Death and Tax Brackets
There are only three constants in life: Death, taxes, and folks having no idea what tax brackets really mean. Why do I say this? Because I regularly run into otherwise well educated people who think that because they are in…
The #1 predictor of investment performance is expense!
Those of us who plan on enjoying our “golden years” will save money for retirement. The majority will use mutual funds as our go-to investment. While people spend a lot of time looking at the return one mutual fund has…
Its not the “toast”!
I love avocado toast. There, I’ve said it! More specifically, there is a “toast trailer” in South Mountain that sells the most amazing avocado toast. When the trailer is out on 24thstreet – weekends from October to May – that’s…
Lifestyle Creep – The Enemy of Wealth
It’s no secret that today’s veterinary students are saddled with virtually insurmountable mountains of debt. Most will end up making income-based payments over 20-25 years, then pay the “tax bomb” and walk away. Yet there is another enemy of wealth…
The Alphabet Soup Of Financial Planner Certifications
When a client looks for a veterinarian, the educational qualifications are reasonably straightforward. For primary care, a client looks for a DVM (or VMD) and for specialty care there are a limited number of certifications all with rigorous training programs behind…
Budget Boot Camp
I few weeks ago I gave everyone a homework assignment. It’s simple assignment really- no algebra or physics – I just wanted you to download and configure any one of a number of budgeting / expense monitoring apps and then just spend…
Tired Of The Low Interest Rates Offered By Your Bank?
Where to keep liquid assets? There is no doubt, when it comes to saving for retirement including some mix of stock and bonds is essential. Nothing else will generate the type of returns needed to build a nest egg. But what about “emergency funds” and “home…
Income -Where Is As Important As How Much You Earn
As an educator at a school of veterinary medicine, it always fascinates me to hear what fourth year students have planned following graduation. For some, it’s easy. Maybe they plan on an internship – and then it’s where ever the…
The Importance of Expecting Unexpected Expense!
Recently, we examined how the first and most important step in budgeting was monitoring expenses. You really cannot start to budget your spending if you don’t know where your money is currently going. As we will see later, there are some…
Time To Review Those Pesky Subscriptions!
Its January and even in the valley of the sun, it’s cold outside. Ok – it’s like 50 degreases here, but that almost constitutes a state of emergency! So what better time to start a new January tradition – Subscription…