January is always a good time to take a deep look at our finances. I know that after the holidays and all the spending that was involved (Christmas for a family of eight gets expensive very quickly. Then throw in an 80th birthday party for my parents and a few days spent in San Francisco …
I am a huge meal planner. I have been for years. This really started out of a need to survive the evening hours – with kids in after-school activities and too many sports to count, working all day, and facing a hungry family – I needed to come up with a plan that did not …
‘Tis the season of shopping and I know a few of you are thinking of buying a little puppy. They are so cute after all, and what is more precious than a happy pup with a big bow tied around its neck? When you are considering your finances and thinking about buying a dog, you …
As a mid 50 year old – I have retirement on the mind. We still have two kids in the house – one in high school and one college grad saving for medical school, but I see retirement on the horizon. Ok, a distant horizon but it is creeping closer. With retirement in mind, I …
For today’s Money Monday I thought I’d share a simple mathematical way to help you figure out how long it takes to double your money. Recently I was having a conversation with my daughter and she mentioned to me that she wanted her savings to double. So I explained to her the Rule of 72. …
I have always believed that the purpose of an emergency fund was to help us straddle the financially tough times of an extended illness or a job loss. After watching many Americans evacuate homes due to hurricanes and now fires – an emergency can happen anywhere. As I now know, it certainly is not always …
I have been away from my blog for a bit. If you read my last post, you know that the Northern California fires have hit close to home. My hometown of Santa Rosa was under siege. Today, people are sifting through still hot knee-high soot hoping to recover whatever remnants of their life might have …
Sometimes it makes sense to spend money to save money. Here are three things that I have invested in that have been well worth their cost. It is capital spent upfront, but in the long run these three actions have saved me money. Money Well Spent 1. Museum memberships. I love visiting museums! Living in …
I am 54 years old, and being in my mid 50s I am very aware of my retirement funds. Each year I look at my retirement funds and reassess how they are allocated. When I started saving for retirement in my early 20’s, retirement seemed so far away. Now it seems to be right around …
Welcome to Money Monday. When I first started this blog almost four years ago, I addressed financial planning and budgeting concerns. My very first financial post was Knowing Your Net Worth: Getting Your Financial House in Order. As a former financial planner, money and investing as always been a part of my thinking. I start each …
