Making Cents: The Ups and Downs of Family Owned Real Estate
Some families intentionally pool their resources to make investments in real estate. Others inherit properties and become partners, whether that was their plan or not. Either way, owning real estate with family members can be a great way to benefit from family resources or be the straw that breaks the camel’s back with respect to…
Making Cents: Your Own Team Assessment
Just like a professional sports team, it would be a wise idea for you to review your entire team of service providers. There is no time like the present to evaluate that you have assembled the right professionals to help you keep your financial house in order. The hardest part about this evaluation is judging…
Making Cents: Making the Most Out of Your Financial Review
Your review meetings with your financial advisor should be about a lot more than your portfolio. Anyone can review investments and tell you why they went up or down. That service alone is not often worth the price of admission. A productive review meeting will have a detailed agenda to ensure that your whole financial…
Making Cents: Stress Test Your Forecast
With an eye toward the dog days of summer vacation, this is a good time of year to think about how you would spend your time if every day was vacation. For many, the goal of not working some day is still alive. Retiring isn’t what it used to be, however. Today, retirees want a…
Making Cents: Dollar Cost Averaging
Dollar cost averaging is a term that has been around for many years, but always seems to get a lot more usage during turbulent markets. Whether it’s justification for continuing to invest in your 401K or simply systematically contributing new investable money into your accounts over a specified time period, dollar cost averaging is here…
Making Cents: The Wisdom of Rebalancing Portfolios
For most investors, their portfolio starts out with an allocation amongst a few different asset classes. There may be large and small U. S. Equity, U. S. and foreign debt, large and small foreign equities, real estate and so on. The goal for most investors is to start with a portfolio that is broadly diversified…
Making Cents: Beneficiary Planning for Senior Citizens
It is second nature for many senior citizens to save as much as possible. These same seniors are such savers, that they are equally reluctant to spend any of their savings. This natural aversion to spending also applies to their retirement accounts. Whether the retirement account is a pension, 401K or an IRA, holding on…
Making Cents: When Your Own Success Is an Impediment
The day the Queen of Soul died, I jokingly asked “I wonder what type of mess she left for her heirs”. At the time, the comment was truly in jest, but sure enough, just like many before her, it appears that Aretha Franklin died without a will. Why would someone do that is the big…
Making Cents: Newlyweds Need to be on Same Page Financially
We are currently in peak season for weddings. If one were allowed to give a financial toast to the newlyweds, here’s what I’d say. Money is the root of all evil, but like any tree, a good root system is necessary for anything constructive to happen. Have a conversation about money to begin to understand…
A Mother’s Day Retrospective
For many people, Mother’s Day is one of the best days of the year. We all have a reason to celebrate, if it weren’t for your mother, you wouldn’t be here! Mother’s Day is often the first type of outdoor family activity of the season for those stuck in the great white north. The flowers…