Your 20s were all about setting up your financial foundation and establishing good habits. Your 30s were about life changes like getting married, having kids, and building your career. In your 40s, everything is amplified even more. You’ve got growing kids and aging parents -- and what you don’t have is a ton of spare time. There’s a lot you can do in your 40s to protect your money and care for … [Read more...] about 9 Money Mistakes to Avoid in Your 40s
Family and Money
8 Money Mistakes to Avoid in Your 30s
“It’s complicated” is a great way to describe life in your 30s. You’ve been working for a while, so you might finally feel more financially stable than ever before. But on the other hand, you often have competing financial priorities. Career growth, serious relationships, family, and major life purchases tend to make this a very busy decade. Also, tiny wrinkles start showing up where you didn’t … [Read more...] about 8 Money Mistakes to Avoid in Your 30s
Should I Buy or Lease a Car?
Getting a car is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll make, and it’s one that can affect your cash flow for years. Beyond the cost of the car, you’ll have to pay for maintenance, fuel, insurance, and parking. A car can cost you just over $700 per month on average, according to AAA (and that doesn’t include depreciation). When it comes to the buying vs. leasing debate, I lean towards … [Read more...] about Should I Buy or Lease a Car?
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
529 Plans and How to Save for Your Child’s College Education
At Gen Y Planning, we work with a lot of clients that are thinking about having kids in the next few years, or already have young children. As you can imagine, I get asked about saving for college a lot. With the cost of college going up about 5% a year, today’s newborns can expect their bachelor's degree to cost nearly half a million dollars if they go to a private school, and nearly $200,000 for … [Read more...] about 529 Plans and How to Save for Your Child’s College Education