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 […]

Charitable Giving & Taxes- What you need to know

Around Thanksgiving and the calendar (and tax year) end is when commercials and requests for donations tend to really pick up. Most people I talk to wish that they could give more financially to the causes they love but given the high cost of living and high taxes most people feel they cannot afford it. […]

The Diligent Squirrels

It’s been seven years since I first met the Squirrel family, who live in San Francisco, have three children, aspirations of the best education for those children and a strong desire to be homeowners. With all of these goals, they seem to make the improbable possible. A family needs to make more than $250,000 per […]

Cost of Taking Care of You

The sky could be the limit when it comes to spending money on self-care, but as a busy parent, it is hard to find the time and sometimes hard to justify the expense. Adulting is physically exhausting. With grandparents no longer living down the street to help with the kids, most parents are “on” all […]

Keeping up with the Joneses and Social Spending

“Keeping up with the Joneses” refers to benchmarking oneself vis-à-vis your neighbors or social circle when it comes to material goods or social class. This idiom dates back to a comic strip that started in 1913 and ran all the way to 1940. While social climbing and keeping up with your neighbors is mostly seen […]

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 […]

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. […]

Setting Your Sweat Budget

How much should you spend on health and fitness?  The answer to this question depends on you, your financial resources and how important spending in this category is for your happiness. For me, doing healthy activities is a priority and this goes a long way helping me achieve balance and happiness in my life. As […]

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too- Freelance!

Do you want to work from home? Do you want more flexible work hours? Do you need to make some extra money to afford your desired lifestyle? Maybe it is time to join the Freelance Economy. In almost every industry, freelancing has become popular for professionals looking to take more control over their hours and […]