Financial Planning, Financial Tips
Edward Leach
The Dependent Care FSA – An Overlooked Benefit ...

In talking with clients about the benefits their employer provides during the open enrollment season, one often overlooked benefit if clients have dependents is the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA).

The Dependent Care FSA – An Overlooked Benefit During Open Enrollment Season
Financial Planning, Financial Tips, Healthcare, Investments, Life Planning, Savings
Edward Leach
3 Reasons Every High Net-Worth Family Should ...

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are not only a savvy investment option but also offer numerous benefits, especially for high-net-worth families. An HSA is a tax-advantaged savings account designed for individuals with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to help cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. While the utility of HSAs is universal, they hold advantages for high-net-worth families and have steadily grown in popularity since their inception.

3 Reasons Every High Net-Worth Family Should Fund a Health Savings Account
Financial Planning, Financial Tips, Investments, Savings
Joey Casolaro, CFP®
How Money Can Buy Happiness (Part 2)

Earlier this year, I explained two principles you can follow to obtain the most happiness from your spending https://www.highlandplanning.com/learning-center-1/how-money-can-buy-happiness-part-1. In today’s article, I will cover three more concepts that can help bring more joy in your life with your spending. Below are the five principles outlined in the book Happy Money.

How Money Can Buy Happiness (Part 2)
Financial Planning
AnnaMarie Mock, CFP®
Remember to Review and Update Your Estate Plan

In a previous article titled “The Estate Planning Essentials”, I identified the documents needed for a comprehensive estate plan. Although this can be a morbid topic most want to avoid thinking about, reviewing the documents not only ensures your financial legacy is passed in accordance with your wishes as smoothly as possible but guides your agent to ensure your medical and financial wishes are addressed. So, how often should you review your estate planning documents?

Remember to Review and Update Your Estate Plan

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A Tulip by Any Other Name: The Collapse of FTX and Crypto Markets.

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A Tulip by Any Other Name: The Collapse of FTX and Crypto Markets.

The first investment speculative bubble was the tulip bubble of the mid-1600s. The details are debatable, but from 1634 to 1637, a speculative bubble developed on future contracts for new tulip varieties in Holland. Prices snowballed, reaching ten times the annual salary of a typical tradesman of the day. By February 1637, the market had collapsed. The tulip mania of the 1600s resulted from a mass hysteria for new varieties of tulips developed in Holland after the flower had been introduced to Europe only a few decades before.

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A Psychotherapist's Insight into what Really Drives Financial Decisions

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A Psychotherapist's Insight into what Really Drives Financial Decisions

A few years ago, I remembered having a conversation with a divorced client that stuck with me. The client struggled to decide whether to keep or sell the marital home after her finalized divorce. Although she asked the right questions and thoroughly understood the numbers, I could tell emotions guided her decision-making, not logic.

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Do You Know the Game You’re Playing?

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Do You Know the Game You’re Playing?

During my sabbatical, I read a book by Simon Sinek, “The Infinite Game,” which was published in 2019 and inspired by James Carse’s 1986 book on game theory titled “Finite and Infinite Games.”

In the books, finite and infinite games are described in this way:

A finite game is played to win, like baseball or golf. The players are known, the rules are set, and the endpoint is defined.

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What Caused the Inflation We've Been Experiencing?

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What Caused the Inflation We've Been Experiencing?

Inflation is all everyone has been talking about for two years. Inflation reaching 40-year highs has wreaked havoc on consumers' wallets and caused market uncertainty.

The inflation story in 2021 was propelled forward by supply chain disruptions following the shutdown of the economy due to the COVID stay-at-home orders. This broad statement of supply chain disruptions expands to the physical transportation of products and a shortage of workers and materials

Don't Let Sequence Risk Derail Your Retirement

Don't Let Sequence Risk Derail Your Retirement

Investors face many risks. Sequence-of-returns risk has not been discussed much over the last decade. Sequence risk is the risk of an investor experiencing a down market while simultaneously needing to begin withdrawals from your portfolio.

Understandably, sequence risk has not been top-of-mind for many retirees due to the 12-year bull market that began in 2009 and just recently ended. However, the current bear market and high inflation have underscored the importance of understanding sequence risk and finding ways to help mitigate it.

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Social Media & Financial News Detox

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Social Media & Financial News Detox

Would you believe it if someone told you that you could improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost your mental well-being by reducing social media and news intake? About four months ago, I decided to conduct a self-experiment where I reduced the time spent on social media apps and watching news channels.

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Follow a Disciplined Approach to Investing

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Follow a Disciplined Approach to Investing

“Optimism sounds like a sales pitch. Pessimism sounds like someone trying to help you.” -The Psychology of Money, Morgan House.

I was having dinner with friends in December of 2018, and at the time, the markets were in the middle of a 20% drawdown. While we were out, one of my friends met an acquaintance of his who happened to be a Sales Representative for one of the large Wall Street brokers. I was happy to listen to his perspectives on the markets.

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Economic Cycles as a Shakespearean Tragedy

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Economic Cycles as a Shakespearean Tragedy

Shakespeare wrote ten dramas, each with a different story and cast of characters. However, his tragedies follow the same five-act formula: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution. Every play, movie, and television shows from Shakespeare's time to today follows the same five-act sequence. Our culture's art and entertainment reflect our innate expectations of the hero's rise, fall, and resolution. Likewise, our expectations for the economy and financial markets are no different.

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Student Loan Forgiveness

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Student Loan Forgiveness

U.S. college tuition costs have skyrocketed over the last few decades, leading to an unprecedented number of students needing to finance the burden through student loans. As of August 2022, student loan borrowers owed a collective nearly $1,750,000,000,000 in federal and private student loan debt, with the average borrower owing $28,950.

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Using The Scientific Method for Financial Planning – Equity Compensation

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Using The Scientific Method for Financial Planning – Equity Compensation

Leonardo DaVinci wisely said, "Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Realize that everything connects to everything else." Financial planning integrates art and science through a dynamic process. The art is subjective and experienced while exploring goals and aspirations and making decisions. The science is objective and visible in the tools to develop projections analysis.

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