I’m simply in awe of how quickly this year is passing by.  I remember as a child that my great-grandmother (also an Amy) told me the years go much quicker the older you get.  I now understand what she was talking about!

 In this week's Monday Morning Quarter-Buck, our Financial Planner and Chief Operating Officer Matt Fizell writes about chasing returns versus chasing habits.  His article made me think about a quote that I recently read that said “a good diversified portfolio means you will always have to be apologizing for something.”  That quote is so true, this year US bonds are reacting the way they historically do when interest rates are on the rise (negative performance), when our economy slows, it will be the stocks that react negatively - so we will always be apologizing for something.  However, since we don’t have a crystal ball, diversity is our best defense.

As I mentioned yesterday, five of us spent last week in St. Louis at a conference.  One of the five happened to be Kerrie Beene. Kerrie joined the firm just a few weeks ago, but she fits in like she has always been a part of our team.  Kerrie and I were previously in a College Planning Group together, this is where a bunch of planners get together to talk about the challenges, policies, and solutions that surround college planning.  Kerrie feels that pain! As she mentioned in the podcast recording launched last week (see Episode 34), Kerrie feels the pain of those individuals planning for college, as she is one of those individuals!  We hope you enjoy listening to Kerrie’s journey and reading about her dance. Perhaps it will inspire you to change your dance steps too?

“Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” - Oliver Goldsmith

 This is edition one of two for the weekly Monday Morning Quarter-Buck.  Last week about half the team was away at a conference where we talked a lot about our vision, both personally and professionally.  So it was extremely fitting that Financial Planner and CPA Kim Anderson wrote about having a vision of retirement.  We so often think of it as a date, but in reality, it is a journey.  Kim’s closing comments are so true, we often forget to remind you that although the numbers are scary sometimes, we are here to help.  Stay tuned for an upcoming Podcast with Kim to get to know her a little better.

In this edition of the Monday Morning Quarter-Buck, Planner Kate Welker explores courage.  It’s funny how life is so circular sometimes! One of my favorite quotes is “Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle in their journey," which is exactly what Kate’s “be kind” comment suggests.  I’ve noticed in my life that courage comes easier when you don’t go it alone, so perhaps that is one of the answers as well.

“Life is about events, supported by dollars and cents.” - Amy Irvine

Last week Brent and I spent the week traveling through Massachusetts visiting with clients as well as enjoying a little vacation time.  Normally when we travel, I work and he drives; but this “workcation” was different! We were traveling through areas that had no cell service, thus no internet and no work.  I was required to sit back and enjoy the view (or smell the roses) and it was delightful!

The weather was hot and sunny, which as many of you know is exactly what I enjoy.  We wandered back on Friday enjoying a different path than we had ventured on the way out there.  Although I always enjoy visiting Cape Cod, if you have never been to the hills of Massachusetts, I would highly recommend it!  

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.  It’s helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”  Tim Gallwey

I am honored by all the comments I received a few weeks ago regarding the Monday Morning Quarter-Buck and unexpected events in life.
 
In that article, I mentioned that I have been working with a couple of coaches myself this year, as well as interviewing a number of them on the podcast.  In Episode 26, we interviewed a career coach - Carla Sessions.   Carla is a “career changer” or what I like to call encore career, it’s worth a listen if you would like to enhance or change your career: Wine and Dime Episode 26 - Coaching with Carla Sessions
 
Why am I bringing this up now?  Well, we are very excited to announce the addition of three “career changers” to our team.

This week we’d like to introduce Kim Anderson to you.  Kim is a northern Minnesota native who has lived in the Fargo/Moorhead area since 1994.  Kim graduated from MSU-Moorhead with a degree in Construction Management and obtained her CPA designation in 2012.  Kim has been involved in both business accounting and personal finance for many years.  

"Though small was your allowance, you saved a little store: and those who save a little shall get a plenty more." William Thackeray

In our household we save our loose change for vacation. We have a special savings fund for the big expenses, like hotel and travel, but the change is for the extra fun money. My bank does not want the change rolled. That is nice when it comes to the time that requires, but I miss the satisfaction of sorting and counting out the piles.

Coming out of college, many recent graduates land their first “real job,” and with that job generally comes a nice paycheck.
 
It’s tempting to consistently go out and treat yourself because for the first time in your life you all of a sudden have “so much” money. Especially when you are used to living off a budget that consists of eating Ramen noodles. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t reward yourself for all of your hard work and dedication, but just be conscientious of how often and how much you are treating yourself to.

This was not the blog I had prepared for today, nope, that was about the importance of taking a vacation.  Instead, I’m sharing an experience I had on Saturday morning.

I’ve been on a mission this year to “be brave.”  To push me when I’m feeling insecure, I’ve hired a coach and I’ve interviewed lots of them on my Wine and Dime Podcast:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.  I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.  I’ve failed over and over again. That is why I succeed.”

