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5 Retirement Assumptions You Can’t Make Anymore
By: Michelle Petrowski, CFP®, CDFA We've all heard the adage "nothing can be certain, except death and taxes." This line of thought also applies to retirement, as society and financial markets change. Here are a few assumptions many Americans used to be able to make...
International Women’s Day 2019
March 8th is International Women's Day. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. This year's theme is #BalanceforBetter. Better the balance,...
Tax Help for Your 2018 Filing
2018 Marginal Income Tax Rates and BracketsRevised Income Brackets and Marginal Tax Rates What are marginal tax rates? It’s the percentage of your income that you pay in taxes. Good news –the brackets (or income ranges) were lowered so most of...
How well do you receive money?
By: Liz WolfeI recently read a moving and insightful book called 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life by John Kralik. It’s a true story of a man who completely turned his life around when he decided to write a thank you...
Money Talks – Get in on the Conversation
By: Liz WolfeA hot topic these days is why the “1%” have accumulated so much wealth. Perhaps you’ve seen the video that went viral demonstrating, with impressive graphics and mind-boggling statistics the chasm between the nation’s wealthiest and the bottom...
Even Introverts Can Excel at Networking by Following These Steps
By: Marguerita M. Cheng The three C's of networking -- Conversation, Connection and Collaboration -- create a context that helps even those most reticent about networking. Networking builds businesses. It brings in clients and partners and helps businesses grow, but...
Finding Happiness at Work
By: Laura BergerThe Proven Science of How to Enjoy Your JobIn True Grit, Grace, and Gratitude, I used the term “happy hour” as a constructive and necessary analogy, but I do have a good bit of aversion toward the expression. Why does an hour we reserve to be happy...
Time Management Techniques for Work-Life Integration
By: Laura Berger Credit: Pexels Despite all the talk and best efforts, work-life balance remains elusive for many professionals. The generic advice about how to structure our time fails to account for each individual’s income requirements, career goals and...
How ‘Nice-Lady’ Negotiating Saved Me $4,300 in a Year
By: Jill Beirne Davi After a recent hospital stay, I opened one of dozens of health care-related bills and found one for $21.47 for the TV and phone in my hospital room. I never used the phone. I never used the TV. Yet here was this bill — one that my health...
Self Expression in the Workplace: The Case for Edited Authenticity
By: Raleigh MayerSignificant controversy and outcry arose when a Google executive lost his job after airing his views on the company's diversity policy . This sparked public debate regarding the benefits and risks of airing personal viewpoints, and the expectation...
I used to let people walk all over me at work — until I learned how I could use my niceness to my advantage
By: Jill Beirne Davi 'Niceness' can be a helpful tool in a negotiation. Nice people can find it challenging to negotiate a business deal successfully. For 'nice' people who tend to let others take advantage of them, it is essential to prepare for negotiations. Using...
5 Tips for Educating Kids About Money
By: Allison Pearson Talking about money is difficult for most of us. Sometimes, talking about money to a family member is even more difficult. Teach your kids about money and family finances early. Growing up, I was fortunate to have parents who prioritized my...
Five Strategies for Befriending Uncertainty
By: Laura BergerEvery rung I climbed on the corporate ladder was giving my ego the success it so craved. But there was one glaring problem: I wasn’t truly fulfilled. Compelled to reevaluate my life and career, I asked myself the all-important question: What truly...
My Self-Employment Success Story: How I Quit Corporate To Work for Myself
By: Jill Beirne Davi Since paying off $30,000 six years ago, I still use credit sparingly, and I didn’t take out any loans to fund the start-up of my business. Instead, I created a separate savings account called “Investments” to...
Worried About a Market Downturn? These 3 Yoga Principals Can Help
By: Manisha Thakor, CFP®, CFAThe late economist Hyman Minsky observed that cycles of risk-taking follow a consistent pattern. He found that stability and absence of crises encourage risk-taking, complacency, and lowered awareness to the possibility of problems...
Want To Crisis-Proof Your Managers? Start With Your Relationship
By: Raleigh Mayer"I was wrong.""Thank you.""I need your help."How often do you hear (or say) those words at work?As a manager, you are expected to have full command of technical abilities, operational expertise and strategic goal-setting. But are you equally...
The Importance of Leaning In with Clients
By: Marguerita M. Cheng As the daughter of a Chinese father and American-born mother, I have been exposed to many different stereotypes in the US, Europe, and Asia. I also grew up taking in mixed messages about what it means to be a successful, professional woman....
The ‘stretch’ option for maximizing IRAs
By: Elliot RaphaelsonBecause most employers have eliminated defined-benefit retirement plans, future retirees will depend more than ever on 401(k) plans, traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs.To plan for a successful retirement, you must understand the fundamentals and...
Downsizing in Retirement
By: Allison PearsonDo you and your partner share the same goals & expectations for the future throughout your changing life phases?My son recently headed off to college. It was an important life transition, not just for my son, but for me and my husband as well....
Walking the Tightrope of Change: When Virtue Becomes Vice
By: Laura BergerI was ‘Structured Laura’ before Glen and I moved to Costa Rica in 2006. I thrived in the corporate environment. So, when we embarked to Central America, I thought to myself, “If I can make it in fast-paced downtown Chicago, paradise will be a...
Secrets of Success: How I Learned to Make What I Was Really Worth
By: Jill Beirne DaviWhen I launched a side business about five years ago coaching people about their finances, I enjoyed it so much that I barely charged -- if I charged at all -- for my services. Many of the people I was helping were in the hole -- and...