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, Financial Tips, Net Worth
Stephanie Burke
Understanding Your Money Script

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.

Understanding Your Money Script
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

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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Can the Yield Curve Predict Recessions?

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Can the Yield Curve Predict Recessions?

Our brain constantly monitors for signs of threats and triggers emotional responses to avoid them. The most primitive part of our brain controls the instinct to prevent hazards. This basic survival instinct attaches a high probability to any piece of data forecasting anything. Like the weather forecast, human beings expect predictability regarding the economy and the stock market. However, forecasting should not be considered a prediction.

Building Homes and Financial Plans

Building Homes and Financial Plans

On September 8th, HIGHLAND dedicated a Day of Service to Habitat for Humanity, contributing to constructing five new homes in the heart of Paterson, NJ. The whole team showed up at 7:45 AM, ready to make a difference in a small spot on the planet. Habitat for Humanity helps people to become homeowners by providing affordable, adequate housing. The concept of "partnership housing" was started in central Georgia in the early 1970s by farmer Clarence Jordan and Milliard and Linda Fuller and gained global recognition when President Jimmy Carter got involved in 1984. Today Habitat for Humanity operates in all 50 states and 70 countries.

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New Tax Law Impacting Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) Starting in 2022

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New Tax Law Impacting Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) Starting in 2022

As the well-known saying goes, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. The idea of taxation can be traced back to 3000-2800 BC when the first known taxation system took place in Ancient Egypt. Since then, there have been many changes and additions to the tax laws, with one point remaining certain; no one wants to receive a large tax bill that they weren't expecting.

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Options to Handle High-Interest Rate Debt After a Divorce

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Options to Handle High-Interest Rate Debt After a Divorce

The average cost of divorce in the U.S. is almost $13,000, according to Nolo.com. For high-net-worth individuals, it could be many times this amount. Making things worse is that married couples tend to carry more than double the amount of debt than single people, based on a recent Experian study.

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The Investment Story of 2022

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The Investment Story of 2022

The first half of 2022 has been a disappointing year for every investor. At the close of Q2 2022, a 60/40 hypothetical portfolio comprised of the S&P 500 Index and Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index was down over 12%. What's been the driving force behind these investment returns, and what can we expect moving forward?

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Equity Compensation and Delayed Gratification: Do you have a Plan for When Your Options Vest?

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Equity Compensation and Delayed Gratification: Do you have a Plan for When Your Options Vest?

Walter Mischel, psychologist and professor at Stanford University conducted an experiment in the 1960s about delayed gratification and published his findings in 1972. In the study, a researcher explained to a child they could either have one marshmallow immediately or two marshmallows if they waited 15 minutes.

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College Planning for Children of Divorcees: The Importance of the Term “Custodial”

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College Planning for Children of Divorcees: The Importance of the Term “Custodial”

College planning is a common financial goal for many households. However, for newly independent women going through a divorce, paying particular attention to how the term “custodial” is used in the divorce agreement is essential since it can impact the calculation for college financial aid.

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True Confessions of a Financial Advisor

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True Confessions of a Financial Advisor

As of Friday, the 29th of July, except for the NASDAQ market, the US equity markets recovered somewhat from the bear market correction. A bear market is a loss of 20% from the previous high. In the first six months of 2022, the equity market had lost over 80% of what it gained in 2021 and entered a bear market correction.

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What is a Recession?

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What is a Recession?

Two weeks ago, the latest Consumer Price Index data (the index that measures inflation) had risen 1.3% in June, bringing headline inflation up to 9.1% and core inflation (excludes energy and food) up to 5.9% over the last 12 months. With increases this large, it’s not surprising to know this has been the most significant 12-month increase since November of 1981. With inflation on the rise, the war in Ukraine, and the stock market in bear territory (when stocks fall at least 20% off their highs), are we doomed for a recession?

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Equity Compensation Concentration: When is enough, enough?

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Equity Compensation Concentration: When is enough, enough?

I'm new to gardening as my interest in this hobby blossomed (pun intended) over the Covid lockdown. This spring, I was clearing out my garden in preparation for my new plants, and I spotted a patch of weeds that overtook about a quarter of usable soil within the garden confines.

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Tax Loss Harvesting: The Silver Lining of Market Downturns

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Tax Loss Harvesting: The Silver Lining of Market Downturns

With the first half of 2022 closing just a few days ago, the S&P 500 is down almost 20% year-to-date. That would rank as the worst first half of the year in over 50 years! While many tend to avoid looking at their investment account statements during times like this, market downturns present unique opportunities for investors

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3 Tax Blind Spots for Newly Independent Women

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3 Tax Blind Spots for Newly Independent Women

For many newly independent women, taxes are not necessarily at the top of their priority list when we start discussing their financial situation. Whether it is the loss of a spouse or just having gone through a divorce, making sure they and their children will be ok is the primary goal.

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Lifestyle Changes for Newly Independent People

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Lifestyle Changes for Newly Independent People

Following a significant life event, such as divorce or the loss of a spouse, people face a common question: How will being newly independent affect my family's lifestyle? During this financially delicate period, a decrease in household income, the ability to remain in the family home, and the long-term impact on a person's retirement plan are all top of mind.

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