Yellow Pad Blog

Retirement Stage 3 - Age 50 to the "Gold Watch"

Back to blogging after a short delay to move into our new offices! 

Retirement Savings Stage 2: 35 - 50 Years Old

Doesn’t it amaze you how fast life goes by?  Once you’re in this stage of pre-retirement, you’re likely zeroed in on your “career job” and starting to earn some significant money.  You’re also likely to be married and have a family (although retirement planning should take place regardless of your marital status or family situation).   Along with these exciting life stages, chances are that you are under as much debt as you ever will be, you’re busier than you can imag

Retirement - Stage 1: 18-35 Year Olds

I have 3 children, all of whom are in this category.  Their ages are 32, 30, and 22.  I’ve talked with a lot of their friends too – about life, kids, work, and yes, finances.  Here’s a common thread:

Retirement Wake-Up Call

As you might have noticed, there has been some time since I last posted.  This is a busy time of year for the business, and tax time issues have kept me from my schedule of new posts, but better late than never!  An article from CNBC online this morning was my trigger to get back to the keyboard.  It  stated that the median retirement savings for Americans between the ages of 40 and 49 is only $6200, so that’s a good reason to start a series of blog posts on the topic

One More Word About Emergency Funds...

OK, so I’ve spent the last several blog posts talking about emergency reserves.  Call it cash, a rainy day fund, or whatever you want, but I think at this point we can agree that it’s important.  I also know that the process of saving it isn’t easy.  We live in a consumer culture, with instant availability of just about everything with the literal click of a button.  It takes discipline and commitment to get to work on saving an emergency fund. 

Creating a Budget

A budget is an estimate of income and expenses for a set period of time. Creating a budget can help you get control of your finances and achieve important financial goals, including buying a car, saving for college, purchasing a home, and providing for a family. It can also be beneficial in meeting unexpected financial challenges, such as losing a job.

Instead of Digging Through the Couch Cushions…

Last time I wrote about the importance of having a cash emergency fund of 3-6 months of your income.  Let’s talk about some ways of raising those funds…

Cash is King. Well, Princely at Least

In the January 31st blog post, I outlined what comprises a basic financial plan.  Let’s start now with the first item – an emergency reserve (or what I call in the plan “Cash”).

So What is a Financial Plan Anyway?

Here is a quick teaser of what I call the “Yellow Pad Plan”.  I call it that because when I work with people to create a financial plan, I start with a blank yellow pad and a number of questions.  It’s a basic roadmap for keeping track of your financial situation.  It’s not fancy, but it is based on 25 years of experience working with families to build and maintain their financial goals and it covers the main items that other, much more elaborate (and much more expensive),

Welcome to Our Blog

January 15th