-Michael Jordan

We’ve all been there before… Whether it is coming up short on a personal goal like retirement or taking a vacation, failing to land the job we interviewed for or not getting the promotion we expected, not getting a passing score on an exam, we all have our failures. The thought of failing is always in the back of our minds and as human beings our brain has a natural instinct to protect us from pursuing the possibilities of improving our lives. The truth is, without failure we will never be able to succeed and some of the most successful people we hear about in the news are just really good at failing.  If you have ever let a failure hold you back from trying again, this is the article for you!

“A Strong Woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink.” – Gina Carey

 Last week I introduced you to Matt Fizell and promised more to come about Becky Partridge as well.  Becky started with us in April as an intern while she was finishing up her degree in Financial Planning from Alfred State.  We sure are glad she picked us and we are super excited that she has agreed to stay with us beyond her internship!

A now, a little bit about Becky …

“Either Run the Day OR the Day Runs You.” - Jim Rohn

I can’t believe that it is the last week of June!  Where did the time go? In just 6 days, half of 2018 will be over.   Will you be making any mid-year adjustments based on the first half of 2018?   I’m excited to announce that we are! Earlier this year we added Kate Welker to the team and she has been a wonderful addition.  Then we added Becky Partridge as an intern and she was a wonderful addition (stay tuned for more about Becky next week). Now we are excited to announce that we’ve added Matthew Fizell to the team.  

As you will read below, Matt lives in Madison, Wisconsin.  Matt heard me on a podcast where I mentioned my firm had grown to the size where I really needed to decide if I was going to hire or stop taking on clients.  He called me and said, “I’d like to work with you, so that you can continue sharing your talents with the world.” That day we spent over 90-minutes on the phone and over the course of last fall, winter, and this spring, we continued to chat about how he could work with the firm remotely as a part-time para-planner.  

I recently spoke with someone who told me “I have a good job, I have a budget, but I feel like I just can’t make it.” A report by CareerBuilder last summer stated that 78% of U.S workers live paycheck to paycheck and 10% of those struggling make over $100,000.  In our society of easy to obtain credit cards, outstanding student loan balances hitting $1.5 trillion, and often just a general lack of financial knowledge there are many people struggling to “make it.”

This makes me think of getting on a fast moving treadmill without the controls.  Once you are on the belt you have to keep moving and as long as you take steady steps, you will stay on upright.

“A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – Walter Bagehot

It’s been a few weeks since our last Monday Morning Quarter-Buck!  We apologize for the brief hiatus but stay tuned for lots of content over the remainder of 2018.  The team has been hard at work getting ready to educate on a variety of topics!

I thought the quote this week was fitting because it has been three-years since I went “independent.”  I can’t believe it!  I remember being told I would fail, and believe me, there are times where I wondered if it were true.  However, all of you reading this blog have continued to be an inspiration to me.  I also have a bit of a “watch me” personality.  A characteristic that was challenging to my mother when I was a child, but has been the light at the end of the tunnel.  Additionally, I am so thankful that I have such a supportive, encouraging husband that pulled me up in my moments of self-doubt.

This morning I was running behind and realized, of course, my gas tank was dangerously close to empty. I quickly pulled into the gas station and pulled a little too close to an advertisement sign that was placed by the pump. I had to squeeze by the sign to access the pump so while I was filling my tank I was reading over the sign. In large letters was the promotion “5 cents off a gallon” and below a picture of their credit card.

That thought of that sign stayed with me. I love saving money so 5 cents off gas sounds great, but I also know that trying to save a few dollars can sometimes end up costing more in the long term. Are you one to approach promotions like that with caution or do you see a discount and want to sign right up?

Have you ever had a point in your life that you felt like you were in a “funk.”  You know, just a period of time where mentally, physically, and emotionally you have felt like you just can’t get your mojo flowing?  As I often do, I Googled the definition of “funk” and the two definitions I found were:

1. North America - A state of depression

2. British – Avoid (a task or thing) out of fear

I have heard that statement several times recently, perhaps because the winter was so long for my northern clients, or perhaps it is just that many have been hit by some pretty big issues recently.  I’ve experienced it a time or two (or twenty) myself, so after I heard it several times I tried to think of what caused it to happen and what got me out my “funk?”  

I’ve probably put more time and energy in this blog than any other blog I’ve written.   When I wrote the first draft I was steaming mad.  My fingers were slamming the key board so hard and fast my fingertips were actually warm.  If steam could come out of my ears, it would have been for sure!    This is a little on the “rant” side, but what I am about to share with you is not a story, it has actually happened, more than once.

Picture this, you are in the Teacher’s Lounge, lunch room of a hospital, or some other “community” room that has a table full of donuts a financial advisor brought in today.  They are there to talk to you about saving for retirement with a 403b account.  They are one of the “approved” vendors that have the privilege of meeting with you in this environment.