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.
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.
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.
What are your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about money? What about your partner, and do they differ from your own? Sometimes, the conflict we experience around money in our personal lives can be attributed to incongruent money scripts with those with whom we share finances. Let’s dive into the term money script and how understanding it can help us achieve our financial goals.
May is a great time to step back and take stock of your personal finances. The rhythm of tax season is behind you, and there's still plenty of time left in the year to make strategic adjustments. Whether working toward long-term goals or simply staying organized, a thoughtful financial check-in can help ensure you're on track and making the most of your resources.
Tax season is approaching, and this time of year can feel overwhelming for many individuals and business owners. The key to a stress-free tax filing experience is organization. By proactively gathering and structuring your financial documents, you can maximize deductions, avoid errors, and ensure a smoother process when working with your tax preparer or filing independently.
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.
The holiday season will soon pass, and for many, the joy of gift-giving has been overshadowed by a mounting credit card balance. As bills start rolling in, the temptation to explore a credit card balance transfer becomes increasingly attractive. But is this financial strategy a lifeline or a potential trap?
Choosing the right financial advisor is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your financial future. But with so many types of advisors and compensation structures, it can be challenging to know where to start. In this video, Reed Fraasa, a Certified Financial Planner® and founder of Highland Financial Advisors, breaks down the key differences between "fee-only" and "fee-based" financial advisors.
Mediation offers couples a dignified, collaborative path forward when life circumstances require critical legal decisions about their future. As a trained family law mediator, Zoe Cassotis guides New Jersey families through productive conversations that lead to thoughtful, mutually beneficial solutions. Her confidential mediation approach helps people maintain control of their decisions while saving time and money, creating positive outcomes that respect both parties' needs and values.
During my first year in college, I read my first investment book, "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham, widely regarded as one of the greatest stock traders ever. Filled with excitement, I took copious notes, convinced I had stumbled upon the secret to success in the stock market. With this new knowledge, I eagerly deposited $600 into a trading account and made my first trade, purchasing ten shares of Columbia Sportswear Company stock ($COLM) at $56.80 per share.
As the end of the year approaches, it’s time for one of the most critical financial planning opportunities for employees: open enrollment. Whether you’re re-evaluating your benefits or making selections for the first time, open enrollment is a golden opportunity to make choices that align with your financial goals and needs.
What are your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about money? What about your partner, and do they differ from your own? Sometimes, the conflict we experience around money in our personal lives can be attributed to incongruent money scripts with those with whom we share finances. Let’s dive into the term money script and how understanding it can help us achieve our financial goals.
As I approach my thirties, I've noticed that my body doesn't bounce back from workouts as quickly as in my high school and college years. The days of waking up fresh after an intense workout without a second thought are behind me. Now, I realize the importance of adding mobility work and stretching to my weekly routine. Lower back pain and tightness have become recurring issues, mainly due to sitting more throughout the day and most likely lifting too heavy without perfect form.
Welcome to Highland Financial Advisor's comprehensive video series, designed to guide you through the crucial steps of interviewing and starting a relationship with a fiduciary financial advisor. Whether you're new to financial planning or looking to optimize your current strategy, our clearly defined process and expert advice will help you make informed decisions. In this series, we'll cover everything from understanding fees and value to setting financial goals and creating a personalized wealth management plan. Subscribe now to stay updated and take control of your financial future with confidence.
Rummaging around your stuffed filing cabinet, you come across a stock certificate. A glint of excitement enters as you think about the potential value of this forgotten relic. It is not uncommon to stumble upon an old stock certificate in its physical form. There are steps to take to research if the old stock certificate is worthless or if it is a lottery ticket.
When you think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, visions of his bodybuilding championships, blockbuster movies, and tenure as the governor of California probably come to mind. However, the Austrian-American renaissance man has added another accomplishment to his impressive resume - author. In his book "Be Useful: A Blueprint for Living an Integral Life," Schwarzenegger outlines his philosophy for leading a fulfilling existence by being useful and serving some cause greater than yourself.
After spending 17 years lying dormant underground, a new generation of Brood XIII cicadas will soon emerge across large swaths of the eastern United States. This phenomenon is one of the most remarkable examples of cyclical events in the natural world.
It's fascinating to think that the last time Brood XIII was about to turn in for its 17-year slumber, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world for the first time. A year later, a mysterious person named Satoshi Nakamoto wrote a paper describing something he called Bitcoin, which began trading for less than a penny.
The story is well-known: if you place a frog into boiling water, it will jump out immediately. But if the frog is put in tepid water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the impending danger and will eventually be cooked to death. This analogy is a powerful metaphor, cautioning us about the risks posed by gradual changes that go unnoticed—similar to the frog failing to react to the slowly heating water.
This metaphor aptly describes how people often fail to recognize or respond to gradual changes in their environment or circumstances. In financial planning, this concept underscores the importance of regularly monitoring a client's financial status to avoid being metaphorically "cooked."
