The Kids are Gone, Now What?

Parents, brace yourselves for a shocking figure.  The average family spends over $200,000 to raise a child up to adulthood, and that is before even thinking about college.  For as many as 20 years or more, families focus financial planning almost solely around raising...

Sensible Career Transitions for Professionals

An early retirement may not always be welcome. I was recently approached by two people with challenges similar to each other. Both are experienced in their fields with long careers in the energy industry.  They each have high annual earnings and years left in the...

Become a Better Negotiator

The best negotiations are where all parties walk away happy. If a negotiation has a clear winner, that means someone is the opposite. For entrepreneurs, negotiating is part of life. Regardless of industry, bargains and deals are struck each day. Some have minor...

10 Reasons To Worry

One of the oldest market sayings is: “markets climb a wall of worry”—needless to say, it is sometimes good to be cautious. We listed some of our worries recently in What Might Scare Markets, but the action in the S&P 500 Index over the past year—and so far in...

Tips for Intelligent Tax Deductible Donations

The end of the year is approaching fast and with it comes peak charity season. Inspired by the upcoming holidays and close of the tax-year, donors eager to make a difference give more during this season than any other during the year. Those eager to capitalize on this...

Protecting against cyber threats

The Equifax breach affected almost 150 million people, many unprepared. After all, for many people, cybercrimes are something big companies worry about. The truth is hackers and cybercriminals are equal opportunity crooks. Big companies take digital threats very...