The Financial Mirror

In 2022, the stock market dropped roughly 20% in a single year. For some, this could begin to make them alter their retirement plan from just a year ago. The question that I have for those individuals is why? Why would the stock market pulling back in a single year alter your decision to retire if that was your plan? So many look at retirement as an age and may have never actually understood what...

Over the years I have worked with many clients on their personal finance journey. One thing that I can tell you is that almost all of them are “jacks of all trades” when it comes to what they focus on. What do I mean by this? They are trying to do everything, but end up doing nothing. Today, I want to re-wire your brain, I want to show you how you can become a millionaire through baby steps alone....

In times like now, with inflation running rampant and interest rates ticking higher, it could leave you tempted to make some “Money Moves”. One that I was asked by a potential client was “Should I tap into my retirement to pay off debt?”. If you are human, you may have even had similar thoughts in your life. Today I want to show you why this thought, while simple in nature, carries a huge conseque...

We have all heard the saying, the only thing guaranteed is to die and pay taxes. The other one I like to add is that we will all get to a point where “we want” to retire. Many don’t put much thought into their retirement plan, but with so many rules, that comes at a cost. In today’s episode, I want to cover one of those costs that you could be hit with and may not know exists. The good part is, th...

Attention, Attention, Attention, there has been a huge change that I want you to be aware of. This is a topic that some don’t look into or know exists but it can be greatly beneficial. If you have a child, a loved one that’s a child, or maybe having a child in the future, this is for you. Today I want to cover the 529 Plan, but we are going to be discussing it from a different approach than we hav...

New Years is not just the start of the new calendar year, but for many, it is a chance to feel like they can use the new start for real change. Every year, people set New Year’s resolutions where they will develop a goal of doing something different in their life as they ring on the first day of the new year. These goals range from starting something new or cutting something out: begin exercising,...

First and foremost, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. Like every Christmas, this time of the year brings bigger bellies and lighter pockets. No matter how hard we normally try to get ahead on holiday expenses, those costs seem to sneak up on us every year. If this was you, once again this year, I want to equip you with how to save Christmas next year by eliminating financial stress. Now, wha...

As we come to the end of 2022, you are probably feeling slightly excited about the new year. Most people look at the new year as a new start, the closing of one chapter and the opening of the next. This same goal applies to your personal finances, a new start. In today’s episode, I want to walk you through 3 steps that you can take to kick your 2023 finances off in the right direction. These are a...

As more and more car manufacturers are jumping into the electric vehicle (EV) market, you could be thinking about making that jump from an internal combustion (gas) engine to an EV. What I want to do today, is dig a little deeper than the very superficial statement “it will save you money”. While this could be true, I want to bring to light a few things that you could not have been told about or e...

Think about where you are right now with your retirement savings, what if you had just a little more? That would make you feel pretty good right? When you look up average retirement savings by age, you can see that there are so many people that just aren’t ready for retirement. This current path creates individuals that are overwhelmed with life at retirement age when they just don’t have enough s...

On this Thanksgiving weekend, I know that this can be a tough time for many when it comes to their finances. You have to travel to visit family, have huge festivities, and presents for Christmas, all of this can begin to make you question where you are in your financial journey. In today’s episode, I want to equip you with 3 ways that you can be thankful for your personal finances, no matter where...

There is insurance for everything, from when you buy your new phone, to your new car, your new house, your health, and even your pets. No matter where you turn, you are probably being offered an insurance policy on something and it can start to sound like white noise. What I want to talk to you about today is insurance that you need that you potentially haven’t even heard of. At the end of this ep...

No matter how secure you are with your personal information, you are bound to run into some type of scam that is looking to get your hard-earned cash. The good news is, no matter how hard people try, if you look for a couple of crucial things you can identify these before it gets out of hand. While many think that there is no way someone would come after them, this type of thinking leads to them l...

After all the talk and chatter, the midterm elections have arrived. Midterm elections have historically created defining moments of our past and this one looks to be no different. With everyone telling you so many things, I wanted to do something a little different on the stream today. I wanted to give you a new way to think about elections and how they directly impact your personal finances. Ther...

No matter who you are, there have been times in your life when you have just hoped that something would happen and that would make everything better. This is a consistent game we play with ourselves to make us feel better about our situation. What I want you to think about, is what about when that happens, how long is everything “actually better”? In most cases, this hope doesn’t last and you are...

In the midst of everything going on in this world, happiness is becoming harder and harder to maintain. Each day you wake up and you are diligently trying to choose to be happy, but that feat is only becoming more complex. Here at The Financial Mirror, we are constantly working on improving ourselves. Knowing that this is the goal I preach, I want to show you 5 steps you can take to start that imp...

Debt is not comfortable and it does not make for a life of organized personal finances. When you only have one debt account, it isn’t so bad, but what about when you have much more than that? This is where today’s topic comes into play, debt consolidation is becoming more and more popular as debt continues to grow in the economy. The good news is that there is a way out of debt for you and some ar...

We go through life and we constantly start sentences with “I wish I…” and fill in the end. This normally ends in things like I wish I was out of debt, I wish I could lose weight, or I wish I could get a new job. I am here to tell you that you are in control of making these changes happen. If nothing is being done, you are suffering from a major case of toleration. Today I want to show you how you...

Everywhere you look, what you enjoy has developed a new subscription for you to enjoy their content. Your favorite retail store, tv channel, music streaming, online website, or health and wellness gym, is just another subscription you are paying for. An article I found stated that most consumers underestimate how much they spend on these. Today I want to go over this single expense category and wh...

Another day has passed and another federal interest rate hike is in effect. If you think I sound like a broken record, it is because I am. Back in March, the Federal Government actually started making moves to get inflation under control that had been making the economy bleed for almost a year. These actions have created a problem for consumers as more and more are feeling the wrath of the change...

Today marks a special number episode for The Financial Mirror. This is the 100th episode and I couldn’t have continued the growth that I have seen if it wasn’t for all of the listeners and clients I have worked with over the years. Today, I have a special episode as I want to discuss something that has allowed me to help so many clients over the years. I am going to dive into Financial Coaching an...

We are constantly thinking about how to manage our money on a day-to-day basis. We consistently are looking for that next big investment, how to get out of debt, and how to save for kids' college. The crazy part is that in this rat race, we forget that we are not alive on this earth forever. When we pass there is so much that we leave behind that if only we could tell someone where it should go it...

This is a day that I have been dreading, doing an episode on student loan cancellation. This has been a talk for some time and today is the day I can say that I am finally putting my face in my hands in disbelief. I have kept my same views on student loan debt for years now and today I want to translate that for you so that you can see how I feel. Today I want to show you how student loan cancella...

When you first start gaining an understanding of money, you are told early on that you need to prepare for retirement. The problem with this is that no one ever really tells you how. Even worse, sometimes you get started saving for retirement one way, only to hear of a better way later on. At this point, you could feel like it is too late to make the change to one of these better options. Today I...

When I speak to most people about money, it is extremely common for them to ask me about investing, retirement, or whether are they on track financially. These are all great questions, but what it normally leads me to ask is “When do you plan on retiring?”. When asked, most don’t realize that there are options out there where they can actually use their retirement before the age of 59 ½. In today’...