My father passed away on September 8, 2018. He was 70 years old. I find it somewhat ironic I'm publishing this post today, September 11. Social media is rightfully flooded with "Never Forget" posts.
This past Sunday marked the one year anniversary of my dad's passing. I was having my morning coffee when it hit me. I felt sad, again. I still vividly remember getting the call from my brother this time last year.
Last week we were on vacation at my in laws house. Close family friends joined us for the trip and a couple of nights were spent around the table competing in the board game called Wits & Wagers. We paired up into teams of two with each team consisting of an adult and a kid. If you know anything about our family, we trend toward the "more competitive" side of the ledger. It was an intense couple of nights. Well, about as intense as a game of Wits & Wagers can get!
On Friday, Jill & I will celebrate 11 years of marriage. Hard to believe it’s been 11 years. Seems like just yesterday I was smashing wedding cake in her face.
We've been through a heckuva lot in those 11 years. Obviously we had our gaggle of kids in a short period of time and, I imagine like many other married couples, we've dealt with our share of challenges, too.
To quote my father-in-law, it's been the best 10.5 years of my life! Haha.
Our youngest son, Sutton, is playing baseball again this season. The team is comprised mostly of 7 year olds. So far, we've had a few practices and two games. And let me tell you…they stink.
Seriously. They're not good. After our last game Jill said to me, "It's like watching The Bad News Bears."
And she's not wrong.
Before you start thinking "Wow that's horrible,” or “How can they say/think such things," hear me out.
Interest rates have gone down again. In fact, last week the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 4.4 percent, the lowest point in over 13 months. I imagine you’ll be getting calls from your lender, banks, etc. about refinancing. This tends to happen when rates go down.
I have a confession: I think refinancing a mortgage is a bad idea.
Yesterday I volunteered at Junior Achievement’s Finance Park (Montgomery County Campus). I wrote about my experience here and after some reflection, I decided it warranted an extra blog post. So if you're a parent and looking to bring financial literacy and open conversations into your family, keep reading below to learn 15 Financial Literacy Tips for kids of all ages. And be sure to read all the way to the end for a bonus tip.
Yesterday I spent four hours with a group of 7th graders from Takoma Park Middle School as part of Montgomery County's Public School's Financial Literacy program. I volunteered for the first time at Junior Achievement's Finance Park (Montgomery County campus) and let me tell you, it was REALLY cool.
My wife and I play in a fantasy football league comprised of a handful of other couples in and around our neighborhood. This season something interesting happened. As the start of our season drew near, one of the couples in the league had to back out. With literally a couple of weeks left before the start of the season we were in a pinch as nine couples had to decide on one other couple to join the league. Dicey, at best.
Earlier this year we talked about investment options if you're already making the maximum contribution(s) to your 401(k) and still want to save money elsewhere. We also covered the importance of contributing to your employer's 401(k) plan in order to get the full matching contribution…aka compensation.
Today we're talking 401(k) again and I want to show you why it's important to understand how your employer matches your contributions.
If you've been following along with the blog, you've probably figured out a few key themes I like to use when it comes to financial planning. Themes like: Focus on Financial Factors You Can Control, Life Is NOT A Straight Line, Rate of Savings > Rate of Return, Planning > The Plan, etc.
And where your money goes, and why.
That's what we're talking about this week.
ecently Jill & I took a quick trip to surprise her mom and this required us to fly down to Miami. As we boarded the plane, I peeked into the cockpit. The pilots were in there, doing their pre-flight checks. We moved on down the aisle, took our seats, and prepared for takeoff.
For us, getting to Miami was as simple as booking tickets, boarding the plane, and buckling up. The pilots had a little more on their plate.
Recently Jill & I attended a friend's birthday party. It was a Casino Night theme and of course fun was had by all. After all, we weren't playing with real money!
They had two table games that evening: blackjack and roulette. Seeing the roulette wheel reminded me of a visit I took to Atlantic City many years ago.
A friend and I were sitting in a lounge…
I think we're all prone to inertia in some shape or fashion, be it financially or otherwise. Guilty as charged.
