Are you looking to craft your annual financial action plan? Use these steps to get you going:

• Set Goals

• Determine Your Roadblocks

• Schedule Time to Focus on Your Finances

• Determine Factors to Track Your Progress

• Pick Your Money Buddy

• Craft Your Celebration Plan

Do you have a goal to get financially organized for 2021? This VLOG is for you!

By: Kerrie Beene, CFP®

Happy New Year! With 2020 in the rearview mirror, we are hoping for a great 2021.

January is a great time to think about getting all of your financial paperwork organized. Organizing will create a calm space, save time in the long run, and help prepare for tax season. Below are 5 ways to help get your financial life in order.

By Kate Welker, CFP®

Can we all agree this year has just been weird? As we head into the end of the year and the holidays it is a natural time of reflection and a slower pace and I believe we all need to embrace that, especially this year. Our holiday celebrations look a little different than in the past. Many of our readers will not be able to see their family, may be struggling financially, or may just be overwhelmed with the changes we have seen. Along with all the craziness and negatives that the world is focused on, there have been positive opportunities this year! I want to encourage you to think back on the year and find the positive moments that might not have happened if we hadn’t been in a global pandemic. Regarding your finances I want you to look back at the year, and decide how you want to move forward.

Over the course of this year, many clients have expressed anxiety, feelings of being stressed out, and lost. So we reached out to a local therapist to get her two-cents on how to hire someone if you feel you need someone to talk to.

Guest Post by: Janice Vitale, LCSW-R

The holidays hold many different feelings for people. For some, the holidays have positive feelings associated with them. For others, the holidays are stressful, or they have complicated feelings including sadness, grief, or loneliness. Whether or not you are a fan of the holidays, they are likely going to be stressful this year due to the pandemic. There is a lot of grief and loneliness as people mourn traditions they aren’t able to participate in this year.

By Kate Welker, CFP®

It is again the back to school season. Preschool through college school will look different for students this year, but one thing is the same. The changing of the year, feeling of a fresh start, and thinking about the future year ahead. For older students we are discussing college plans and for those of you with young children you may be thinking about planning for your children's eventual college. With a growing student loan debt load in this country how to pay for college is a concern we like to address. I wanted to share some thoughts on a few unique ways to think about saving for education.

By: Ann Arceo, CFP®

As parents, we want what’s best for our kids and education is top of the list for many of us. Of course we had no way of knowing that this year would disrupt and change so many of our plans. From an economic downturn to school closures, 2020 is a year we won’t soon forget. As we’ve scrambled to adjust our family routine to make this school year work, it can be easy to put off planning for a future goal like college that’s years down the road.

If you can relate to that feeling, you’re not alone. A recent CNBC article highlighted a survey showing “16% of parents saving for college paused their contributions” while 13% reduced contributions and 17% planned to withdraw funds” because of financial concerns due to the pandemic. Worrying about your finances during this time is certainly understandable, but the one rule parents should keep in mind when saving for college or any major financial goal is that time is one of your biggest assets. By starting early, you’ll ultimately need to save less given that your money will have time to grow. So if you’ve started saving and stopped or even if you haven’t started saving at all, the 4 steps below can help you make a plan and get on track.

Summer's end is here and school is back in session! Is your family prepared? It is important to reflect on this unique summer and prepare both yourself, parents, and students for the upcoming months ahead.

Graduation, the day you’ve worked towards for years. Once you walk across the stage (or should we say proverbial stage this year) and take that diploma a new stage of life begins. There will be many new decisions and actions ahead of you, but here are a few simple moves to take as you enter that next stage of life.

It’s hard to believe that we are already in the holiday season. Christmas is just over a week away so in this week's Monday Morning Quarter-Buck, Financial Planner Becky Eason (who we affectionately call our budget queen) is going to give you a few tips to save money in the upcoming weeks. 

When I think about the holiday season I have many different emotions; excitement, stress, joy, overwhelm, sadness.  However, as I get older and learn to cherish time more than anything, I realize that the Holidays are a very special time that should not be taken for granted and I do not want the negative emotions overshadow the positive emotions.  

So this year I am choosing to do the following 3 things and encourage everyone to consider doing them also…