Paying For College
College is expensive.
According to a former Secretary of Education, William Bennett, college costs have quadrupled the past 25 years. With many college grads unable to find good work today, the tough questions about college are piling up:
— Is a College Education still worth the cost?
— Are College Costs the next bubble?
— How do to get the best value for your college tuition dollar?
Continue reading
Money Rules
There are many aspects of personal finance that are up for debate – active vs. passive investing, wants vs. needs and others – but there are a few cardinal “money rules” that cannot be broken. Ignore these rules at your own peril – which is unfortunately what most of your friends and neighbors are doing. Play by these rules and your life will be happier, no matter how much income you make. Continue reading
Lifestyle vs. Quality of Life
Lifestyle and Quality of Life are two separate concepts and they are very much in conflict.
The pathetically low savings rate in the United States is a direct result of this conflict. People don’t save because they mistakenly believe doing so will mean a lower quality of life. Rather, it is quite possible (we have plenty of documented cases through our Cash Flow Hydrant™ cash management tool) that saving money while shifting to a less costly lifestyle will result in a substantial INCREASE in your quality of life.
In this case, you really can have your cake and eat it, too.
LIFESTYLE = STUFF Continue reading
How to Avoid Plan:FAIL
George had it all worked out. He had a great goal. He knew what he had to do and the obstacles that could very likely slow him down. He was all set. Unlike many people, George had a PLAN. The course was all mapped out. All he had to do was take action and in a few years he’d reach his goal.
It never happened. Continue reading
A Personal Finance Truth You Can’t See
Remember the scene from “A Few Good Men” how Colonel Jessup (Jack Nicholson) responded to Lt. Daniel Kathee (Tom Cruise) when Kathee demanded the truth? Colonel Jessup shouted, “You can’t handle the truth!”
… and Colonel Jessup was right.
Nobody can handle the truth, nor can anybody completely see the truth of any situation for what it is. Continue reading
What I Do Is Not What You Think
I am coping with an ongoing frustration. Has this ever happened to you?
You see yourself as one kind of person and someone else sees you as something quite different. Your internal view is probably very positive – as someone who is helpful and kind for example – and others see you in a more negative light – something greedy or close to evil.
I suspect that this has happened to every one of us, most likely on multiple occasions. Continue reading
To Defer or Not to Defer; The Ultimate Pre-Retirement Question
Should you fund your retirement plan (401(k), IRA and Roth IRA), or not? Which plan? How much?
As a financial planner, these are the most common questions I am asked by clients, workshop and Webinar attendees. Ask three people and you’ll probably get three different answers. Here’s my answer (and it is sure to be different as well): Continue reading
Debt
By: John D. Buerger, CFP®
DEBT is the four-letter-word of personal finance.
Most people have some debt to deal with. Once the debt level gets to a certain point it is nearly impossible to get rid of. Interest payments crowd out all the productive (and fun) uses of your money until the whole thing implodes in an avalanche of expletives and misery.
GOOD ADVICE? Continue reading
To Defer or Not to Defer; The Ultimate Pre-Retirement Question
Should you fund your retirement plan (401(k), IRA and Roth IRA), or not? Which plan? How much?
As a financial planner, these are the most common questions I am asked by clients, workshop and Webinar attendees. Ask three people and you’ll probably get three different answers. Here’s my answer (and it is sure to be different as well): Continue reading
The Money Game (And How to Win It)
Right now, you are playing in the biggest, most important game of your life. How are you doing?
That game is “The Money Game” and you’re in it because you are making financial choices each and every day. You can’t opt out of this game. You can’t sit on the bench or go back into the locker room. You’re out there on the Money Game field, pitted against millions of other players (someone had to tell you).
Since you’re in this game and you can’t opt out, it would seem like a good idea to know how to play the Money Game… and win. Continue reading
Ron Peremel
Kevin Condon
