Helping people make sense of money
Featured In:
AARP, Bankrate, Barron's, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNBC, ETF.com, Financial Planning, Fortune, Fox Business, Investor’s Business Daily, Investopedia, Kiplinger, MarketWatch, Money, MSN Money, NerdWallet, Reuters, The New York Times, TheStreet, ThinkAdvisor, U.S. News & World Report, and The Wall Street Journal
Why Does News Cause Market Swings?
Ever wonder why a company reports record profits and the stock drops? Or why bad economic news sometimes sends the market up? News affects markets – but not always in the way you’d expect. The Power of Earnings, Fed Announcements, and Data Drops Some news matters more than others. Corporate earnings reports give investors a…
Continue Reading
How Can You Prepare for Volatility?
You don’t have to predict every market dip or headline to be a successful investor. What you do need is a plan for how to handle those ups and downs because they’re going to happen whether you like it or not. Let’s break down the strategies that actually help you stay steady when the market…
Continue Reading
Too Good to Be True? The Rise of Fake ‘Passive Income’ Investments
In today’s pursuit of financial security, the promise of passive income is enticing. However, this appeal has been exploited by scammers through various fraudulent schemes. Here’s an overview of some prevalent scams targeting those seeking reliable income: The Fake Dividend Trap The “Guaranteed Monthly Income” Scam Social Media & AI-Powered Investment Scams Protective Measures By…
Continue Reading
How to Build a Dividend Portfolio: Basics & Considerations for Income Investing
Building a dividend portfolio is like planting a money tree that keeps giving. It’s not just about picking stocks that pay dividends; it’s about crafting a strategy that offers stability, passive income, and the magic of compounding growth. Let’s break down how to build a solid dividend portfolio, keeping it real and straightforward. Why Dividend…
Continue Reading
Why the Dollar’s Value Matters (Even If You Think It Doesn’t)
You’ve heard it before – “The dollar is strengthening!” or “The dollar is falling!” It sounds like financial jargon, something that matters to traders and economists but not to everyday life. In reality, the dollar’s value impacts your wallet more than you might think. It influences prices at the grocery store, travel expenses, job security,…
Continue Reading
Why the Price of Everything Feels Broken (and What You Can Actually Do)
Prices don’t always drop when costs fall – and sometimes they even rise when they seemingly don’t have to. This puzzling price stickiness isn’t just a quirk of the market; it’s a deliberate strategy that leaves consumers paying more without realizing it. In this article, we explore the tactics behind shrinkflation and ‘greedflation,’ unravel the…
Continue Reading
Economic Deep Dive: Do the Jobs Numbers Even Mean Anything?
If you’ve ever read a news report saying “Unemployment is at a record low!” while also hearing about waves of layoffs, you might wonder: Which is true? The reality is that official job numbers don’t always reflect what’s happening in the real economy. A low unemployment rate doesn’t mean everyone is thriving, just like rising…
Continue Reading
Managing Debt: Strategies for Turbulent Times
Debt can be a powerful financial tool when managed well, but in times of economic uncertainty, it can also become a major source of stress. Whether it’s rising interest rates, job instability, or unexpected expenses, having a solid plan for managing debt is crucial to staying financially stable. By taking control of your debt now,…
Continue Reading
Don’t Get Duped: How to Recognize and Avoid Tax Scams
Tax season is here, and while most of us are busy gathering W-2s and crunching numbers, scammers are hard at work too. Every year, thousands of people fall victim to tax scams that drain bank accounts, steal identities, and create a whirlwind of stress. Let’s break down the most common tax scams, how they work,…
Continue Reading
Reverse Mortgages: A Viable Option or a Risky Bet?
A reverse mortgage can seem like a lifeline offering access to much-needed cash during retirement. However, understanding the benefits, drawbacks, and potential pitfalls is crucial before deciding if this option aligns with your financial goals. The Basics: How Reverse Mortgages Work Reverse mortgages offer a way to convert home equity into cash without monthly mortgage…
Continue Reading
Lesson 2: Identify Your Pressure Points
Seeing where things snap under pressure Last week we talked about getting everything out of your head and onto one page — income, expenses, the whole picture. Think of it like a vision board, a seating chart, or a house plan. The point isn’t the tool itself. It’s that you can see everything at once.…
Continue Reading
The Year That Taught Us How Money Really Works
SO how’s your year going!?!?! 2025 is about to come to a close – and while we never meant to rhyme, it certainly kept us on our tippy toes. BUT- it also proved to be quite useful, albeit exhausting at the same time. But mindset is crucial here because why go though all of the…
Continue Reading
Last-Minute Money Checklist: 10 Smart Moves to Make Before December 31
Every December, the same headlines circulate: “Boost your 401(k), harvest tax losses, make your charitable contributions.” Helpful, for sure, but if you’re trying to drum up some extra cash before the year resets, here’s where to look. Let’s dive into your year-end “cash sweep” – the lesser-known places where real dollars are hiding. 1. Wellness…
Continue Reading
Financial Erosion
Financial trouble doesn’t always show up as a disaster. Sometimes you think you’re stable, your routines feel normal, and nothing seems wrong, yet the numbers quietly move against you. That’s erosion. It’s subtle, it compounds, and it happens even when you’re trying to do the right things. This is what it looks like in real…
Continue Reading
Feeling Stable Isn’t a Strategy