You wouldn't know it by looking at me but I've put on some weight this year. I don't watch my weight. I've always been thin and eat fairly well most of the time. And I've always been pretty active. Like most people, I go through phases of working out. Generally it's pretty regular and I'll take some time off here and there. This year has been a challenge for me…
Yesterday two very large financial institutions announced they would no longer charge "commissions" on any online exchange-listed stock, ETF (domestic and Canadian), and options trades for any investor on their platforms.
The cost associated with investing has been plummeting for years. First it was the robo-advisor firms pushing down costs for asset management. And lately, another financial…
Two words. Taxes & Time.
Taxes: I've yet to meet a person who says, "Sure, I'd love to pay more in taxes! Where do I sign up?"
Time: Quite possibly the most precious resources available in our lives. Sadly, it's not something any of us have any control over. When it's our time to check out, we really don't have any say in it.
We live in what feels like an ever-increasing busy life that demands of our time. Yet, when it comes to our time, it can be one of the highest taxes we pay.
On May 10, 2008 my wife Jill & I were married. On that day I became a father to my stepson, Jackson. Later that month I started my career in the financial services industry with a measly salary that I was responsible for building and growing.
On June 17, 2009, Jill & I had our first child together.
Now imagine we met with a financial planner who…
My father passed away on September 8, 2018. He was 70 years old. I find it somewhat ironic I'm publishing this post today, September 11. Social media is rightfully flooded with "Never Forget" posts.
This past Sunday marked the one year anniversary of my dad's passing. I was having my morning coffee when it hit me. I felt sad, again. I still vividly remember getting the call from my brother this time last year.
Yesterday was the first day of school for our kids. Like many parents, we were more than eager to send them back to school after what felt like a pretty long summer. Jill and I were way past the bickering and "I'm bored" comments.
Then a truly amazing thing happened: the school bus came. The kids got on. And there was silence in our house for 7 consecutive hours.
I’m not gonna lie. It. Was. AWESOME!
Recently I saw the trailer for Top Gun 2. I love the original Top Gun movie. I'm not sold on the sequel - are they ever any good?
One of my favorite lines from the original Top Gun movie occurs when the Top Gun class is in session outside and Charlie is debriefing the pilots on the MIG fighter jet. Maverick interjects and well…watch for yourself.
Today we’re exploring solutions to a very common question I hear from clients and potential clients alike:
First, if this sounds like you - congratulations. You’re probably saving at a pretty high clip relative to your income. And second, you're probably getting that employer match which means you're taking full advantage of your compensation.
In the Metro DC area…
Most of you reading this likely contribute to your employer's 401(k) plan. And a good percentage of you also receive matching contributions from your employer. Or if you own your own business, you might contribute to and also be responsible for the matching contributions. I imagine you've heard these employer matching contributions referred to as "free money". Sure, we can call it that and if it feels good, do it. If you aren't taking advantage of your company's match…
Last week we were on vacation at my in laws house. Close family friends joined us for the trip and a couple of nights were spent around the table competing in the board game called Wits & Wagers. We paired up into teams of two with each team consisting of an adult and a kid. If you know anything about our family, we trend toward the "more competitive" side of the ledger. It was an intense couple of nights. Well, about as intense as a game of Wits & Wagers can get!
Last week I showed you the financial planning formula. Here it is again
Pop quiz: of the four factors in our formula, how many of them are variable?
If you answered all of them, go ahead and give yourself a round of applause. One of the issues with our formula is…
Today is Wednesday, July 3. And tomorrow, July 4, we'll celebrate our nation's anniversary of independence. We will let freedom ring. We'll proudly wave our American flags. We'll drown our kids (and ourselves) in red white and blue. And then at the end of the day, we'll shoot off some fireworks.
It will be awesome.
Independence for our great nation did not come easy. In fact, the Revolutionary War lasted from 1775 - 1783. It took our country eight long years to achieve independence. And since this blog is (mostly) about money, the irony of The Revolutionary War happening over taxation is not lost on me.
Our daughter AnnaMay is ridiculously impulsive. She flitters from one activity to another, often leaving a trail of unfinished activities in her wake. Some days it's like a human tornado tore through our house.
And she can rarely walk by Jill or me without some form of physical contact. Maybe a touch on the back, a little "love" punch on the arm, or some type of quasi kung fu maneuver. She *has* to touch us. We love her unconditionally and we realize this is who she is, part of her DNA. She's impulsive.
