The Four Uses of Money
Category: Financial Planning
Did you know that there are just four uses of money? They are Owe, Grow, Give, and Live.
My General Contractor and I
Category: Financial Planning
That’s when I realized, constructing a basement wasn’t all that different from constructing a financial plan.
How to Make Sense of Goals You Set
Category: Financial Planning
An important part of building out a financial plan is determining goals. Goals help us look at a financial plan with the “end” in mind.
College Planning: Don’t Wait to File Your FAFSA
Category: Financial Planning
If the prospect of sending your child on their entry into adulthood isn’t hard enough, there is all the paperwork to decipher… the ACT/SAT, college applications, scholarship applications, and of course, the dreaded FAFSA!
Tips for Setting Financial Goals in Marriage
Category: Financial Planning
If the financial goals conversation seems intimidating to you, know that you are not alone!
What to Do If Forced Into Retirement Early
Category: Financial Planning
Yet, all too often, there is a second group of retirees for whom retirement is filled with uncertainty. Let’s say that at age 58, suddenly you are forced to retire. This could be a full five to seven years before you planned. What do you do now?
How the National Debt Affects You
Category: Financial Planning
The rising U.S. national debt has been a topic of conversation for many years and 2020 has magnified the focus on this issue.
Why I Try Not to Pay Attention to the News
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
While I don’t think this approach is for everyone, I do think many of us would benefit from making some of these decisions.
Discover the Real Meaning of Financial Independence
Category: Financial Planning
In my daily work with clients, the question often comes down to, “How much do I need to retire comfortably?” My usual answer is, “How long are you going to live, and what do you want to eat?!”
Money and Emotions
Category: Financial Planning
The first step to managing emotions in financial decisions is to understand the script or story you are telling yourself about money and where it came from.
457(b): The Good, The Not so Good, and The Not Good at All
Category: Financial Planning
457(b) plans can be a great vehicle for retirement savings if available, but they are often complex and come with restrictions 401(k) and 403(b) plans don't have.
Stuff I’ve Learned
Category: Financial Planning
Random, interesting stuff (at least to me!) I’ve learned since joining Foster Group.
Set It and Don’t Forget It
Category: Financial Planning
Working with a financial advisor is a great start to having someone inventory and help you keep track of the beneficiaries, or lack of, on your accounts.
Spring Training Thoughts for Your Portfolio
While the impact of each may not be dramatic on their own, collectively they add up and represent the things we do to incrementally add value to our clients.
One Paycheck from Ruin
Category: Financial Planning
Having a plan in place, with an emergency fund, is the difference between a small financial inconvenience and a catastrophe that could potentially alter your life.
Avoiding Probate Just Got a Little EasieràFor Certain Estates
Category: Financial Planning
Currently in Iowa, if a decedent owns personal property that totals $25,000 or less and that property would normally pass under a Will or the intestate statute, you can skip probate with just an affidavit.
My Strange Family
Category: Financial Planning
Strengthening Marital Bonds with Orange Juice
Category: Financial Planning
In buying Janna Orange Juice, both of us are getting what we want financially… let me explain.