Decisions

Why you may want to ignore the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals

The creator of the “4% rule” for safe retirement portfolio withdrawals doesn’t even believe in 4% anymore. That’s good news, as the actual safer percentage appears to be higher. So you’ve spent decades of your life building up a sizable … Read MoreRead More

Don’t stop, no matter how (painfully) long it takes

In light of the 2020 election, it’s worth remembering that some dreams take years to come true. Or even decades. History says, Don’t hopeOn this side of the grave,But then, once in a lifetimeThe longed-for tidal waveOf justice can rise … Read MoreRead More

Why a new fee on mortgage refinancing shouldn’t affect you

Refinancing a mortgage is getting pricier due to the Adverse Market Refinance Fee, but refinancing doesn’t offer the benefits you think. There’s a new fee in town. The Federal Housing Finance Agency has instituted a 0.5% fee on refinancing of … Read MoreRead More

How to pay off a $10,000 debt

Paying off debt requires drive, focus, patience, and accountability. In this post I show how you can pay off a large debt. In a recent YouTube video, I talked about a hypothetical $10,000 debt. Now, for many people, this sort … Read MoreRead More

Should you let your partner handle your money for you?

When you share finances with a partner, you can outsource the budgeting to the one who is most interested, but there are good reasons not to. After doing this for many years, I’ve learned a surprising fact: not everyone is … Read MoreRead More

How to take advantage of a student loan payment freeze

During the student loan payment and interest freeze, if you are able to make payments now, you’ll have a much greater impact on your loans. A lot of the benefits that were passed to ease the crisis for people dealing … Read MoreRead More

Freed from the golden handcuffs: the surprising joy of being laid-off

Anyone can feel like they have golden handcuffs even if they don’t make a lot of money. But breaking free can give you surprising relief. There is a lot to be unhappy about right now. Rampant injustice, an economy that … Read MoreRead More

Where you can find me on social media (and why)

An update on my social media channels, including reasoning for why I’m on (or not on) certain sites. A few years back, I talked about what social media I was using (and, more to the point, not using). It’s a … Read MoreRead More

If you’re thinking about taking an early withdrawal from your 401(k)

New legislation eliminates penalties for some early withdrawals from your 401(k). However, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. UPDATE: This legislation has expired as of the end of 2020. Penalties will apply again for early 401k withdrawals. These … Read MoreRead More

The affiliate trap: How professionals can lose both trust and income

Amazon just severely changed its commission rate, showing how easy it is to lose not only trust with affiliate marketing, but also income. There are many ways that flout conventional wisdom in building my financial coaching business. For one thing, … Read MoreRead More