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.
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.
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.
For many parents, figuring out how to save for college can feel overwhelming because the target keeps moving. College tuition continues to rise, financial aid rules seem to change yearly, and families are often unsure whether to prioritize retirement, college savings, or both. Add in student loans, FAFSA deadlines, scholarships, and decisions around how much to contribute, and it’s easy to feel stuck.
Every spring, we throw open the windows, drag out the mop, and tackle the clutter that's been quietly piling up since January. But while you're scrubbing baseboards and donating old sweaters, your finances might be sitting in the corner: dusty, disorganized, and in need of attention.
So, where do you begin?
Why where you own the future may matter as much as what you own
Financial planning helps you develop a better decision architecture to improve your life. If asked what financial planning is, you may think of cash flow planning, retirement planning, insurance, and estate planning. Financial planning also involves the design and management of your investment portfolio — the tool most likely to help you achieve your goals. Because financial planning is all about building a better future for yourself, your investment portfolio should be structured with an eye toward the future.
For many people, taxes show up once a year and are often accompanied by frustration and a scramble to gather documents. Then, just as quickly, they disappear until next April.
Considering taxes once a year represents one critical issue - by the time you’re filing your tax return, most of the important decisions have already been made. If you’re only thinking about taxes during filing season, you’re not managing taxes - you’re reporting history. A more effective approach is to treat taxes as a year-round strategy that integrates with your broader financial plan.
Why a well-built portfolio is the only honest answer to the question everyone is asking right now.
I have been getting some version of the same question from clients for the past several weeks. It sounds something like this: “Reed, with everything going on — the war with Iran, oil prices spiking, inflation creeping back, AI wiping out jobs — how far is the stock market going to drop? Should I be doing something?”
