How to Fire Your Financial Advisor in 4 Steps
Steps to Fire Your Financial Advisor
2023 Financial Planning New Year’s Checklist
You’re retired, and it’s the start of 2023. What is on your financial planning New Year’s checklist? Instead of waiting until the end of the year, getting too busy in summer, or ignoring it during tax time, take a few moments to go through this financial planning new year checklist to potentially put yourself in […]
How to Talk to Adult Kids About Money and Inheritances
I’ve heard and seen many families make mistakes about inheritances, estate plans, and talking about money. Unfortunately, money is a taboo topic in most families. Parents might say, “We are doing fine.” They might also say, “Yes, we prepared for long-term care”, without actually understanding what it means to be prepared. Adult kids are thinking […]
How to Optimize Social Security Survivor Benefits as a Widow
Deciding how to claim Social Security survivor benefits as a widow could be a decision worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Deciding how to claim Social Security survivor benefits, while trying to navigate everything else when your loved one dies, is not a straightforward decision. Optimizing Social Security benefits requires you to consider your life […]
4 Ways to Help a Widow
Losing a spouse and experiencing the accompanying grief is heartbreaking. Life changes overnight. What was once easy can become difficult. It could be paying the bills, cooking, eating, getting out of the house, or remembering appointments. Widowhood is unlike anything someone has typically experienced. The brain fog that can come with the death of a […]
The Negative Effects of Caregiving
Let’s talk about the impact of caregiving – notably, the negative effects of caregiving. I’ll spend a little time talking about the positives of caregiving, but I want to give more attention to the negative effects of caregiving because they often outweigh the good. I’ve experienced it first hand and seen it in other families. […]
Aging In Place – Costs and Factors to Consider
Many people I meet prefer the idea of aging in place. Unfortunately, aging in place is expensive and not possible for everyone. Besides the financial costs, there are costs to renovate a home, technology to implement, and the need to coordinate multiple levels of care instead of having it centrally located. Plus, there are the […]
7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Hire a Financial Advisor
I’m a financial advisor, and I’m going to share 7 reasons why you shouldn’t hire a financial advisor. It’s not a trick. There are situations where it doesn’t make sense to hire a financial planner. Although most people filter themselves out prior to contacting a financial planner, I’ve told people they are doing a good […]
7 Ways to Help a Caregiver
Having been a caregiver and listening to other caregiving experiences, I often see friends and family with the best intentions try to help caregivers, but they do it in a way that doesn’t actually help a caregiver. Have you ever said, “Let me know if you need anything”? I have. It’s the wrong way to […]
What To Do When Your Loved One Dies + Checklist
When someone dies, they often leave behind a mess that needs to be sorted through. There is a web of personal belongings, bills, and financial accounts that need to be handled. You may be the widow, executor, a family member, or a friend that is tasked with picking up the pieces. After the death of […]
