Blog

Time to plan for the unthinkable

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on April 6, 2020 | Featured

Now that we’ve seen firsthand how the unthinkable can happen, we need to prepare for other situations that can (and probably will) happen. By now, we’ve all been dealing with “the unthinkable” for many weeks now. “Nobody” thought this could … Read More … Read More

Tags: disaster, planning, preparation, preparedness

Why you want to keep a list of how you pay bills

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 30, 2020 | Featured

Keeping a list of payment sources, what you use to pay bills, will eliminate any payment issues when you inevitably have to update your info. I find that a good deal of people’s money anxiety can be traced to feeling … Read More … Read More

Tags: ACH, payments, sources

Why I’m going for my AFC® certification

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 23, 2020 | Featured

I started the process of becoming an Accredited Financial Counselor®, to gain more skills and for people who prefer want to work with certified professionals. Years ago, I wrote a post called, “Do you need to be certified in order … Read More … Read More

Tags: AFC, certification, CFP

The uncommon color of the swan

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 16, 2020 | Featured

I don’t how to talk about the current health crisis better than anyone else, but I still want to acknowledge the reality we’re living in. I don’t know if you know this, but black swans do in fact exist. Unfortunately, … Read More … Read More

Tags: black swan, crisis, health

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 4): How to withdraw an excess contribution at Vanguard

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 9, 2020 | Featured

After having decided to remove my Roth IRA excess contribution, I went through the process at Vanguard for making it happen. More posts in this series: The Roth IRA danger zone (part 1): What to do when you almost make … Read More … Read More

Tags: Roth IRA, Vanguard

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 3): How I resolved an excess contribution

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on March 2, 2020 | Featured

With a number of different ways to resolve this problematic situation, here is how I dealt with an excess contribution to a Roth IRA. More posts in this series: The Roth IRA danger zone (part 1): What to do when … Read More … Read More

Tags: contributions, excess contribution, retirement, Roth IRA, Vanguard

The known unknown: On preparation and getting laid-off

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 24, 2020 | Featured

How financial preparation can lessen your anxiety when getting laid-off, and give you more choices and freedom to find your next path. Last year, I wrote about job loss, specifically the loss of a paycheck. I was tempted to call … Read More … Read More

Tags: job loss, laid off, new beginnings, preparation, transitions

What does the data say? Reading The National Study of Millionaires

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 17, 2020 | Featured

I review the National Study of Millionaires, the largest study of millionaires ever undertaken, by Chris Hogan and the Dave Ramsey team. Not too long ago, I reviewed the book “Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth—and How You … Read More … Read More

Tags: Chris Hogan, Dave Ramsey, millionaire, millionaires, wealth

How to create buckets in an Ally savings account

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 10, 2020 | Featured

Ally has just added the ability to create Buckets, flexible sub-accounts that allow you to save for particular goals. Here’s how to use them. I guess you could say that I’m a pretty big fan of Ally. Maybe it’s that … Read More … Read More

Tags: Ally, buckets, savings, savings accounts, Slowdive

Don’t let money be your excuse

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 3, 2020 | Featured

Not having money can make things more difficult, but you can modify your goals to be more achievable, once you know what your excuses are. I’ve long wondered whether you don’t really like to travel as much as you say … Read More … Read More

Tags: excuses, travel

Blog

Time to plan for the unthinkable

Why you want to keep a list of how you pay bills

Why I’m going for my AFC® certification

The uncommon color of the swan

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 4): How to withdraw an excess contribution at Vanguard

The Roth IRA danger zone (part 3): How I resolved an excess contribution

The known unknown: On preparation and getting laid-off

What does the data say? Reading The National Study of Millionaires

How to create buckets in an Ally savings account

Don’t let money be your excuse

Empathic Finance - Mike Pumphrey, AFC®

Helping therapists and other helping professionals thrive with money and eliminate financial anxiety forever.

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