December has a way of squeezing us. Calendars fill up. Credit cards get a workout. Even family conversations can feel more pressured than usual. Which makes this an appropriate time to talk about something we don’t hear enough about in personal financial planning:...
Paul K. Fain, III, CFP®
Take Some Time Over the Holidays For a Thankful Financial Check-in
As we gather around the Thanksgiving table, we’ll give thanks for family, friends and maybe the last slice of pumpkin pie. But this year, there’s also reason to be grateful for what’s happening in our financial lives. Despite inflation worries, political noise and...
Human Nature Meets Legal Fine Print in Estate Planning
There’s nothing quite like death to bring out the living. Some families gather to tell stories, share hugs and maybe fight over Grandma’s pie plate. Others turn the reading of a will into a full-contact sport. Estate planning, done right, is an act of love and...
Despite the Headlines, Be a Globetrotting Investor
Sometimes it feels like the world’s gone crazy. Wars, trade disputes, political turmoil, assassinations and other headlines that make your stomach churn. It is enough to make any investor want to curl up in a fetal position and just keep their money close to home. I...
Driven to Speculate: My Uber Encounter
I figured it would happen sooner or later. I met a day-trading taxi driver. In the 20-minute drive from the doctor’s office to my home, I basically got a rolling TED Talk on options trading, Fibonacci retracements and a mysterious expat living on a sailboat in Baja...
Financial Advice for My Newly Married Son and My Other Children
Our legacies are so much more than money. One of my sons recently got married. It was a beautiful event, and it got me reflecting on my own experiences when I was in my thirties. At that age, as a young husband, father and budding financial planner, did I make good...
Real Financial Planning Means Figuring Out What Matters Most To You
The true purpose of a financial plan is not about amassing wealth for its own sake. It is about building a life that aligns your money with your values, goals and sense of purpose. That — not purchasing a particular investment, or an annuity or additional life...
The Psychology of ‘Enough’: Redefine Success Through Your Own Values
For many of us, the question “How much is enough?” is less about math and more about mindset. From the outside, it might look like someone has “made it” – a strong income, a beautiful home, a growing investment portfolio. But inside, that same person may still feel...
Turn Market Lemons Into Lemonade
It was one of my father’s favorite adages: “Turn a lemon into lemonade.” When markets turn sour, most investors feel the sting. But here is a perspective shift: Downturns do not have to be disasters – they can be opportunities in disguise. There are several ways to...
Don’t Let Fear and Uncertainty Cause You To Make Poor Financial Decisions
In personal financial planning, fear is not your friend. Anxiety and worry cloud our judgment and compel us to make poor decisions. If a world of worry is the new status quo, what is the road less traveled? Identify your fears, accept the worries beyond your control,...