Financial Planning, Financial Tips, Goal Planning
AnnaMarie Mock, CFP®
Q3 Crunch Time: Keep Your Financial Goals from ...

As we close out the third quarter of the year, it's a natural time to pause and take stock of your progress toward your financial goals. By this point in the year, nine months of progress, challenges, and decisions have shaped where you stand today. With three months ahead, there's time to fine-tune your approach, close gaps, and position yourself to finish the year strong.

Q3 Crunch Time: Keep Your Financial Goals from Derailing
Financial Planning, Financial Tips, Retirement Planning, Savings
Edward Leach
Employer Retirement Plan Check-up

As we approach the year's final quarter, it’s the perfect time for a retirement plan check-up. Even if you set your 401(k) contributions months ago, life has a way of shifting the numbers — salary increases, bonuses, or payroll changes can all affect how much you are actually putting away.

Employer Retirement Plan Check-up
Financial Planning, Financial Tips
Reed C. Fraasa, CFP®, AIF®, RLP®
Money Flowing Out? Your January Financial Reset ...

As we embark on a new year, there's no better time to take control of your financial future by thoroughly reviewing your cash flow. If having a vision and establishing goals is the touchstone for a financial plan, this essential financial practice sets the foundation for achieving your goals and ensuring long-term financial stability.

Money Flowing Out? Your January Financial Reset Starts Now
Divorce Planning, Newly Independent Women
Joseph Goldy, CFP®, CDFA®
Understanding the CDFA® Designation: Your ...

Anyone who has gone through a divorce knows how emotionally challenging and financially complex it can be. While attorneys handle the legal aspects, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® focuses specifically on the financial implications of divorce. This specialized designation equips professionals with the expertise to guide clients through the intricate financial aspects of divorce proceedings, ensuring better outcomes for their financial future.

Understanding the CDFA® Designation: Your Financial Ally During Divorce
Pharmaceutical Professionals, Stock Options, Financial Planning
AnnaMarie Mock, CFP®
Science Meets Finance: How The Scientific ...

Anna Marie Mock, a fee-only certified financial planner at Highland Financial Advisors, discusses the dynamic interplay between art and science in financial planning. Drawing inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's philosophy that "everything connects to everything else," she emphasizes that financial planning is an art involving subjective goal-setting and a science-driven by objective analysis tools. In this video, Anna explains how the scientific method can be applied to financial planning, using equity compensation as a concrete example. 

Science Meets Finance: How The Scientific Method is Applied in Financial Planning | Ep. 6

Financial Planning

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Election Week 2026: Early Market Takeaways

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Election Week 2026: Early Market Takeaways

Americans vote on Tuesday, November 3, and clients are already asking what the results could mean for their portfolios. The questions are understandable: What happens if control of the House changes, or if the Senate changes hands as well? 

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New Jersey Property Tax Relief: What Changed for 2026

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New Jersey Property Tax Relief: What Changed for 2026

New Jersey property taxes remain among the largest expenses facing homeowners and retirees. The good news is that the State currently offers three major programs designed to offset that cost: ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ. 

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The Best Inheritance Might Be the One You Give While You’re Still Alive

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The Best Inheritance Might Be the One You Give While You’re Still Alive

For many people, retirement begins with the same question: “Do I have enough?”

But after working with many clients transitioning into retirement, we often see a different challenge emerge: they end up spending less than they expected, and leave behind far more than they ever imagined.

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Own It: How HIGHLAND’s Culture Comes to Life Through Our Annual Day of Service

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Own It: How HIGHLAND’s Culture Comes to Life Through Our Annual Day of Service

Taking ownership sounds simple, but it often proves more difficult in practice. It is noticing what needs to be done and following through without waiting to be asked. Over time, those everyday choices become habits, and those habits help shape a team's culture.

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Your Most Important Business Decision Is Not a Business Decision

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Your Most Important Business Decision Is Not a Business Decision

In July, I had the opportunity to participate in an NJBIZ panel discussion focused on family-owned businesses. During the discussion, I shared an analogy that has become one of the simplest ways I explain how I think about planning because I believe it applies well beyond business owners.

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If Everything Is Breaking News…Is Anything Really Breaking News?

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If Everything Is Breaking News…Is Anything Really Breaking News?

Twenty years ago, "Breaking News" meant something extraordinary had happened. Today, it means someone sneezed near a microphone. Every hour brings another flashing banner. Markets tumble. Experts speculate. Social media erupts. Before lunch, a new "breaking" story replaces the first one.

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The Boring Portfolio Wins: Why Diversification Beats Chasing the Next Hot Stock

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The Boring Portfolio Wins: Why Diversification Beats Chasing the Next Hot Stock

I'm heading to Portugal this summer, and like any good trip, the itinerary has a little bit of everything: a few days wandering through Lisbon's hills, a stretch on the Algarve coast, even a detour into the quaint fishing village of Cascais. No single stop makes the trip. The magic is in the mix. Investing works the same way, yet most people plan their portfolios like a one-city vacation—all in on the destination that's trending, and hoping it delivers.

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The Hardest Financial Question Has Nothing to Do With Money

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The Hardest Financial Question Has Nothing to Do With Money

Most successful people spend decades preparing financially for the next chapter of life. They build businesses. Advance their careers. Invest wisely. Save consistently. Accumulate wealth. Far fewer spend time preparing for the chapter itself. 

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Celebrating Team Wins and Summer Traditions at HIGHLAND Financial Advisors

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Celebrating Team Wins and Summer Traditions at HIGHLAND Financial Advisors

Summer has a way of encouraging reflection. The pace changes, families gather, vacations appear on the calendar, and many of us pause long enough to appreciate the people and experiences that make the year meaningful. At HIGHLAND Financial Advisors, summer also gives us an opportunity to celebrate something central to our firm: the strength of our team. 

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3 “Wasteful” Ways I Spend my Money

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3 “Wasteful” Ways I Spend my Money

Growing up, I always had a natural tendency to save money. Every birthday and Christmas gift went into my piggy bank and, as I got older, into a savings account. When I turned 18, my dad introduced me to investing, and I was instantly hooked. I started reading every investment book I could get my hands on, and any money I earned from part-time jobs during college went straight into my investment account.

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The Hidden Risk of Success

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The Hidden Risk of Success

Success often creates a challenge that few people anticipate. In fact, some of the biggest planning opportunities we encounter are not the result of poor decisions. They are the result of exceptionally good ones.

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Lifestyle Inflation: The Quiet Threat to Long-Term Wealth

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Lifestyle Inflation: The Quiet Threat to Long-Term Wealth

A raise. A bonus. A successful business sale. A larger investment account. A fresh start after a major life transition. 

Moments like these should create opportunity and freedom. But they can also quietly lead to one of the biggest threats to long-term financial independence: lifestyle inflation. 

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