college campus

Are College Admissions Stacked Against Us?

April 2, 2019

Going to college is a rite of passage for many Americans. For many young adults, it’s the first time they live away from their families and take responsibility for their lives. Due to years of above-average price inflation, college has gotten to the point of being unaffordable for many or at least a significant financial commitment. And now we’ve learned that the admissions process at many elite universities has been gamed by wealthy families, further exacerbating the inequality involved in getting a college education. 

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Money and Mindfulness

March 14, 2019

Mindfulness is all the rage in corporate America these days. It is estimated that almost 30% of Fortune 500 companies have a mindfulness program at work. The practice of mindfulness also has implications for your financial life. 

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What Death Can Teach Us About Living

February 8, 2019

I’ve recently attended a couple of events and read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande on the topic of death and dying. Morbid, I know. Interestingly the biggest take away from these events was that death can actually teach us a fair amount about living. However, before I share what death can teach you about living, here are some of the interesting things I learned about the end-of-life phase. Read more

Set Better Goals for YOU

January 5, 2019

If you are like the 44% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions in January, you might want to rethink how you develop your goals so that you are more likely to achieve them. I use a structured goal-setting process (licensed from Money Quotient) with my financial planning clients to help them live a more meaningful life. Some of the tenets might be useful to you as you set New Year’s resolutions. Read more

What to Do When the Going Gets Rough

November 1, 2018

October has been a tough month for stocks, with many indices down almost 10% in the past month and some of the high-flying tech stocks down 20%. With the recent activity in the stock market, it seems a prudent time to review some evidence-based tenets of wise investing. Read more

Tax Planning Under the New Tax Bill

October 4, 2018

One aspect of the new tax bill passed in late 2017, is a much higher standard deduction of $12,000 for singles and $24,000 for couples filing jointly. As a result of the higher standard deduction, it may no longer make sense for some people to itemize their deductions. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, it is estimated that the number of taxpayers who itemize will decline to 10% from 30% of all taxpayers. Read more

Make Sure You Are Financially Prepared for the Next Natural Disaster

September 14, 2018

The Fall is both peak fire season in the Western US and peak hurricane season in the Southeast. Furthermore, California is way overdue for a major earthquake. For all of these reasons, it seems now is a good time to make sure you are ready for a disaster. While there are many things to prepare for a potential disaster, my attention is focused on the critical financial items. Read more

Sustainable Investing: The GPS of Investing

August 8, 2018

With the rise of Big Data and increases in computing power, analyzing more data has become feasible in a variety of fields. It has impacted investing through the rising popularity of sustainable investing. Almost $9T is invested in sustainable investments in the US as of 12/31/16, up 33% in just two years. Read more

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Raising the Next Warren Buffett

July 2, 2018

As my kids have grown, I’ve tried to teach them important money concepts along the way. After all, the Council for Economic Education reported in its 2018 Survey of the States that only 16 states require any economics course work during K-12, and only seven states require students to take courses in personal finance. So, it’s up to us parents to fill the gap. Read more

Making Summer Really Count

June 9, 2018

If you’re like me, as summer break nears for my kids, I start to ponder how I can get the most out of the summer and make sure they learn something new or don’t slip too much academically during the break. Given my passion for financial literacy, I try to find ways to have them learn useful financial life skills. Here are some ideas I’m considering for this summer: Read more