Three Ways to Make Saving Automatic
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Here are some ideas and tools you can use to help make your saving automatic, the biggest key to growing your savings.
Accountability: The Key to Unlocking Financial Independence
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
For more than 20 years, I ran competitively. Last year, I spent three to four months training consistently and failed to reach one of my goals.
The Secret to Increasing Your Fitness Level and Net Worth
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Are you really saving as much as you could without someone pushing you? Are you really investing in the most appropriate manner without someone advising you? Are you really on track toward financial independence at the earliest age possible without someone mapping out the path?
A Missed Vikings Game and My Emotional Spending
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
My husband and I bought tickets to see the Vikings play their final game of the regular season. We wanted to do something fun during the dark and cold days of January, and we wanted to do it together, without the kids. But...
The Two Most Important Questions to Answer When Choosing a Financial Advisor
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
In working with over a hundred prospective clients in the past five and a half years, I’ve found that these are the two most important questions you need to ask yourself...
What Jumping Out of an Airplane Taught Me About Investing
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
As with many things in life, there are usually lessons to be learned from our experiences that can be carried over into other aspects of life. Here are a few things jumping out of an airplane taught me about investing.
Speeding Tickets & Investing
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Recently, I received a gift from the Iowa State Patrol in the form of a speeding ticket. In reflecting on this experience, it occurred to me that I took an unnecessary risk to attain something I didn’t need and ended up sacrificing money I didn’t have to lose.
When Market Volatility Creates Opportunity
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The first half of 2022 has proven to be challenging for investors. Being an investor during volatile markets isn’t easy, but there are a few strategies to consider in order to make the best of a difficult situation.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Almost everyone has a few of their favorite things. One of my top questions to ask friends and clients is, “What are some of your most treasured memories and keepsakes?”
Media Drama: Facts or Fiction?
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The dramatic nature and slant that the media add to their stories to get us interested in reading the page. Do a quick self-check to see through the production and into the facts.
What is your Legacy?
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
We create a legacy through a long series of intentional choices. Discussing things that are more important than investment returns and account allocations, leaning into the heart of things that really matter and put together a plan to achieve those things.
Celebrating Saying Goodbye Day
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
In our family, we have a tradition in which, the night before our kids’ birthdays, we pause for a moment to recap the last year by reminiscing about their successes and failures. It dawned on me that these are the same feelings investors experience and learn from on their financial journeys.
Money Silence Hurts Families – Three Tips to Break the Cycle
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
If you think talking about money with your spouse, parents, or children is difficult, you are not alone. Here are three tips to get started on a healthier money talk journey with your loved ones.
Psychology and Wealth
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The different ways people react to and treat wealth and finances is fascinating. Although not everyone can be put in a box, there are five main personality types when it comes to psychology and wealth: Neuroticism/Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Openness.
Have You Come to Terms with the Reality of Your Retirement?
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
People come to terms with the fact they will one day retire. Maybe not in the next year or two but sometime in the next five. Often, it’s a reality they’ve been denying.
Money, Happiness, & Meaning
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
We’ve all heard the adage, “Money can’t buy happiness,” but the truth is more nuanced. Let's dig into the research.
The Joy of Generosity
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
In my experience, the joy of generosity is not dependent on monetary value or other objective measures of size or significance. Generosity done well always has the potential to bring joy to both givers and receivers.
What I Have Learned From My Journey of Generosity
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Being generous is a practice that seldom is mastered, takes continuous practice, and must be learned over and over again.
Does Your Workplace Cultivate a Championship Team?
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
I recently listened to a podcast called, “Invest Like the Best, with Patrick O’Shaughnessy”. The podcast is based on an article written by Michael Lewis in the New York Times Magazine back in 2009, about Shane Battier, a professional basketball player who was the ultimate teammate.
Webinar: Straight Up Money Talk
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Starting a conversation about money with your children or grandchildren can be difficult, but Foster Group can help. Learn why it’s important to be a positive and proactive role model, how your childhood experiences with money can influence your behaviors and thoughts, and financial lessons you can share with kids of all ages to help position them for success.
Tailoring Your Financial Plan to Match Your Goals
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
If you are a client of Foster Group and have met with your advisor recently, you may have discussed what’s important to you, what we are planning for as it relates to your goals, and what you hope to achieve.