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Think Little Not Big
Written by: Michelle Smalenberger, CFP ® Whether you are retired and living on a fixed income and investment portfolio, or just starting to build your finances, knowing your monthly expenses is critical to your plan. When defining where you will spend money don’t forget the little expenses. You don’t want to $9.99 yourself out of…
Who has your attention?
Written by: Michelle Smalenberger, CFP ® Did you know someone is always watching you? No I’m not talking about technology or the government, and the increasing awareness we have that so many things are connected. I’m talking about an awareness that you are being watched by someone who either looks up to you, learns from…
Facts Are Stubborn Things
– John Adams
WRITTEN BY: MICHELLE SMALENBERGER CFP® A fact is something that can’t be changed. It is what it is. The simple fact is the earlier you start to plan and care for your finances, the longer you’ll have to reach your goals. Distracting thoughts like “I don’t have enough money” or “Once I get things in…
What’s In Your Toolbox? (Part 4)
Over the last several blog entries, we have reviewed the details within the various types of accounts and learned how and when they are taxed. To finish this series, let’s look at the final grouping: The Roth IRA was named after William Roth, a senator from the state of Delaware. He was the main…
Friday’s Financial Update 4-7-2017
Written By: Michelle Smalenberger CFP® Have you been busy? Perhaps, you feel like you’ve missed a lot of the news throughout the week. Let’s review all that has filled our screens, newspapers, and airwaves. The following is a graphic I put together to summarize big picture stories and the way to invest in the midst…
What’s In Your Toolbox? (Part 3)
In the last blog entry What’s In Your Toolbox? (Part 2), we learned about the various types of taxable accounts and how the investment growth is taxed when earned. Let’s turn our attention, today, to the next group of accounts in order to better understand the value these bring to our “toolbox” of options….
Friday’s Financial Update 3-31-2017
Written By: Michelle Smalenberger, CFP ® The last week of the 2017 first quarter has felt relatively quiet without large pending votes that may or may not signal expectations going forward. The U.S. stock market indexes posted another positive quarter, which again brings welcome gains to investors’ accounts. We could still see an upcoming…
What’s In Your Toolbox? (Part 2)
The last post in this series entitled “What’s In Your Toolbox,” we looked at the various types of accounts and grouped them into three general categories: Today, let’s focus on the taxable accounts in order to better understand their characteristics and how they can be a great “tool” to have available. In the future, we…
Friday’s Financial Update 3-24-2017
Written By: Michelle Smalenberger, CFP® Did this week remind you of political seasons we have experienced over the past several years? It sure reminds us of times like the initial ACA legislation, Brexit, or more recently the elections. We have been awaiting results of legislation change with the proposed American Health Care Act and the…
Friday’s Financial Update 3-17-2017
Written By: Michelle Smalenberger, CFP ® Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! The GREEN we saw in the markets this week seemed mostly attributable to the news on Wednesday from our good luck charm, Janet Yellen! This was the biggest story of the week as the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve…
What’s In Your Toolbox?
Your accounts like tools in a toolbox, each serving a different purpose, allow you to accomplish a variety of goals in the best way possible. When you think about your portfolio, you often immediately remember the underlying investment holdings like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, etc. What about you? What comes to mind when the word…
Friday’s Financial Update 4-28-2017
Written By: Michelle Smalenberger, CFP ® Moving Forward. That’s what time does. Even if you take a few steps back, time is moving forward. There’s no reversing, undoing or stopping it. Today is a good day to remember to look back and review. Even in times when we may have wanted to reverse, undo or…