Micro Financial Planning
I help my clients plan for the next 1-5 years. This was considered “short-term” planning in the world of personal finance. However, there is so much uncertainty in the world right now that planning for the future seems like an exercise in fantasy. Think back to a year ago… did you think 2020 would turn […]
Time to Refi?
Rates are at lows that I have never seen. The US weekly average rates were 2.71% for a 30 year fixed and 2.26% for a 15 year fixed for the week of 12/10/20. Over the last ten years, you can see on the chart below that these rates are rock bottom for fixed rate loans. […]
The Big Win- A Client Story
Christina and Tom are like many couples. They worked hard, built careers, had a baby, saved money and kept thinking about buying a house. Pre-Covid, they had already decided that they were pretty sure they wanted to move to the Boston area to be closer to family and be able to afford a nicer home. […]
Time to Sell?
My dad always tells me “Trees can’t grow to the sky.” But look at this picture. Despite a continued global pandemic, economic contraction and millions unemployed, the stock market keeps on going. Many of the companies for which my clients work has seen their equity values continue to increase since March 2020. Can this rise […]
Build Your Financial House
I have no idea where the phrase “getting your financial house in order” comes from. A quick Google search resulted in nothing useful. I guess the idiom makes sense since a house starts with blue print (plan) and is comprised of rooms that have purpose like a kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms (specific accounts or areas […]
When is Enough Enough?
In a culture of work and spend, there can be an endless search for more. However, research shows that money only affects emotional well-being or happiness up to an annual income of ∼$210,000 per family, or ~$275,000 when adjusted for the cost of living in the Bay Area. Too much money can actually have a negative […]
Magic of Money
I’ve noticed a trend in the last year that makes me think there is something magical happening. The trend is towards greater responsibility for one’s financial destiny. My newer clients aren’t playing the victim card of living in an expensive area. Instead, they are making decisions to lower spending and setting savings goals, which they […]
Money Club
I hate book clubs. I have tried a few over the years and find that either I’m the only one who reads the book, or we talk about the book for five minutes and spend the rest of the time drinking wine. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just isn’t for me. […]
THE COST OF COMMUTING
Unless you land a 100% virtual job, most people have some commute to work. If you live in a major metropolitan area, you can either live in the city and paying more for housing or move out of the city to hopefully save on the cost of housing and get some extra space. While urban […]
The Merkel Plan
Alia and Tim were like many of my clients: living in a major metropolitan city, earning a good living, bought a great house they wanted to fix up over time. They came to me for advice and to learn what it would take to scale back work in ten years and still be on track […]
