Married With Debt? How to Manage Your Money When the Honeymoon is Over

March 09, 2012

We just received the following question on our website:

“I’ve recently gotten married and both of us have entered into this marriage with our own debts. We are having a hard time, even with combined incomes, making ends meet. I would like to learn more about money management and what needs to be done to pay bills and still have enough money left for savings and cash reserves.” Continue reading “Married With Debt? How to Manage Your Money When the Honeymoon is Over”

Imagine Your Worst Case

February 17, 2012

Over the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to learn a whole lot more than I ever knew about some “behind the scenes” things that happen before a soldier gets deployed overseas.   My girlfriend works as part of a dental team that goes to military bases on weekends and performs dental work on a ridiculously large number of soldiers prior to their deployment.  On a normal day in a normal private practice, she may see 8-10 patients.  Continue reading “Imagine Your Worst Case”

If It Looks Too Good To Be True…

February 10, 2012

Have you ever seen one of the infomercials about a workout routine, a diet program, or a piece of exercise equipment and said to yourself “that just looks too good to be true”?  Well…so did this guy!  In a video that has become an internet sensation, Furious Pete shows how he made a remarkable physical transformation (you have to check out the video to see just how amazing the transformation is) and took both before and after photos in only 5 hours as proof. Proof?  Yep!  Proof that his transformation was not completely legitimate. Nor was it the product of hard work, diet, or exercise.  Continue reading “If It Looks Too Good To Be True…”

Using Your 401(k) in Retirement

February 09, 2012

We recently received this  question on the Ask a Question to a Financial Planner section of our blog:

“I have $35k in bank card debt+$30k in retail credit debt. Bank interest range 13/23%, retail 18/29%. I’m 63, and have $40k in a 401acct where I work. I want to retire this year with two company pensions ($1750/month) and early SS($2400/month, both wife and me). I need to get rid of some monthly payments of debt, where should I use my 401 money toward this goal. All my debt is unsecured, my home is paid off, health is good. I’m ready to go fishing.” Continue reading “Using Your 401(k) in Retirement”

Wine Tasting and Your 401(k)

July 29, 2011

Yesterday was a great day.  I spent the day with my girlfriend Julie, doing some wine-tasting along the Finger Lakes Wine Trail in upstate New York.  This area is known for wineries dotted along the lakes, where you can spend the day traveling along, checking out what each has to offer.  The wineries range from quaint and home-spun, to modern and spacious.  Continue reading “Wine Tasting and Your 401(k)”

GUEST BLOG POST: The 6 Reasons Why the 401(k) Is the Best Way to Save for Retirement

June 30, 2011

401(k)s have gotten some negative press due to the market downturn during the recession, which took a big toll financially on many employees. Even so, as someone who has dedicated my whole working life to retirement planning, specifically to the 401(k), I wanted to share six important points on why 401(k) are still a better vehicle for saving for retirement.

  1. The matching contribution. The vast majority of companies who sponsor 401(k) plans match your contribution into the plan. You can’t get that with any other savings vehicle. For example if you’re going to put money into an IRA nobody is going to come in and give you $0.50 for every dollar that you put into that IRA. Continue reading “GUEST BLOG POST: The 6 Reasons Why the 401(k) Is the Best Way to Save for Retirement”