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.
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.
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.
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…
