It is understandable if you are feeling nervous, as these things often happen quickly and without warning.  But as I said in my discussions with many of you, we have been waiting for events like this to happen for some time.

Many people set aside time before January 1st to make promises to themselves to do better in one or more areas of their lives. However, statistics show that only 9.2 percent of people ever achieve their New Year’s resolutions. Here are the steps that I use in my goal setting process.

As we head into the uncertainty that is 2019, here are some things you can still do this year to make sure you are prepared financially for the year to come.

Earlier this year, I wrote how the TCJA passed by Congress last December would be a vexing problem for tax planning issues. It seems as if concerns about higher tax burdens being faced by middle- to upper-middle-income families may be overblown.

Any financial plan must have an emergency fund in conjunction with long-term investment contributions. Without one, you may run into an issue that can have adverse effects on other elements of your plan.

Recently I was fortunate enough to give a workshop where the purpose was to get people thinking about some financial concepts and to get them talking and thinking about how they view money so they can improve their own situations.

The New York market provides a unique challenge when you are thinking about how to set yourself up financially.  Which should you put more focus on, saving for retirement or saving for a down payment?

Do you have a business with 5 or fewer people working in it?  Or maybe it's just you?  Have you thought that a 401k was too much to deal with, but you'd like to save more than you can in an IRA?  Want to still save on some 2017 taxes?  This post introduces you to a possible solution.  

With the new tax law, we talk about what we think you can expect and what you might be able to do now to prepare yourself.

In our final installment, what future uncertainties keep you from taking care of those financial issues you know you should be handling?

The Ghosts of Money Present.  How do you improve your financial decision making?

Your Money SCROOGED--Money's value are based on our emotions.  How do your emotions and past experiences affect your view of money and decision making?

It's great to save for your future or for a rainy day, but how much should you sacrifice your lifestyle for those aims?

It's great that you've been told to save and invest, but why are YOU doing it?

As you go through your career and make more money, what is it that you need to know about the great "R-word"?

In our first blog, I wrote a story about the parent of a child wondering whether a Kindergarten curriculum is likely to have greater success getting their child into Harvard or Dartmouth.  While the question was fairly ridiculous, in some ways it showed a thought process.  The parent has a goal and wants to take the necessary steps to attain that goal.  So while the parent has done things incorrectly in understanding the measures needed to attain that goal, what have they done right?

First, let me welcome you to our blog.  We will periodically write about topics of interest including investing and financial planning as well as other topics which may be on our minds like economics, education, and sports.