CategoriesFinancial Planning, Income Tax Planning, Real Estate Investing, Retirement by

Should I Pay Off My Mortgage?

All the financial experts say debt is bad.

Should I pay off my mortgage as early as I can?

Sooner or later, every homeowner begins to dream about the day when they own their home free and clear. No more mortgage payments…extra money each month to invest…what’s not to love?

Even financial experts like Dave Ramsey are known for singing the praises of ridding yourself of any and all debt—including your mortgage.

Whether this is a realistic goal or not, it leaves many homeowners wondering, “Should I pay off my mortgage early?”

Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple yes or no answer, but I can (hopefully) put your mind at ease about getting out of debt. Read More

CategoriesFinancial Planning, Investor Behavior, Investor Education by

Everyone Has Their Own Investment Playbook

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that Tom Brady has made it to the Super Bowl a few times. Ten, to be exact.

You may also know that he didn’t win all of those. In fact, he lost three of them. Even the GOAT of football had a strategy that didn’t work every single time. So what does that mean for your investment strategy? Read More

CategoriesFinancial Planning, Income Tax Planning by

How Charitable Contributions Affect Your Finances

When you donate money to charity, it not only can make a big difference in someone’s life, it can also reduce your tax liability by lowering your taxable income. Contributions are tax deductible only if made to a qualified organization.

Are you wondering how charitable contributions can affect your finances? Keep reading to find out how giving to charity can benefit your funds. Read More

How Do I Maximize My Social Security Benefits?
CategoriesFinancial Planning, Financial QB TV Videos, Retirement Income, Social Security by

How Do I Maximize My Social Security Benefits?

If you’ve worked for any portion of your life, you’re probably looking forward to the day when you can retire and collect your social security benefits. But you’ve also probably spent some time worrying if social security will be enough to cover your expenses.

Luckily, there are ways to maximize those benefits. Read More

What Is a Money Market Account?
CategoriesAsset Allocation, Fixed Income by

What Is a Money Market Account?

A brand new year is starting and if you learned anything from 2020, it’s that you need to be prepared for those “what-if” scenarios.

Having adequate emergency reserves is important and consider making it part of your 2021 saving goals. You should always strive to have at the very least six months’ worth of your monthly expenses set aside in your emergency reserves.

There are several options that you can choose from if you want to start saving money for emergencies. One of the best and easiest options is using a money market account.

A money market account is a type of interest-earning savings account, and is intended to offer investors high liquidity with a very low level of risk. They are also insured by the FDIC.

Are you trying to open a money market account? Let’s go through how and why to start using a money market account successfully. Read More

Investing vs. Speculating
CategoriesInvestor Behavior, The Stock Market by

Investing vs Speculating

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Gamestop/Reddit saga on Wall Street. Since there’s a Netflix movie coming about the topic, I won’t go deep into detail, but the short version is this:

A group of retail investors (individuals who manage their own investments), noticed and attacked a trend in the stock market. Some people felt that an opportunity arose to play against the large hedge funds and the war was on. It made national news and a ton of money changed hands over the course of a few crazy weeks.

In the end, there were still more losers than winners and life goes on, but what is the real takeaway here? Were all of those people investing or speculating? What is speculating, exactly, anyway? Read More

Financial Tips I Wish I'd Known Sooner
CategoriesInvestor Education, Retirement by

Financial Tips I Wish I’d Known Sooner

Did you know that a whopping two in three families don’t have an emergency savings fund? Is it any wonder, then, that over half (53%) of adults feel financial anxiety?

These statistics are even more relevant in 2021. With the worldwide pandemic and global financial instability, we have a lot to lose. Are you feeling particularly anxious due to your finances this year?

If so, then the following financial tips are for you. Read on to learn some awesome finance facts that you’ll wish you’d known sooner! Read More

Investing For Beginners
CategoriesFinancial Planning, Investor Behavior, Investor Education by

Investing For Beginners

Investing can seem a challenging world to break into, or even understand sometimes. There are ETFs, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs…and who could forget the good ole annuity? However, investing for beginners doesn’t need to be so complicated.

Becoming an investor is simply preparing your money for the future. Whether that’s investing in stocks or moving your money into other investments, your money should be working towards your future. Read More