Meet Brian Kelly, Money Coach

November 23, 2015

I recently had the chance to sit down with Brian Kelly, CFP®, an expert “money coach” and one of our more recent additions to the financial planner team and the Think Tank at Financial Finesse. I asked him a series of questions designed to find out more about how he became interested in joining our group of financial planning professionals who are committed to providing unbiased financial guidance to employees in the workforce. Here is a summary of our discussion with some unique insights about how an experienced financial planner uses an unbiased perspective to help others learn how to take control of their financial future: Continue reading “Meet Brian Kelly, Money Coach”

Why I Came To Financial Finesse

October 02, 2015

As a financial planner at Financial Finesse, I do a lot more than just financial planning. I write blog posts here, contribute to Forbes, participate in our Think Tank, am involved in recruiting and interviewing, and lots of other things. Our plates are always full. Continue reading “Why I Came To Financial Finesse”

Unbiased Financial Guidance: Q&A With Kelley Long

June 22, 2015

I consider it a privilege to be a part of such an amazing team here at Financial Finesse.It has now officially been four years since I made the decision to leave my financial planning practice to join the financial wellness movement and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. I’m also pretty stoked to always have a group of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals available to provide me with a second opinion on my own financial decisions or to just help me validate that I am on the right path with my personal financial life plan. Continue reading “Unbiased Financial Guidance: Q&A With Kelley Long”

What Does “Financial Wellness” Mean To You?

September 22, 2014

Last week, we kicked off “Ask A Planner Week” at Financial Finesse. This was designed to allow our social media fans and followers an opportunity to ask us questions so that our team of CFP® professionals can provide an unbiased answer. This initiative is being led by Erik Carter, JD, CFP® and you can check out Erik’s response to the first question “When Should You Sell Your Mutual Fund?” by clicking here to see his Thursday blog submission. We have already received many additional questions that are excellent and this is an ongoing initiative. So we encourage others to keep the questions coming in to Facebook and Twitter. Continue reading “What Does “Financial Wellness” Mean To You?”

A Draining But Fulfilling Choice

October 04, 2013

One of the things that I’ve lived through over the better part of the last decade is going through a relatively ugly divorce and beginning to rebuild my financial and personal lives while being a semi-workaholic.  This point was brought into view very clearly recently in a conversation with a woman that I have started dating. I work a lot!  So does she.  And, I have the added element of traveling a lot for work.  Somehow, we’ve started referring to my travel as being “out to sea.” Continue reading “A Draining But Fulfilling Choice”

Why I Love What I Do

April 05, 2013

We usually discuss what to do with your money but not how you earned most of it in the first place. Without trying to sound too much like I’m sucking up to my boss…I’m one of the few people I know who really love what they do for a living. I’ve met a lot of people who hate their jobs but “have to” stay for financial reasons, benefits, or something else.  I’ve met people who like their jobs but aren’t all that enthusiastic about it. And, occasionally I’ll meet someone who feels like they are doing what they were put on Earth to do.  When that happens, I feel like I’ve met a kindred spirit.  Why do I enjoy what I do so much? Continue reading “Why I Love What I Do”

When Should I Consider Having a Trust?

January 11, 2012

At Financial Finesse, we are often asked this very basic question.  It seems simple enough.  A trust, by its purest definition, is a form of ownership.  You can own assets in your name alone, you can own assets with someone else (e.g. jointly), you can own assets by contract (e.g. a life insurance policy), or you can own assets in a trust.  There are several benefits to having assets held in trust.  For example, when you have a trust, you can control who receives trust assets, when they receive these assets, and what these assets may be used for.  Consider the following example:

When I was a child, my father was killed in a car accident.  Prior to his death, he provided instructions in his will that basically said if anything ever happened to him, money should be set aside in a trust until each of my two brothers and I turned 18, after which the money would be used to pay for college. Continue reading “When Should I Consider Having a Trust?”

