August 2023 Blog Newsletter August Captain’s Log College Planning for Illinois Residents Everyone is in the mindset of going back to school! The process of getting school supplies, working out childcare, pick up and drop offs, to lunches! It is a busy time of the year. There are a lot of moving parts. Parents may…
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One of the most rewarding parts of my work as a financial advisor is watching people go from uncertainty about their future to confidence in their future. In the transformation, they go from reluctant goal chooser to relentless goal chaser. The confidence that comes from having a plan in place often leads to new, bigger…
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You can always tell when it’s tax season. For me, it’s the notable change in advertising messages that go out. Retailers begin asking consumers to consider making a large purchase using the large sum of money they just came into. Receiving a large refund is celebrated as if it’s a holiday event and retailers are…
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Parenthood is hard! But that truth makes grandparenting a joy for so many. I’ve heard many grandparents in my office talk about the joys of being a grandparent, while citing the reality that you get to have all of the fun without the same amount of responsibility! But for more than 3 million grandparents in…
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2023 is the year of the rabbit, but for investors, it should be considered the year of the tortoise. The lesson of the classic Aesop fable may ring true more than ever as we maneuver through 2023. At the outset, 2023 will sing the same song as 2022. Inflation will continue to be a factor…
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I’ve committed my career to helping people plan for retirement. During the planning phase, I help individuals imagine their ideal retirement scenario and then create a comprehensive financial plan that makes that imagined scenario a retirement. But the thing about life is that it rarely—if ever—goes as planned. Over the past two years, I have…
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Optimism And Pessimism Require The Same Amount Of Energy. Choose Wisely It’s the time of year when I traditionally write an article about goal setting and how to make this year your best year ever financially. The news headlines tell me that I should be writing an article about recession and how to protect your…
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Parents are masterful at assessing the potential consequences associated with giving a gift. Gifting your child a baseball bat increases the likelihood of a broken window, gifting a child a drum set decreases the possibility of a quiet night at home, and gifting a puppy means, well, now you have a puppy to care for…
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Taking a loan against your 401k plan may feel like a safe option in situations of financial need. A loan against your 401k is not a traditional loan in the sense that there is no lender (they are your assets) and the loan is not measured against your credit score. Those two benefits do not…
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If you have been asked to serve as an executor of an estate or, worse, were surprised with the honor of being an executor, here are five things to consider before taking on the responsibility that has been asked of you. 1. Your Own Financial Knowledge. As executor, in addition to making potentially emotionally charged…
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