There’s a specific moment in financial recovery that doesn’t get talked about enough. It’s the point where things finally feel manageable again. You’re paying bills on time. The panic has dialed down. Maybe your emergency fund has a little life in it again. You’re not “thriving,” but you’re no longer bracing for impact every day.…
Continue Reading
Financial Clean-Up Season
The end of the year tends to push people into two camps – those ready to sprint toward resolutions, and those too exhausted to think about it. Instead of resolutions we like to use December as a time for maintenance. No matter where you are in your financial journey, clearing out the clutter can help…
Continue Reading
Money Mindset: Tis the Season of Spending Traps: How to Protect Your Wallet When Everything Says “Buy Now”
If you’ve joined one of our Behavior and Budgeting sessions, you’ve heard us talk about how money stress drives decision-making, and how biases – especially around scarcity and self-worth – shape the choices we make. As we head into peak holiday shopping season, in what remains a deeply challenging economic environment, this is the moment…
Continue Reading
The Real Cost of Kids: Plans, Boundaries, and Holiday Sanity
When people think about starting a family, the big financial questions usually come to mind first: Do we need a bigger home? Can we afford daycare? Should we start saving for college? Those are huge, and they matter. But what most parents discover once kids hit school age is something different – the slow, steady…
Continue Reading
Money Milestones
Over the past few weeks we’ve been laying a foundation. Money Without a Map was about finding your bearings, and The Debt Dilemma dug into how to get out from under the weight of balances. Once you’ve done even a little of that work, the next logical question is: how do I know if I’m…
Continue Reading
The Debt Dilemma: Why the ‘Solutions’ Don’t Add Up
Debt…it’s everywhere, it’s confusing, and it’s dangerous because desperation can make anything look like a solution. Even people who are trying to be careful – who shop on reputable loan sites, who see “FDIC insured” attached to a bank name – can still end up in a mess. FDIC coverage only protects deposits if a…
Continue Reading
A Little Cushion Goes a Long Way
If you’ve ever been through a layoff or even a close call, you know the feeling: once you get back on your feet, you never want to be that exposed again. Parallel income isn’t about becoming an entrepreneur or squeezing more work into an already full life. It’s about insulation – a way to stay…
Continue Reading
Revenge Saving: When Discipline Turns Into Overcorrection
There’s a lot of talk about overspending, impulse buying, lifestyle creep, and holiday pressure. Almost none of the conversation covers the opposite problem: what happens when people swing too far into restriction after a hard financial year. It’s common. People stabilize after job loss, illness, divorce, a layoff scare, or a period of high debt,…
Continue Reading
Don’t Let Your Financial Recovery Make You Vulnerable: When Help Searches Become Targets
Most people know not to click unknown links or download attachments from strangers. What’s harder to see is how scammers find you in the first place. They don’t need to hack your computer or break into your accounts. They watch your online behavior — the searches you run, the forms you fill out, the ads…
Continue Reading
The Mental Weight of Holding the Line
In every family, someone ends up being the person who keeps an eye on the budget. Sometimes it’s one parent, sometimes it’s both, and sometimes the role shifts depending on the season. But whoever is holding the line knows how heavy it feels. It’s not just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about emotion, timing,…
Continue Reading
Beyond Policies: Building a Real Long-Term Care Plan
Last week we looked directly at long-term care: what it really looks like, how much it costs, and the hidden burden on families. This week we’ve focused on how insurance connects to that reality – life insurance with its riders and cash value options, and disability insurance that protects income long before retirement. But here’s…
Continue Reading
The Hidden Price of Family Caregiving
When most people think about long-term care, they imagine bills from nursing homes or assisted living facilities. But in the United States, the majority of care is not provided by professionals. It is provided by family. According to AARP, nearly 38 million Americans serve as unpaid caregivers for an adult relative each year. Collectively, they…
Continue Reading
Why Quick Financial Fixes Feel Good – and Why Algorithms Keep Serving Them Up
If you’ve ever searched “how to get out of debt” or “best savings account,” you know what happens next. Your social media feed magically shifts. Suddenly the videos and ads look tailored to your situation: debt relief programs, credit repair offers, high-yield savings accounts, investing hacks. It feels like coincidence, but it isn’t. The algorithms…
Continue Reading
The Risks Your Portfolio Can’t Cover
A retirement plan can tell you how to replace a paycheck, cover your bills, and keep your investments on track. What it can’t do is make sure someone shows up when you need help getting dressed, recovering from surgery, or making it to a doctor’s appointment when you can no longer drive. We like to…
Continue Reading
Keeping Up Without Jumping First
Finance isn’t fashion. You don’t get points for being the first to try the newest thing, and rushing into untested strategies can do real damage. But pretending the landscape isn’t changing is just as risky. The challenge for professionals and do-it-yourselfers alike is knowing when to move from “watch and learn” to “time to act.”…
Continue Reading
Annuity Riders: What They Add, What They Cost, and Who They’re For
Annuity riders get pitched like optional upgrades – just add this feature and your contract does more. More income, more growth, more protection. But what they really do is add complexity and cost, and often shift the conversation from “What does this contract do?” to “What might this contract eventually do under specific conditions?” That’s…
Continue Reading