Common Sense Financial Podcast

When I talk about my definition of retirement, I think it sometimes catches people off guard.   In my mind, retirement is not who you are or where you're at in life, rather it is the transition of your time and money.    In other words, it is a process you go through … not your identity.   The transition for money is a transition from accumulating money to utilizing it.    For time, it is a transi...

We all have blinders about various things in our life that leave us blind to things we do not know or understand. What is a blinder?  Well, it could be a bias about something, it could be a protection mechanism to ignore something, it could be immaturity about something or it could simply be ignorance of not knowing any better.  In fact, what I have found is that for most people who are experienci...

We often hear the mantra that debt is bad. Yet that doesn't stop the majority of people from assuming they will always have bank payments.  For many, using credit to purchase vehicles, take vacations or fund home improvement projects is a normal mindset for making their lifestyle work. They believe borrowing money to fill income gaps is the answer to supporting their lifestyle. In reality, it ente...

Employees love their 401(k)s, but love can be blind. These plans are riddled with traps, restrictions and caveats that are not apparent until you attempt to access your money out of the plan. Retirement savers need to open their eyes to some serious flaws built into these accounts. A 401(k) is a type of employer-sponsored retirement savings plan utilized in for-profit organizations. Related types...

Finding Yield In a Low Interest Rate Environment    It is no secret that savers are having a difficult time knowing how and where to hold their cash in this low interest rate environment.  Storing money in traditionally "safe" places no longer makes sense and has pushed some into more risky alternatives — such as fixed income securities like bonds and, in some cases even the stock market — in sear...

When my kids were growing up, many days my wife would sit with them on the floor putting puzzles together. They would laugh and talk as they worked together arranging the pieces to create the picture on the box. When the kids were young, the puzzles consisted of 20 pieces that could be put together without much need for the picture on the box. The older the kids got, the more complex the puzzles b...

The Chinese proverb "rags to rags in three generations" says that family wealth does not last for three generations. The first generation makes the money, the second spends it and the third sees none of the wealth.   The Chinese aren't the only ones who acknowledge this as a problem. In the U.S. it is referenced as "shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations," and in Japan it's "rice paddie...

I'm an entrepreneur and just so happen to be in the business of providing other entrepreneurs with financial advice.   But I don't typically offer up the usual status quo advice that tells you to do things that aren't always in alignment with growing your business.   My views originate from my experiences and at times are contrarian to what's being recommended by the usual tax preparer and other f...

When I talk about my definition of retirement, I think it sometimes catches people off guard.   In my mind, retirement is not who you are or where you're at in life, rather it is the transition of your time and money.    In other words, it is a process you go through … not your identity.   The transition for money is a transition from accumulating money to utilizing it.    For time, it is a transi...

We all have blinders about various things in our life that leave us blind to things we do not know or understand. What is a blinder?  Well, it could be a bias about something, it could be a protection mechanism to ignore something, it could be immaturity about something or it could simply be ignorance of not knowing any better.  In fact, what I have found is that for most people who are experienci...

00:00 – Opening 1:03 – Joe's Story 11:10 – How The Dominos Fall 12:28 – Brian's Final Thoughts On this episode, Brian shares a story about Joe and his mental tug of war about how to best utilize his cash assets… Pay off a mortgage? Keep the cash in the bank? Build Wealth? Listen to the podcast to hear the full story and Brian's thoughts about the situation. "Every financial decision you make – big...

The truth is that we all, as human beings, carry around this proverbial backpack of beliefs and emotions, and we carry it everywhere we go. And when we show up somewhere that's in a relationship and a conversation having to make a decision, we unpack the backpack. There's no hiding the backpack. It's with us all the time. It is full of of a lot of good things, but mixed in with it our limited beli...

You hear me reference and emphasis the importance of having a financial plan in nearly every topic we cover and estate planning is an area of that plan discussed in todays podcast. In this episode of The Common Sense Financial Podcast, I have a conversation with Jessie Naeger of the Law Office of Andrew Weinhaus about estate planning and other important consideration for protecting your estate. Je...

Traditional public markets have been historically viewed as normal when it comes to investing but over the last decade we have seen a shift in this attitude toward finding alternatives to the stock market. Though we have been seeing a shift in investor behavior and attitude about markets for quite some time, COVID has brought a sense of urgency to the conversation for finding an alternative to tra...

I am sure you would agree that if you talk with ten people regarding any subject, you're liable to get ten differing opinions from those people. Opinions are everywhere and I believe they are the #1 reason most people live their entire lives thinking a lot of things are true when they are actually false. I became a Christian in November of 1998, I was operating my financial business and raising ki...

CSFP 033 | The #1 Thing That Successful Investors Are Doing That Average Investors Aren't by Brian Skrobonja: Author, Financial Advisor, Entrepreneur

One thing I have learned over the last six months during a time of growing markets and economy to a sudden shift of social distancing and virtual workplaces due to the covid-19 pandemic, is that people are motivated by two emotions, Fear and Greed. I know reading this can almost seem insensitive or downright offensive but it's the truth. Think about it... As a parent, business owner, friend, emplo...

"The Truth Will Set You Free!" This is a phrase we have all heard and it originated in the New Testament in John 8:32, when Jesus said to the new believers, "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Whether you are trying to figure out the destination of your soul and the meaning of life or simply trying to figure out how to be smart with money and build real wealth, you have to...

The most wealthy and financially independent people I know realize something that most people don't. They realize that wealth…true financial independence… is not found in the amount of money that you have. That is what most people believe… they think that if they have a lot of money saved that they will have this sense of independence. And there is some truth to that…accumulating a lot of money is...

Pensions are becoming more and more of a dinosaur as companies are moving away from them and are replacing them with 401k type plans. There are multitudes of reason why this shift is occurring but the primary reason is due to the simple fact that pensions are unsustainable. Pension had their hay day in the 1960s but began to fail opening the door for the government to enter the picture. The truth...

The goal of every business owner is to increase and expand income sources and grow profits while minimizing what is needed to generate the income. To grow your income, you can do more of what it is that you do that creates revenue or find ways to tweak your systems that will result in an increase in cash flow without the need to create more revenue. Know and understand your cash flow needs. Pluggi...

Money is a HUGE part of our life yet schools don't spend time teaching us how to manage it and most families don't share their experiences with one another. Without guidance and learning best practices to achieve success, we are set up for FAILURE before we even begin our relationship with money. It seems reasonable to believe that it would be a good idea to acquire some training on how to effecti...

It's interesting to me how little people really know about life insurance. Most people when they think of life insurance they think about its use to protect families, pensions, liabilities and business. But there are other uses such as banking, retirement, tax reduction, long term care and portfolio diversification that is not often considered when thinking about life insurance. I think one of the...

The older I get the more I realize the impact our mindset has on every aspect of our life including our finances. What you think about, what you believe and the way you go about making decisions and living life is a direct result of how we think. We all know that there is no shortage of information and opinions on the topic of money. Turn on the TV and you are inundated with commercials for produc...

CSFP 024 | The Family Office Model by Brian Skrobonja: Author, Financial Advisor, Entrepreneur