My mantra is “if you can’t save, you can’t invest and if you can’t invest, you can’t build a secure future.” Lots of people I meet with either aren’t saving or aren’t saving enough and it’s usually because they don’t see how they can. At the same time, I speak with many who are amazing…
By: Laura Walton AFC® We recently returned from travelling in Spain and among many things we loved about the country was the low cost of great food, convenient transportation and unique accommodations. A typical breakfast is café con leche and toast with jam or ham and cheese – about $8 for two. Tapas (small snacks…
By: TK Irons “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker Well, more than enough time has now passed where most of the half-hearted, new-year’s-resolution-fueled weight loss goals have been broken. “I just need to get to the gym four days a week.” “I need to stop eating out…”…
By: Laura Walton AFC® Fear Of Missing Out. What part does social media play in our spending decisions? This and other telling questions were put to 1,000 Americans aged 21-75 as part of Charles Schwab’s 2019 Modern Wealth Index Survey. Here’s what we learned: If you’ve wondered if you should have a written financial plan,…
By: Laura Walton AFC® You’re a good saver but a reluctant investor? What if you’re more confident investing when the market’s up? If the market’s up, prices are up, right? Bob Swift likes to point out that the market is one thing people like to buy when it costs the most. When the market’s doing…
By: Laura Walton AFC® Gifts, vacations, pets, clothing, eating out…these are the wild cards, the spending categories that rely on our discipline to keep within budget. After all, most of our other expenses are fixed – rent/mortgage, utilities, car payment, etc. When I create a 12-month budget with clients and ask “how much do you…
By: Laura Walton AFC® Well, let’s see. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks consumer spending each year. We have numbers for 2017 – see how you stack up. On average, U.S. households spent an average of $60,060. Using the chart below, we offer the following percentages: Housing: 33% Includes mortgage payments or rent, property…
By: Laura Walton AFC® It’s Financial Literacy month! In this blog you’ll find a link to a 17 question financial literacy quiz. Annamarie Lusardi, the Academic Director of the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center at George Washington University and one of the authors of the quiz and academic paper “Five Steps to Planning Success,” says…
By: Laura Walton AFC® “I never want to be dependent on one thing,” says Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland – and he’s not. Graduating Penn’s Wharton School of Business in 2013, Brandon didn’t find a spot in the NFL right away. He spent some time on practice squads before being noticed by the Lions in 2015…
By: Laura Walton AFC® This quilt screams the message “you can’t predict returns!” This week we take the allocation conversation one step further into diversification. The best return for a 100% stock portfolio between 1926 and 2016 was +54.2% while the worst return was -43.1%. Over the same period, a 100% bond portfolio returned…