By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Time for Some Fall Cleaning
Fall is officially here and it’s time to clean! I know we usually think about cleaning as a chance to freshen things up when Spring arrives, but Fall is a perfect time for financial cleaning. Let’s make some progress with a few of these financial cleaning moves:
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
As the seasons change it is important to maintain a forward focus, despite the increasingly hectic routines of family and work calendars. In many respects the multiple activities piled onto our calendars are a good metaphor for the rapid changes we see in the stock market. That same type of change has been experienced in the investment world over the past couple of months. Please find attached an article from our partners at BAM Advisors with additional perspective on the recent stock market volatility, along with details on how the past 6-8 weeks compares to prior time periods.
This commentary originally appeared on September 26 on thebamalliance.com.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Carl Richards, Director of Investor Education for the BAM Alliance, posted an article in The New York Times asking people to consider how they value their time and attention. Our attention might be the most valuable asset we have. If you were asked to spend money each time you went on social media or watched t.v., would you still do it? If you paid for your attention, would you spend your time differently?
This commentary originally appeared on August 3 on NYTimes.com.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Summer is a great time to connect with friends and family. It presents so many wonderful opportunities to share a meal, attend family gatherings or simply relax with friends that sometimes it seems like the season can just fly right by. One idea to capitalize on these important moments of personal connection is to have a conversation about estate planning.
Although estate planning might not sound like your top priority for these get-togethers, they can be the perfect opportunity to ask others to play key roles in your estate plan, as well as to share some of your current estate-planning goals. As you make your summer plans, here are some important estate-planning elements to consider.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Carl Richards, Director of Investor Education for the BAM Alliance, posted an article in the New York Times about the importance of not gambling with money you need for your short-term goals. We want to make sure our clients have enough cash set aside to cover them for the next 2-3 years, even if it means giving up potential investment return. This approach is even more important when our clients start living off of their investment portfolio or have plans for significant near-term expenses. When it comes to your short-term goals, return of your money is more important than return on your money.
This commentary originally appeared on May 26 on NYTimes.com.
