Budget
20 Second Advisor: Can Holiday Spending Be An Investment?
With Thanksgiving and Black Friday next week, I thought I’d touch on the gift giving season. It’s hard not to be swept up in the ever-increasing commercialization of the holidays. Personally, it feels like the holidays often boil down to scheduling chaos, overspending on gifts, and not enough time spent reflecting on what truly matters…
Read More20 Second Advisor: What are the “We gottas” in your life?
I was running with Taylor and Thad last week on the beltline. We started talking about the various things/expenses in life that always seem to pop up. We like to call them the “We Gottas” in life. Here were a few of the ones we came up with: We gotta live in this neighborhood. It…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Hey Parents! Cash for Chores May Create Entitled Kids.
We have three little kids in our family. We are constantly trying to get them to clean their room, pickup their toys…the list goes on. In the past we had a chore system that worked pretty well. If kids did their chores for the day, they got up to 2 “checks” per day (one for…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Getting prepared for unemployment
Unemployment probably never crossed your mind until COVID-19 hit. If you or someone you know may be affect, here are a few practical steps you can take to make sure you are prepared: Cash is king. Make sure to prioritize beefing up your emergency cash savings. We recommend having 3-6 months worth of expenses set…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Live your best life & tweak your 2020 budget
The new year is a great time to take stock of your life’s direction. Review what’s going right and what’s gone off course in your life. Sit down and REALLY think about what you value most. Maybe it’s family. Maybe it’s travel and new experiences. Maybe it’s giving back or solving a societal issue. Ask…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Time to Refi?
Mortgage rates have dropped in the last month to the lowest rates since 2016 (see chart below). At the same time, many homeowners have seen their home value increase over the last few years. Now could be an advantageous time to refinance your mortgage to pay down debt, renovate your house, get rid of PMI,…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Vacation Home – Rent or Buy?
It’s summer time. And that means vacations. Families feel the draw of buying a 2nd home while they’re on vacation. On the trip to Florida, couples may think, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a beach house?” Before you dig into the financials of buying a 2nd home, here are the top non-financial questions…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Make it happen in 2019!
It’s the most wonderful time of year. That time when you gather with family, celebrate the holidays, and dust the cobwebs off your old budget. But, seriously, I love this time of year. We are looking into the new year and trying to guess/dream/figure out what we’d like to accomplish in 2019. Vision is the…
Read MoreYou Are Already Managing Cash Flow…Why Not Be Intentional?
I do not care if you have a budget or not, you are already managing your cash flow. You have income coming in and you are spending some or all of that. A budget simply adds intentionality to your income and expenses. I don’t meet many people who enjoy creating and managing a budget. I…
Read MoreI am saving for a trip to Mars
Elon Musk, founder of Tesla, estimates it would cost around $200,000 to travel to Mars. The privatization of space travel means that this could become a reality. On March 30, his space exploration company, SpaceX made a breakthrough when it successfully launched and landed the first ever reusable orbital rocket, the Falcon 9. Refurbishing and re-launching…
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