crop unrecognizable financier using calculator on smartphone near dollar banknotes

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As a College Financial Educator, I’ve become familiar with several mistakes that students, and their families, make when paying for college. And one that concerns me is when parents prioritize college over building their own retirement fund.  I get it, parents love their kids. But here’s the thing, there are loans for college, no one’s going to give you a loan for your retirement. I also get that your kids are headed to college before you’re retiring, but your money needs time to grow. For every 10 years that you hold off investing, you’ll need to double the amount of money that you invest toRead More →

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Believe it or not I suck at small talk. I’ve tried and I would say that my social skills have improved over time. Still there are times when I struggle in this area. But perhaps small talk is overrated. After all, wouldn’t you rather have a more meaningful conversation? That’s what Kalina Silverman thinks too. After a conversation with a friend had her wondering about the value of small talk, she embarked on an experiment called Big Talk. Later, she developed a set of cards that can help people to have more meaningful connections with others or to reconnect with themselves by using the questionsRead More →

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Generational wealth is a topic that many have become interested in and that’s a good thing. But the focus is largely on passing along wealth in the form of assets and savings. But money without money management skills only leads to bigger money issues. Don’t believe me? A CNBC article reported that lottery winners are more likely than average individuals to declare bankruptcy. And just google: ‘celebrities who went broke’ to see more examples of how money without financial education (and self control) led to bigger money problems than the individual previously faced. I’m on a mission to break generational legacies of being broke andRead More →

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No one will ever care as much about your money as you do. This is a point I like to make in my financial education sessions with students. It’s our money and our responsibility to manage and grow it. But I also say this to make a point about how interest goes both ways, that is, you can earn it or pay it.  Interest is simply money paid for the use of money. Are you borrowing money? Then you’re paying interest to use that money. Are you depositing money into your savings account? Then the bank will pay you interest on your savings. They canRead More →

decorative purposes - one whole egg surrounded by broken eggs

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Of course, you’re leading your life. But, that’s not the same thing as being the leader of your life. In truth most of our decisions are automatic – that is, we don’t really even think about them anymore. And even when we do think about our decisions we may rule out or not even realize some of our options. Why?  Because instead of leading we’re more concerned about fitting in. We’ve learned since we were little to go along and most of all to avoid standing out.. That means doing what others do and what others would find acceptable while avoiding anything that others wouldRead More →

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It’s interesting how sometimes a word or a phrase can have a connotation for someone that others don’t have. Recently, it crossed my mind that something inside of me cringes at the phrase ‘live within your means’ yet, I feel empowered by the idea of living on less than I earn. The directive, ‘live within your means’ is advice that I heard frequently growing up and for me, it always seemed to suggest that people should live within their ‘station’ and be satisfied with their lot in life. Looking back, I’m pretty sure this is far from what was intended when people gave this advice.Read More →