Place a free security freeze on your credit reports. Don’t be fooled by the credit bureaus attempts to sign up for credit lock. A credit lock is not free and provides the same protection as a security freeze.
Archive | Financial Planning
Wells Fargo: Time to Switch?
You may be asking whether it is time to switch your asset accounts from Wells Fargo to another bank. For nearly two years federal and state authorities have been investigating the bank’s business practices and have uncovered disturbing trends. The first investigation uncovered the secret creation of millions of bank and credit card accounts without […]
4 Tips to Simplify Your Finances
You can simplify your finances by making a few changes to cut the clutter and streamline your monthly bill paying. Your finances should be easy to administer with few moving parts. Most people have too many accounts that makes it hard to monitor. They also don’t have a systematic way to pay their bills and […]
Freeze Your Credit Reports Now
Use these steps to freeze your credit reports at the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. By now you’ve heard about the massive data breach at Equifax. Information (including Social Security numbers) from 143 million consumers was potentially compromised by the agency entrusted with your personal information. I’m over being outraged. Protect yourself […]
4 Ways to Save Money
You know you should save money. Whether it is for retirement, a new car, or just to build your emergency fund. But how do you start if you don’t have a good savings track record? These four tips can help you save more money. They are based, in part, on insights from research in psychology, […]
Mortgage Loan Basics
Understanding mortgage loan basics can help first-time borrowers get the right loan. This blog describes several loan features that you can vary and the pros and cons of doing so. This blog is the third of three for first-time homebuyers. The first one describes how much house you can afford. The second one describes things […]
Obama Improves Personal Finance Decision-Making
Just a week after President Obama’s first Inaugural I started my financial planning practice. Since then, new tools and consumer-friendly policies have offered Americans meaningful opportunities to improve their personal finance decision-making. I’ve seen firsthand how these Obama Administration policies have helped clients with four critical financial challenges: investing for retirement, repaying student loans, buying […]
5 Tips to Combining Finances
Combining finances with your spouse or partner can be challenging. A successful combination depends on recognizing you have different experiences with money, attitudes about money, and earnings potential. Unfortunately many couples do not get the money issues correct as it is one of the top reasons for divorce. There are no right or wrong ways for combining […]
Maximize Your Employee Benefits
Spend a little time reviewing your employee benefits during this fall’s open season. Employers change their employee benefits annually. It makes sense to check them now because if you are like most people, you get your health, disability, and life insurance through your employer. Liz Davidson in her book, “What Your Financial Advisor Isn’t Telling […]
Tony Robbins’ “Money Master the Game” Review Part I
Tony Robbins’ updated “Money Master the Game“is a passionate call to get your finances in order. He says his approach is to relay the secrets of “what the most successful investors in history believe and practice.” He relies on an all-star cast of Warren Buffet, Ray Dalio, Paul Tudor Jones, David Swensen, and John Bogle. […]