The Retirement Fix: Less Stress, More Success

The price of college keeps climbing. In fact, the cost of a bachelor degree at some of the most popular private universities now exceeds $300,000!  The average cost of college in 2021 came in at $27,330 for in-state public schools and $55,800 for private universities, as reported by the college board. That is for ONE year of tuition, fees, room and board.  But you don’t have to sacrifice your own...

Colleges are priced like airline tickets. Everybody pays a different price. But at least on airlines, you might get a more comfortable ride if you pay more.  Paying a lot more could get you a first-class seat. Paying a little more could get you an aisle seat near the front or a seat on the exit row with better legroom.  But if you pay a higher price for a college, you won’t get any extra perks for...

Fifty years ago, in 1972, the price of a gallon of gasoline was approx. $.36 per gallon.  When I filled up my gas tank the other day, I paid $4.25 per gallon.  That’s an increase in price of almost 1,100%.  Twenty-five years ago in 1997, a dozen eggs would have cost you $1.06.  Today, the average price for those same eggs cost $2.58 in New York.  That’s an increase of 143% over those 25 years.  In...

Do you struggle with the many different types of investment products available to the average consumer?  Have you ever felt that you needed to be a Wall Street veteran or have an MBA from Harvard to have a fighting chance of success with all of these different investments?  Well, you are certainly not alone.  The most common questions that I have consistently received over time revolve around the...

Do you struggle with the basic concepts of our country’s income tax system?  Do you cringe at the thought of filing your income taxes every year, hoping that you won’t be audited?  Ever wonder why your friends get large refunds every year while YOU have to pay?  Well, you’re not alone.  Millions of citizens are literally baffled each and every year by the progressive income tax system in the Unite...

Is there anyone you know that does NOT own a credit card?  Think about that for a moment.  Did you ever have a conversation with someone about general money matters and perhaps you were talking about a recent purchase of some interest?  And maybe then they replied with a purchase experience of their own, but mentioned that they either paid for the product or service with cash, check or they just p...

Nearly 2/3 of Americans rate money and work as significant sources of stress in their lives, according to the American Psychological Association. And because money is such a common source of stress, as well as a difficult or uncomfortable topic for many to discuss, we often tend to minimize the stress by avoiding consciously thinking of how we use money. (Just think about all of the cash-free form...

What we’ve found over the years is that when people go through the generational planning process, they experience two things: The first is great relief that it is done. The second is new excitement and renewed energy to focus on the non-financial aspects of generational planning. This is the reflective part. It’s not legal and it’s not business. It’s the part where we get to look back on our perso...

Have you ever thought about where you might be in the next 5, 15, 25 years?  I mean really thought about it….so much so that you actually carved time out of your busy day, put pencil to paper and recorded your thoughts in a notebook or journal.  And I don’t just mean where you might want to be physically, mentally or spiritually but, financially as well.  I’m guessing not too many people are raisi...

Two seconds… That’s how often someone becomes a victim of identity theft. Last year, there were more than 14 million victims of identity theft and fraud.  Are you one of those 14 million? Has your personal information been exposed in a data breach or hack? The statistics say, “Most likely.”  New threats are exposed every day. Even as we sit here now, a vast array of cyberattacks are pounding at th...

·         Am I at risk of a cyberattack? ·         What can I do NOW to save taxes next April? ·         Does it matter if I have assets in my name vs my child’s name for financial aid purposes?  ·         Is a Roth IRA a good idea?  What should I invest in?  ·         Should I be donating stocks and bonds instead of cash for my charitable contributions?  ·         Why should I contribute to my co...