Financial Activism
News Flash: It is expensive to live in the Bay Area. For most families with young children, every dollar is needed to live the life you want to live. There are the basic needs, and then add on childcare, home improvement, taking a vacation, saving for retirement and maybe putting aside something for college. What’s […]
Optimize Your Employee Benefits
For a lot of working people, open enrollment is approaching (October through November). This usually means boring emails from your HR department and having to make a bunch of decisions to make that you may not be sure about. According to the Department of Labor, benefits through work account for 31.8% of the cost of […]
How to Teach Your Children that Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness
My son is seven years old and thinks it is super cool to pretend to “make it rain” with his hands and imitate stacks of money flying in the air. My first reaction is to cringe and wish he didn’t think it was cool. Sometimes I hear him say things like, “If I had a […]
YEAR OF THE EARTH DOG 2018- HOW TO MANAGE YOUR FINANCES
We have had two straight years of craziness with the year of the Monkey followed by the year of the Rooster. The Rooster symbolized the need to be heard, as well as egoism, despotism and belligerence. The impulsiveness and emotional instability of the Rooster meant that taking action without thinking won out! February 16, 2018, […]
What’s the point of Money?
One of my favorite financial planners recently wrote in the New York Times, “The point of money is to help make and keep you happy and fulfill the hopes and dreams that align with your own (often irrational and emotional) values.” To me, this statement is the very essence of financial planning. Personal financial planning […]
Top Five Money Lessons for Kids
In general, talking about money makes people tense. So, how can you talk to our children openly and effectively about money? Money is its own language, and as parents you have the opportunity to create a plan to educate your kids and make money skills a priority. To help you, here is a list of […]
The Best Laid Plans
One of my favorite movie quotes is “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball,” from the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. If you haven’t seen it, Youtube the quotation above and have a laugh. So, why am I quoting Dodgeball? Well, it’s personal and has a lot to do with […]
Financial Minimalism
Money can be complicated. It can cause stress, tensions in relationships, and disappointments. However, money can also help provide opportunity, a sense of security and happiness. It seems nearly impossible to focus on what matters most with all the distractions of modern day life. Short-term gratification has become the panacea to feeling over-worked and under-appreciated. […]
Kids Savings Account- Do they need one?
No, children do not need a savings account but most parents feel like they should open one up as soon as their child gets their first birthday or holiday check. Most of the time, these account balances hover around the same amount of money for years and the bank pays very little interest (like 0.01%). […]
True Costs of Education
If you have children, a huge driver of where you choose to live depends on where your little ones will go to school. If you live in San Francisco, you can roll the dice on public schools or join the arduous process of getting into private school. If you have moved out of the city […]
