Should I pay-off my mortgage is a common question we receive. There isn’t a one-size fits all answer, as each case has unique variables to think about. You can find people who will recommend both for and against paying off the remainder of your mortgage. It’s not always a case [...]
Yesterday it appeared that Hurricane Dorian was weakening somewhat and its probable path this week would spare our Atlantic coast from the worst possible destruction. As it slides slowly northward, the damage may come from storm surges and torrential rain. I have watched some coverage of the preparations. Even Floridians [...]
If you asked 100 people that struggle to balance their monthly budgets where they spend too much money I would guess the number one answer they would give would be eating out. Too often there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to plan meals, go grocery [...]
At no time in history have we had so much ability to learn whatever we want to know about almost anything. It can cost little cost but the time it takes to acquire it in usable form, assuming you have a computer and internet. In personal finance, this is perhaps [...]
My family will soon be taking our first (and probably last) pilgrimage to Orlando to do the whole “Disney thing”. When I first proposed this excursion to my wife last year I had no idea how complicated and time-consuming the whole process would be. In my ignorance I assumed you [...]
This past weekend I was given the opportunity to go to the Lake of the Ozarks with my family for a couple of days. As a child some of my most cherished memories were of the trips we would take each summer to my uncle’s cabin there. Being able to [...]
My favorite movie of all time is The Shawshank Redemption. In one of the most powerful scenes in the movie it’s lead protagonist Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, tells his friend life comes down to a single choice, “get busy living or get busy dying.” Both the simplicity and [...]
Here we go again. In what feels like a repeat from the end of 2018 for the stock market, trade wars are front and center again in the minds of investors. The market is down about 5% from recent highs, and people are wondering if we’ll experience a similar 20% [...]
Anyone who reads my column regularly probably knows I’m a planner. There are rarely occasions where I make a decision before researching the matter in depth weighing both the pros and the cons. This desire to always have a plan, probably stems from the fact that I feel an overwhelming need to always be [...]
This past Monday, Chase Bank made national news for an unintentionally controversial tweet they sent their 365,000 followers. The tweet depicted an imaginary conversation between a person and their bank account. The full tweet was as follows You: “why is my balance so low?” Bank Account: “make coffee at home” [...]
