I have become a personal finance junkie and proponent of do-it yourself (DIY) investing over the past few years. However, this was not always the case. My wife and I used a financial advisor for the first decade of our careers. In retrospect, we learned that we were paying far more than we realized. In […]
If you are planning on early retirement, one of your biggest concerns is probably how you will be able to survive in the retirement years before you turn 59 1/2. Like most people, the vast majority of your savings and investments are probably in tax-sheltered retirement plans. Of course, you will also have to pay […]
As parents, our number one goal is to raise our kids to be kind, compassionate human beings who can function in the world as independent adults. In the early years, we’re often focused heavily on those “kind and compassionate” terms. Our goal then is to teach kids not to hit, bite, or pitch fits. You […]
Maybe you are the person who eagerly devours benefit booklets and paperwork first thing when you get a new job. Or perhaps you’ve been at your office for 10+ years and you just realized that you should probably start saving for retirement. Regardless, at some point you are likely to be faced with the task […]
This review of Vanguard Personal Advisor services is based on my actual experiences. I migrated my spouse’s portfolio to Vanguard and considered using its advisor service to maintain that portfolio. The portfolio was held at a large, full service broker and was being charged an annual fee of 1.5% of assets under management. By comparison, […]
Are you expecting a year-end bonus this year? Or maybe you know Grandma always gives cash for Christmas? Either way, you’ve got better things to do with that extra money than just blowing it all. Any time you get extra cash, it’s important to think about how it could help you get closer to your […]