The combination of high inflation, the Federal Reserve’s aggressive program of rate increases, and economic and geopolitical uncertainty has meant volatile markets and the vanishing of traditional sources of portfolio diversification. Progress has been made, but as this year unfolds, it brings additional challenges, including a potential recession. How will that affect financial plans and […]
Category: saving
How Do You Create Lasting Wealth?
For most people, steady, ongoing work is the foundation of their wealth. Career success and a good salary, or building and growing your own business, is the means to a lifestyle you enjoy now and the promise of a stable financial future. For others, an inheritance, a windfall from an investment or employee stock, selling […]
Financial Capability = Financial Independence
As you become successful in your career, buy a home, save, and invest, you’re building knowledge and capability. But are you gaining the ability to achieve your own goals? True financial capability is closely tied to financial independence; however, you define that. For many people, it relates to flexibility and making choices as an individual […]
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What Happens to Your Stock Options During a Job Transition
Employee stock options have increasingly become a piece of total compensation over the last few years, particularly for people employed in high-growth industries such as technology-related sectors. But what happens if a slowing growth picture results in your firm downsizing? With all the other things to worry about when your primary source of income goes […]
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Why should I keep money in an emergency savings fund?
Have you ever experienced an emergency where you needed to spend money that you hadn’t planned to spend? That’s where your emergency fund comes in! Depending on your goals, it is important to save and invest for the future, but also, you will want to keep some of your money in cash in case you […]
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Doing What You Enjoy While Managing Cash Flow and Investing
Saving money for your future doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the present and stop doing the things you love, like traveling! When saving into taxable investments and retirement accounts, we are often thinking about our future. Having money for retirement, when we probably will not have a steady or strong inflow of cash, is […]
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Small Changes, Big Impact for Managing Cash Flow in Today’s Economy
Over the last couple of years inflation has risen, increasing the cost of our day-to-day expenses. We can definitely feel the burden of spending on the same things, but having less money left over to save. This can cause worry as we feel uncertain about our financial plan and future. At Willow Planning Group, we […]
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Building a “Balanced” Portfolio
The first step in creating a balanced portfolio is to realize that the “balance” doesn’t refer to the investments contained in the portfolio – it refers to the goals, preferences, and risk tolerances of the investor. Investing is about increasing the return on your money over time to potentially higher levels than can be obtained […]
Educate your Kids to be Money-Smart
It’s not about how much money you have to pass on to your kids – it’s about education and conversation from a young age. We know that parents in their 30s and 40s lead busy lives. Just as it’s important to have money conversations with each other, teaching your children about money can help them […]
How to Find Balance in Your Spending
When it comes to finding balance in your spending, standard advice says that you need to make a budget. How successful is that? One survey found that 74% of consumers say they have a budget, yet 79% fail to follow it. So, how can we flip the script on this story? We break down how […]