It’s hard to believe, but my wife, Katie, and I have been together for more than 20 years (16 as a married couple). We’ve done a lot of life in those two decades. We’ve gone through our share of ups and downs; we’ve purchased a home; sold a home; bought a new car; changed careers; had three children. If we … Read More

There is hardly a financial tip list out there that doesn’t start and end with: “Build a budget.” But getting started can be intimidating! So, let’s see if in the next few paragraphs, we can break the stigma of complexity and simplify this budgeting process a bit. I might argue that one of the biggest mistakes first-time budgeters make is … Read More

We often talk about financial security in these columns in terms of savings and investments, but today I wanted to talk about an equally important kind of safety: avoiding financial scams. When so much business and commerce is done remotely, identifying scams can be difficult. After all, you can’t exactly look your online merchant in the eyes and know they’re … Read More

Have you started saving for retirement? If you are over 60 and reading this, the answer is probably yes (or at the very least, you’ve considered it). If you are over 40, the answer might be closer to maybe. But if you’re under 40, chances are your focus has been on buying a home, raising your family, and not yet … Read More

According to a national survey only about 20 percent of adults have participated in any form of formal financial education. It’s not surprising then that less than half of working men and women demonstrated basic financial wellness skills in a different study. That’s why every April we celebrate Financial Wellness Month to increase awareness of the need for financial education, … Read More