten, or understanding how credit cards work in the 12th grade. Sure, your kids will eventually learn how to read a bank statement and calculate compound interest, but money is about more than that. There’s so much to teach your kids beyond the mechanics of … [Read more...] about How to Teach Your Kids to Create Their Own Money Values
How to Teach Your Kids About Money
Over the years I’ve worked with many people who graduated from college without a clue about money. They didn’t know how to budget, couldn’t tell if they were getting a good deal on a purchase, and ran up credit card debt because they didn’t understand how credit works. Unfortunately, financial literacy isn’t taught in schools -- and many parents don’t teach it at home, either. It’s tempting to … [Read more...] about How to Teach Your Kids About Money