Bob claims he wants a second home on a lake where he can build memories with his kids. He’s asking, “How do I accomplish my goal?” To be fair, Bob’s “goal” is really more of a daydream at this point. Nothing wrong with that. Daydreams are harmless fun. They CAN lead to goals; usually, however, […]

Last week we met Ron and Sharon, the couple who started a little side hustle, watched it boom into a profitable business, and then lamented how this “blessing” of a company had completely overtaken their lives.  I described three stages many business owners go through. I argued that the essence of contented simplicity is saying […]

Ron and Sharon started a little side hustle…that unexpectedly morphed into a booming business. Initially, all those happy customers—and that sizable bump in income—were thrilling. But in time, their growing enterprise became a 24/7 obsession. Says Sharon, “At first, it was fun telling people, ‘We’re business owners!’ Now it’s more like ‘Ugh! This business owns […]

There’s an old maxim that “Two can live as cheaply as one.” Is that true? Or is it what people used to call “an old wives’ tale”? Consider… In 2006, in a State of Our Unions report from the Institute on Marriage at Rutgers University, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead declared, “Marriage is a wealth generating institution.”  […]

It’s the time of year that people approach me for help in shoring up their finances. One of the questions they inevitably ask is, “What kind of rewards card do you recommend?” I always tell them the best rewards card I’ve ever seen is the one with the name of a wise financial planner on […]

Something about the week between December 25 and January 1 makes us reflective.  It may have to do with the fact that we’re exhausted from too many Christmas festivities. We just want to pause and regroup. Or it could be a function of the fact that many of us have the luxury of time off […]