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.
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.
Every two years, America holds another election. Every two years, headlines call it the most important of our lifetime. Investors have heard that before. Markets have lived through wars, recessions, inflation, and constant turnover in Washington. Over long periods, stock prices track earnings, innovation, productivity, and human ingenuity — not election results.
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.
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.
