First Day Anxiety
First time experiences tend to provide people with a lot of anxiety. The uncertainty of the experiences leads to the anxiety. The unfamiliarity with the situations causes much angst. Just by knowing what the building or room will look like during a doctor’s visit tends to relieve some of the anxiety, but going to a […]
AJC Article: Is America’s New Retirement Account Worth It?
President Obama recently unveiled a new retirement savings vehicle called the myRA. This new program joins three other tax-advantaged ways to save: the Individual Retirement Account or IRA; the Roth IRA, and the employee-sponsored 401(k). While all four programs are designed to help you save for retirement, there are differences. Is the myRA right for you? Let’s take a look. The traditional IRA […]
Sub Status Quo
Change is a scary thing for most individuals. The unknown outcomes or consequences that come with change tend to keep people status quo. That only seems to be correct when the status quo is either good or at least not bad. Otherwise, people tend to choose change over status quo despite the uncertainty that comes with […]
AJC Article: Is The Cost Of A Super Bowl Commercial Really Worth It?
So, what did you think of this year’s Super Bowl commercials? There were many good ones ranging from the Bud Light ad starring Arnold Schwarzenegger to Bob Dylan for Chrysler. Did you know there’s a local connection to some of the most memorable Super Bowl spots of recent years? The 2013 Super Bowl Budweiser Clydesdales […]
Market Traffic Jam
Traffic—I hate it and I don’t believe there are many people that enjoy a nice bumper-to-bumper ride into the office. To me, there are two ways for traffic to build up: an accident (I include roadwork here as well) and just congestion. I completely understand how an accident/roadwork can lead to traffic, but the routine congestion is what […]
Secrets to Retiring Happy
These secrets come from a survey our team conducted on more than 1350 people in 46 states. The purpose was to determine the financial, investment, and consumer habits of “happy” vs. “unhappy” retirees and near-retirees. This May, be on the look out a book called You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think – The 5 […]
AJC Article: How Gas Prices and Housing are Impacting Your Wallet
What do your personal finances have in common with the U.S. economy? Both are heavily impacted by energy costs and home prices. In recent years housing and energy have taken their toll. Rising gasoline and heating/cooling costs have gobbled up family income while a depressed housing market erased family wealth and left Americans feeling uncertain […]
AJC Article: The rising cost of health care
My health insurance company recently dropped me a line to say that Piedmont Hospital – the source of most of my family’s medical care — may be dropped as an in-network provider. An unsettling way to start the New Year. I’m told that Piedmont and my insurer might still come to terms before the contract […]
The Benchmarking Dilemma
This world seems to be one where benchmarking is routine. We always want to know where we stand relative to others or where our team ranks or how well a school’s education is ranked relative to its peers. Benchmarking gives us a basis for making decisions and this isn’t any different in the world of […]
AJC Article: The Generational Divides
I recently finished the first draft of my new book, which was heavily influenced by a national survey I did on the behavior of retirees. The data was extremely enlightening and got me thinking about the amazing diversity of the population that makes up our nation. By most measures, the US population can be neatly […]
