By: Laura Walton AFC® It’s easy enough to be a victim of fraud – see last week’s blog for the statistics. This week I want to talk about why we’re easy targets. Fraud is fascinating. Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the biotech company Theranos, raised nearly a billion dollars from high-profile private investors and venture…
By: Laura Walton AFC® You can probably guess what they are but how long do you think it takes, on average, to recover from them? The findings are from a poll sponsored by New York Life and featured in a recent blog from Barry Ritholtz: Ritholtz goes on to make an important point: people tend…
By: Laura Walton AFC® The Nigerian prince email is old news. The latest generation of scams come in the form of fake websites and fake ads on social media and they’ve been surprisingly successful. The Better Business Bureau, FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) and the Stanford Center on Longevity interviewed consumers who had…
By: Laura Walton AFC® Last month was Second Hand September. Those who participated pledged not to buy new clothes for 30 days. Compared to 15 years ago, we buy 60% more items of clothing each year and keep each item for about half as long. The result? The average American throws away approximately 80…
Have you heard of Afterpay? Klarna?? I’m guessing you will. They’re upending access to credit by offering buy now, pay later options that are particularly appealing to millennials. Why millennials? Studies show they prefer using debit cards to credit cards to avoid building debt. However, debit cards are an instant draw on your funds –…
By: Laura Walton AFC® Are the followers of Jack Bogle, Vanguard’s founder. This cult for the good of investors first surfaced in 1998 when Morningstar established the Vanguard Diehards Forum. One day in 2001 it received 100,000 postings, the most postings ever received by any Morningstar Forum. The writing was on the wall –…
By: TK Irons It’s not too early to think about the tax return you’ll file next year. Here’s an opportunity you might not know about but, before that, a few general things on taxes: File Your Return Strategically The most eager filers finish their return early – 73% of Americans receive a refund. If that’s…
By: Gabriela Grodzki Approximately 19.9 million students enrolled in an American college in 2018. At the developing ages of 17-18, students are asked to commit to a four-year path and oftentimes a debt that haunts their lives for years afterwards. A college decision plays a crucial role in one’s career path and financial health. Accordingly,…
By: TK Irons Okay, for some reason, certain people grasp this concept right away, and others need to hear it a few times to keep it all straight. I hear people getting mixed up* when speaking about various investment accounts. You’ll pretty much always have three main components to think about – the company,…
By: Laura Walton AFC® Good friends traveled to Nepal to hike the Annapurna Circuit and, while talking about their experience, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between trekking and, you guessed it, saving and investing. Their story: “Trekking in the Himalayas in Nepal is an experience unlike any other travel adventure. It can…