Empower the Girls In Your Life With These Financial Lessons
What is important to note here is that for women to be truly empowered, they need to be informed – and financial education is a critical component for their success. Jill and I have been adamant that we teach our own girls about the importance of being fiscally responsible because it’s one life skill they need to master, yet it’s rarely taught in schools. Understanding how to earn, save, and spend responsibly sets the foundation for their financial independence and success.
Over the years we have used opportunities that crop up in everyday life to share lessons in a practical way. And with our time together this week, I’d like to share with you my Top Five Money Tips for Girls.
It’s Not About How Much You Make. It’s About How Much You Keep
When I entered the world of finance, I found myself drawn to the idea of comprehensive financial management. Budgeting, planning, saving, investing, all of it was exciting to me and I worked with many clients who were high-earning professionals in their own right. But I was struck by how many of them, despite earning six figures or more, saved very little. They spent almost everything they made.
Your Favorite Retirement Plan May Be Losing Its Appeal
For decades, we’ve been encouraged to contribute as much as possible to these plans, with the idea being that you will be in a lower tax bracket when you retire – and therefore you’ll pay fewer taxes on these funds than if you’d forgone the tax break upfront. Of course, our economic landscape has changed since the traditional IRA and 401(k) first gained widespread use, with IRA’s first becoming popular in the 1970’s and the 401(k) following in the early 1980’s. The highest tax bracket in the 1970’s was 70% and it dropped to 50% in the early 1980s, so we can see how workers believed they’d pay less once they retired and were taking less income.
When Should I Start Saving in my 401(k) Plan?
In a world filled with distractions, procrastination, and competing priorities, it can be all too easy to put off important tasks or decisions, believing that there will always be a more opportune moment in the future. However, the wisdom of this adage challenges this assumption, asserting that the most opportune moment to act is often the present.
New Year’s Resolutions–Let’s Thrive in ‘25
Making positive changes doesn’t have to be hard. Resolutions don’t need to be grand or life changing. One-time steps and small adjustments can add up to real change and give us a sense of accomplishment too. So, I’d like to spend our time this week reviewing some areas you might focus on to position yourself for greater success, both financially and health-wise, without requiring a serious time commitment.
New Retirement Rules and Tax Changes to Ring in the New Year
With the 2024 Holiday season in full swing, I find myself looking forward to the joyful weeks ahead. From spending time with my family (especially those we see only a few times each year) to good food, beautiful snowfalls, thankful for the birth of our Savior, and lots of laughs; this is truly a wondrous time of year.
Retirement Planning Mistakes to Avoid
Most of us spend decades dreaming about and preparing for that magical day when we will retire. When we walk out the door from our job for the last time and enter a new phase of our lives. One filled with freedom, fun and adventure. We dream of things like sleeping in, socializing with friends, focusing on a hobby, and perhaps traveling or spending more time with the grandkids. We have sacrificed, saved and invested for that day, and are excited to finally enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Retirement Rules and Tax Changes You Need to Know
It’s been said that the only constant in life is change. Some changes are fixed, like the change of seasons, while other changes are evolutionary and progressive, tossing new circumstances our way as time goes on. It was ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus observed that the natural world was in a constant state of movement. People age, develop habits and move environments.
The Widow Penalty – It’s a Real Thing
Being a finance guy, I see firsthand the effects of today’s longer life expectancies. In the 1950’s, the average American could expect to live to about 69 years old, but thanks to significant developments in medicine, today the average retiree can expect to live to almost 80 years old – and that’s just the average₁. These days it’s not uncommon for any retirees to live well into their 80’s and 90’s, or even beyond. And while living longer is a good thing, it also means you need more money to get you through a longer retirement. If your retirement system was designed to support you for twenty years in retirement but you end up living for thirty years, you’ll find yourself in a real pickle for those last ten years.
Planning for Retirement in an Uncertain (Post Election) World
With the presidential election now behind us, many folks are feeling a little anxious and uncertain about the future. Of course, there was plenty of uncertainty leading up the election as well. Both sides of the political aisle were worried about what might happen if the other side wins, and there was even the possibility that the results could be delayed or challenged. Luckily that didn’t happen, and we are entering the end of the year with a clear winner, President-elect Donald Trump.
