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What you keep after taxes is paramount to your long-term success. 

Your energy, your focus, your long-term success.

Behavioral Finance is where the study of psychology meets with economics and finance. Recent studies, bestselling books from world class researchers and even Nobel Peace prizes suggest having a basic understanding of human behavior and our cognitive biases can help you succeed and stay successful as you plan and invest for your financial future.

I have a seven year old. She loves to spend. This is not something that has just started. When I took her to the stores when she was younger, she would ask to swipe and sign. She was between 2 and 3. This has not changed. She uttered her first word as we were walking the aisles of Target. This should tell you something!

The thought of creating a budget, or even thinking about a budget causes some people serious anxiety.  Many of us hear the word budget and immediately think of “financial handcuffs” or cutting back on the things we love. The irony is, if used properly, a budget provides the framework and visibility for reaching your future financial goals.  It brings awareness to your situation and can save a lot of strife in relationships (money is one of the major causes of disagreement in relationships).

Over the past few weeks I've received a number of calls and emails from clients asking if I thought we were in a bear market. The S&P 500 has fallen nearly 9% since October 1, 2018 and it is having an impact on investor psychology. Fears about trade wars, home prices, retail sales, and commodity prices (to name a few) have come to the fore and sentiment has abruptly shifted. The narrative about interest rates has quickly turned from "higher rates are good because it shows our economy is strong" to "the Federal Reserve is going to hike us into a recession."