Widow Brain: What To Expect After Your Spouse Dies & 9 Ideas to Help
Losing a spouse and becoming a widow is a life changing and emotional experience. Emotions come and go: anger, fear, sadness, grief, loneliness, pain, shock, guilt, worry, and more. Brain fog, or “widow brain” can appear, causing even more frustration. Let me begin by saying everyone experiences grief differently. Widow brain affects people differently. There […]
I Bonds: What You Need to Know
Who would have thought a government bond would be one of the most talked about investments in 2022? Now, how do I bonds look in 2024? When the annual inflation rate was 8.5% in March 2022, investors were wondering how best to keep up with inflation. The answer? Many were turning to I bonds. Let’s look […]
Capital Gains vs. Ordinary Income – The Differences + 3 Tax Planning Strategies
Capital gains vs. ordinary income – do you know the difference in how they are taxed? If you are like many people, you may be wondering if recognizing capital gains can affect your ordinary income taxes or vice versa. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “long-term capital gains are stacked on top of ordinary income”, but […]
Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?
You have your homeowners insurance in place, but what about earthquake insurance? Is earthquake insurance worth it? Your typical homeowners insurance policy won’t cover damage due to an earthquake, which means if you suffer damage due to an earthquake, you may be required to pay everything out of pocket. That could potentially mean footing the […]
7 Problems with Dividend Investing
Dividend investing is one of the most misunderstood parts of investing. As a financial planner, I’ve been in many meetings with prospective families who have different levels of investment education. I often find people think dividend investing is magic and must be the end-all, be-all of investing. Unfortunately, many of the closely held beliefs people […]
8 Tips to Help Prevent Elder Financial Exploitation
“Financial institutions reported a total of $1.7 billion in suspicious activities in 2017, including actual losses and attempts to steal the older adults’ funds”, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Elder financial exploitation is incredibly common. It feels like people are constantly attempting to scam seniors. Sometimes it is from an outside party, but […]
Fee-Only Financial Advisor: 4 Reasons to Hire One
It’s a popular question – “Why should I hire a fee-only financial advisor?” Maybe you shouldn’t hire a fee-only financial advisor. Seriously, there are people who do not need a financial advisor. It’s not for everybody. I’ve met plenty of people in my career who are doing a great job of staying on top of […]
How to Advocate for a Family Member in the Hospital
Your loved one is in the hospital. What do you do? How do you navigate the system? How do you advocate for a family member in the hospital? If you’ve never done it, it can be daunting. Even if you have done it, you may still be challenged from the lack of sleep, anxiety, and […]
Car Insurance: How to Review Your Policy
Car insurance is important coverage because not only can it protect your car, it can also help pay for another person’s injuries or property damage if you cause an accident. Although your auto policy likely needs to be reviewed less frequently than your homeowners insurance policy because fewer changes occur with your car, it is […]
Homeowners Insurance: How to Review Your Policy
Homeowners insurance is important because it’s often protecting someone’s most valuable asset – a home. Unfortunately, homeowners insurance is also an insurance many people buy and forget to review. As building costs go up, it’s really important to review your dwelling coverage. What it costs to rebuild your house today may be many times more […]
