What Should I Do with My Money?
What should I do with my money? This is one of the most common questions that clients have when they come into financial planning work. And, for better or worse, it’s a question I really can’t answer for them! Lurking beneath this question is another, more central one: Am I doing the wrong thing with […]
How to Think About Debt: Is it Good or Bad?
Debt is a loaded topic in financial planning. When is it good or bad, and what’s the best way to approach it? There are two main things to consider: What’s “financially optimal” and what feels right given your own unique circumstances. Not all debt is created equal. Clearly, high-interest credit card debt is “bad” and […]
Can You Stay Calm and Carry On? Here’s What Happens When Interest Rates Rise
In the past 10 to 12 years, we’ve seen two major crises: a global pandemic and a financial crisis. Both have brought about extraordinarily low interest rates as a policy response. But as we’ve moved through each of these events, we also start to wonder if higher interest rates lurk around the corner. You may […]
How to Save for Retirement When You’re Self Employed
If you’re self-employed or a small business owner, you know that saving for retirement is just one of the many things you have to figure out on your own. Saving for retirement when you’re self-employed is a challenge. Not only do you have to research and employ the strategy that best suits you, but you […]
Why Should You Save Money?
Saving money is one of the most fundamental parts of building a successful financial life. It’s drilled into us as something we “should” do. We are often bombarded by the tips and tricks and rules of how to save and how much to save. But an important question gets lost among the noise: why should you […]
Make Saving for Vacation (and Rest) Part of Your Planning!
I want to shout it from the rooftops: I just got back from vacation! Even as someone who loves to travel, taking a vacation feels like a major accomplishment. And as someone whose money script is a little (ok, a lot) more on the vigilant side, successfully saving for vacation feels even more important. I […]
Should I Sell My RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)?
Restricted Stock Units (aka RSUs) are a common form of supplemental compensation for employees of public companies. If you’re granted RSUs, you get to essentially own company shares without putting any money down (unlike when you are exercising stock options). So, when is the best time to sell your RSUs? If your company is public, […]
What is a Money Script? And What are Yours?
You would think that, as a financial planner, I would know my own money script. After all, money is what I think about almost all of the time! But, maybe not surprisingly, I didn’t know what I thought I knew about myself and money until I took a course on money scripts. As I’ve reflected […]
The Values We Live By
Four years ago this month was when TBF officially launched it’s work as a financial planning firm. In four short (or perhaps long— depending on which day you ask!) years, our firm has grown to care for over 50 households and more than 80 individuals. I could not be more proud of the opportunity to […]
What Speculation vs. Investing Has to Do With Tulips
It’s hard to imagine that just a year ago, we were in some of the darkest days in a generation, unclear about what the direction of our health and wealth would be because of the pandemic. Fast forward a year later and the stock market is hitting record highs, a bitcoin is worth more than […]