Helping Employees Cope with Medical Bills

January 10, 2012

Flying home last week from the wintry northwest, I heard lots of sneezing and sniffles from my fellow travelers.  Although we’ve been lucky to have such a mild winter so far, cold January weather usually brings with it the onslaught of cold and flu season.  In a typical year, 5 to 20% of the population in the U.S. will get the flu, according to www.flufacts.com , and some of your employees may end up with flu complications that may require a trip to the doctor or even hospitalization. Continue reading “Helping Employees Cope with Medical Bills”

What Fantasy Football Can Teach Us About Investing

December 14, 2011

I fielded my first fantasy football team back in the late 90’s, and what I enjoyed most about it was that it gave me an excuse to watch games I would otherwise care less about.  (I mean after all, unless you live in St. Louis or Cleveland, why would anyone have a reason to watch a Rams versus Browns football game?)  This year I decided to introduce fantasy football to the staff at Financial Finesse.  Those of us that had played before had to convince some of the “rookies” that experience wasn’t necessary (hey, every league needs a patsy) and that they would have fun regardless of the outcome.  The truth is, it has been fun, but more important than the bragging rights are the lessons it can teach us about investing. Continue reading “What Fantasy Football Can Teach Us About Investing”

The Impact of Financial Stress on Job Productivity

December 06, 2011

Stress is a part of life and isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing.  Personally, I prefer less stress.  But, in small doses stress can help us perform better under pressure and provide the necessary motivation to perform important tasks at home and at work.  As a busy financial planner with countless deadlines, assignments, travel requirements, and client service related demands, my work-life balance is always a challenge.  Thankfully, I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to help others improve their relationship with money and admit that I do indeed enjoy the sometimes chaotic life of multitasking.  Continue reading “The Impact of Financial Stress on Job Productivity”

Roll Call: 24th Annual Benefits Forum and Expo 9/25 to 9/27

September 20, 2011

Employee Benefit News’ Benefits Forum and Expo is the largest event in the nation solely dedicated to employee benefits, so are you planning on attending?  If so, you’ll be among many senior benefits professionals who will be traveling to Dallas, TX next week.  I won’t be there myself, but make sure to look for the Financial Wellness at Work track on the conference agenda, which kicks off the day on Sunday, September 25th. Continue reading “Roll Call: 24th Annual Benefits Forum and Expo 9/25 to 9/27”

How to Optimize and Simplify Your Daily Finances

September 08, 2011

In my last few blog posts, I wrote about how  we can manage our spending to save enough to reach our financial goals.  Ideally, you’d pay yourself first by having your savings set aside before you can even spend the money.  If you have retirement plan contributions deducted from your paycheck, you’re already doing this.  But you can do the same thing with your other savings too.  At Financial Finesse, we have the option to have a percentage of our paycheck diverted into a separate bank account.  See if your company offers something similar, or have the savings transferred automatically from your checking account. Continue reading “How to Optimize and Simplify Your Daily Finances”

A Second Chance

June 30, 2011

You might be wondering who I am and what happened to Bruce. Well, Financial Finesse originally had a contest to determine which planners would write for our blog. Bruce didn’t really want to write (if you’ve ever seen him speak you’d know that’s his natural domain) but submitted an entry anyway. I actually wanted to write…but too much. My blog samples were way too long. So yes, I lost to a guy who didn’t even want to win.

However, I decided to come back and try again (which obviously worked since you’re reading this). Why? For the same reason that I wrote too much the first time. You see, financial planning is more than a just career for me. It’s a life-long passion.

Continue reading “A Second Chance”

What HR Can Learn From American Idol: A Personal Account of the Most Brutal (and Effective) Interview Process I Ever Went Through

March 01, 2011

The other day, after a series of workshops on retiree health care for one of our clients, I decided I needed to unwind.  It was time to rid my mind of HR issues completely, and enjoy some mindless entertainment.  So, I’m in the hotel room flipping through the channels, when I come across the latest season of American Idol.  The perfect way to unwind and get out of my own head!  Or so I thought.  It worked for about 10 minutes, then out of nowhere, it hit me: Continue reading “What HR Can Learn From American Idol: A Personal Account of the Most Brutal (and Effective) Interview Process I Ever Went Through”