Finding Ways to Develop a Successful Retirement Plan Despite the Odds
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Monday, 13 September 2021
When it comes to retirement savings, women are at a disadvantage compared to their male counterparts. From the impact of the gender wage gap compounding over a lifetime, to caregiving responsibilities, divorce implications, and more, women often make and save less money than men. Yet, the data shows that they outlive men and are much more likely to end up widowed. When all that combines, the reality for many women is that their typically smaller savings for retirement must cover a longer timeframe.
Six Tips to Excel Personally and Professionally
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Monday, 30 August 2021
Over the past decade, more and more women have found a new and commanding role in the workforce: the entrepreneur. In fact, women-owned businesses account for 40 percent of all U.S. businesses, and they generate nearly $2 trillion a year in sales. While there has been a considerable shift in the numbers surrounding female entrepreneurship, which increased by 58 percent from 2007 to 2018, the social and domestic responsibilities traditionally placed on women haven’t changed much at all.
Female entrepreneurs face all the same challenges as their male counterparts - and more. In addition to being successful in business, they also shoulder the societal expectations placed on them as females, bearing the brunt of housework and childcare. What’s more, women also take on most of the invisible work or the mental workload that comes with managing the logistics of the family, including making appointments, organizing schedules, remembering birthdays, planning meals, maintaining ties with extended family members, and much more.
While the conversation around work-life balance unveils a host of gender inequality issues, the truth is women aren’t slowing down in the office or at home despite the unequal workload. The tips below offer options to take a step back and evaluate how best to approach the many roles in which female entrepreneurs find themselves to find some balance and peace of mind.
Making an Impact with Your Investments
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Monday, 16 August 2021
There’s a growing trend among those who are interested in making a positive impact on their portfolio – and the environment and society around them. To accomplish these dual goals, which were often considered to be at odds with each other in the past, many savvy investors are actively seeking Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) and Environmental, Social and Governance Criteria (ESG) investments when making investment decisions.
Over the past two decades, more individuals have been pursuing opportunities for socially responsible or mission-related investing, which was previously only available to large institutions. As concerns surrounding the environment, sustainability, and data privacy have grown, so has an interest in ESG investing.
Aligning your values and financial goals allows you to make investment gains and, because you are simultaneously supporting causes that are close to your heart, you’ll feel good about those investments in more ways than one. Below, we’ll discuss how you can build a portfolio with a purpose.
Cybersecurity Strategies You Can Implement Today
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Living in the digital age certainly has its benefits. Things like online banking, automatic bill payment, and mobile wallet apps on our smartphones add ease and convenience to our lives. They also make our personal finances more accessible to us. Of course, having so much of our personal information on the internet also opens us up to scammers who try to take advantage of online consumer financial data.
Below, we'll discuss ten cybersecurity measures you can take to help keep your financial and personal information safe and secure.
Impart Money Lessons and Values Early On to Give Wealthy Kids Greater Financial Understanding
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Monday, 05 July 2021
Do you remember the 2015 news coverage of a Texas teenager caught fleeing the country to avoid the consequences he was facing after violating probation? During his drunken driving trial, a psychologist coined the term “affluenza” to refer to the impact financial privilege can have on a child’s ability to understand the impact of his or her actions. While this notorious defense didn’t hold water in court, the concept of wealth as ill-gotten, rather than hard-earned, has become more mainstream.
While it may seem counterintuitive, being wealthy poses its own set of unique challenges when it comes to raising financially literate and responsible children. Parents who don’t need to worry about money tend to be more likely to forget the necessity of teaching their children how to properly manage their finances. This leaves some privileged kids at a significant disadvantage because they never learn the skills they will inevitably need later in life.
