As a financial advisor, I am in an incredibly unique position to be the quarterback for my client’s complete financial picture, and this is a responsibility I take very seriously! One of the most critical pieces of the money puzzle is the one that no one likes to think about - estate planning. It can seem overwhelming, and frankly, scary to think, “what do I do with my money when I don’t need it anymore?” Nothing like a little existential dread, am I right? (Sometimes, you’ve [...]

Many of us know the basic details of the Pilgrims: How they left England and came over on the Mayflower. How they all nearly died that first winter. And how they survived with the help of an English-speaking Native American named Squanto. When their next successful harvest was gathered in, they celebrated with the feast that has come down to us as Thanksgiving. But we rarely stop and wonder how a group of English who had only lived under a monarchy decided to establish a largely [...]

In 1989 Steven Covey published The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Having sold more than 25 million copies, it remains one of the most popular self-help books of all time. And Time Magazine listed it as one of “The 25 Most Influential Business Management Books.” Much attention has been paid to the seven habits themselves, which are excellent guidelines for developing into a more mature and ultimately successful person. But Covey covers a much weightier principle, one that must be embraced before the good habits can [...]

In 2007 housing prices did something that was unthinkable at the time. They started to go down. And by the end of 2008 the Case-Shiller home price index reported its largest price drop in its history, a contraction of 18%. Homeowners found this drop in the real estate market so shocking because in their recent memory, property values had only gone up. In fact, this belief in ever-appreciating real estate may have worsened the crisis as many people had taken on debt with the assumption they [...]

Gloria (not her real name) was furious with her financial advisor. She wanted to move some money out of one of her accounts and her advisor, Melissa, told her she was hesitant to help with the transaction. How dare her advisor intrude into this part of Gloria’s life? How dare she ruin what might be Gloria’s last chance for a happy relationship after her divorce? But Melissa stuck to her guns. Something about the transaction didn’t seem right. With her fiduciary duty, she had a responsibility to act [...]