Latest Articles

I recently had the opportunity to take the Market Profile course from Charles of Pirate Traders, and it significantly improved my ability to understand the market and how buyers and sellers determine the eventual outcome of the markets.

https://marketsandmind.us21.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aff05b6bdbb4fe73514c049e8&id=87194537b6&e=796ce460bb

If you are looking for a better way to understand how to trade the markets or understand how big players trap the average investor, it is definitely worth checking out!

https://marketsandmind.com

As you enter into a long term relationship, it is important to step back and have honest and thoughtful conversations about your finances. There are 3 financial relationship types that set the guideposts for the majority of relationships.

Everyone develops their own relationship with money based on their own life experiences. When you join together these money histories, you can get fireworks if you are not careful! There are countless financial relationships and models that couples follow, but in the end, they boil down to three distinct types of relationships. Knowing which kind of relationship you are in will help guide your journey towards successful money management in your marriage.

Relationship #1 - Mutual Interest

In this type of relationship, both parties have an actual interest in helping to manage the money in the relationship. They can certainly have different levels of interest in managing the money and one partner tends to be the primary manager. The second spouse...

What is the Perfect Money Date?

Alright, so lets cut right to the chase. Time is precious, and you are wondering why would I ever spend time every month talking to my significant other about money? We know what we know, and this sort of conversation always leads to a fight. Why would I go and seek out a fight? I will tell you why you need the perfect money dates! When you schedule it, plan it, and make it fun, it no longer becomes a fight, it becomes an actual fun part of your lives. What if I could tell you that if you commit to a money date every month, for 6 straight months, your marriage will not only be marginally better, it will be thriving?

How Do I Do This?

I will be honest here. Marriage Money Plan was created because my wife and I had a need. We both entered our marriage well off from our careers, and had clear plans for support and how we handled money. But guess what? We never had the official talk of how we are going to handle OUR money. We both were handling our own...

1. What Are Your Financial Goals?

This may seem simple enough right? I mean, you are planning to get married to the love of your life, you have had "the talk" right? How many kids do you want, do you like to travel, etc. But have you honestly sat down and had an honest conversation about your financial goals? Do you know if your future spouse wants to live paycheck to paycheck? Will you fully fund your retirement savings every year? You both want to have a dedicated travel fund? Having this conversation will ensure there are no gotchas later in your relationship!

2. What Is Your Current Debt Situation

This may seem similar to question #1, but oh is it totally different! Your significant other may have similar long term financial goals, but secretly have $30,000 in credit card debt they are bringing into the relationship! These questions do not need to be show stoppers with the relationship, but you are marrying not only your partner, but your partners current financial situation. So...

What is Open Enrollment?

Open Enrollment is the one time every year that you are able to make changes to your health insurance, and other benefits through your employer, or through HealthCare.gov without a life event occurring during the year (Marriage, Child Birth, etc). This is the time of year where your financial trajectory can be significantly changed for the good, or if not handled correctly, for the bad.

What Are The Different Options in Open Enrollment?

Focusing on employer provided healthcare and benefits, the biggest decision you will typically be faced with will be whether to select a full rate health insurance plan (PPO, HMO, etc), or a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). Every person's situation will be unique, however the HDHP unlocks the best retirement account known to mankind, the Health Savings Account (HSA)! The HSA is an account that is triple tax free.

Health Saving Account Benefits

• Contributions are tax free now
• Your account grows tax free
• Distributions are...

What Is A Credit Score?

To dispel the first myth, you don't have a single credit score, you actually have 3 or more credit scores! This is because there are three main credit reporting agencies who each have their own slightly different models for calculating credit. The main agencies are Experian, Transunion, and the infamous Equifax. If you are not aware of the Equifax breach, you can read up on it here, and you should also freeze your credit as soon as possible! I grew up listening to Clark Howard, and he has the best resources on how to freeze your credit. Check them out below.

Credit Freeze Guide

These institutions make their money by selling your financial information to companies over and over again. They calculate your ability to payoff a credit card, car loan, student loan, mortgage, or any other type of loan. The higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate you will pay on the borrowed money. So how do you get a high credit score? Pay all of your bills on time,...

To Combine Finances Or Not After Marriage

When two people start their lives together, many conversations are had on how to intertwine their lives. But does this mean the finances of the couple should become one all the time? Back in the good old days, this was a given. If you get married, they issue you a joint banking account with your marriage license! Times certainly have changed, and this is no longer the default, or even the correct option for couples just starting out. The big question still remains. How do we decide how to handle our finances once we are married? We will touch on the most popular methods of handling money in relationships and the Pros and Cons of each.

Completely Combining Finances

If you have spoken with your future or current spouse and have decided that combining finances will be best for your relationship, suit up and take the plunge! In some aspects, this is the easiest path forward, and leads to the fewest fights, issuers, and hidden money issues that...

I know I know...It is June why in the heck am I talking about the holidays?? The reason is the average family goes into $1,000 of debt that they are unable to pay off come January. This means your $1,000 of holiday presents can end up costing thousands of dollars by the time they are paid off. For example, if you would only pay the minimum balance, it could take you 6 years and over $500 of interest to pay off the holidays this year. This is because credit cards carry MASSIVE interest rates (15% - 25%) depending on the type of card you have. So what can you do to avoid the yearly trap that sets your 2020 up for pain before it even gets started? Here are 5 Holiday Spending Tips to help you keep control of the holidays.

If you have to travel, book your flights now!

If you have not already booked your flights for the holidays, book them now! Typically you will find the best deals at least 6 weeks from your date of travel. The best place to search for flight is to use Google Flights....

Congratulations! You have an extra $10,000 to invest today that you don't need for your daily spending. But the big question remains...How do I invest $10,000 in the smartest way possible? Read on below for 7 smart ways to invest $10,000!

#1: 401k match = Free Money!

The first place you should look to invest your extra money, is with any 401k match. If you are not picking up 100% of the free money your company is offering in the 401k program, increase your contributions now! Your take home pay will decease by the expected amount. This is free money, and is absolutely your first move!

#2: Pay down high interest debt (>10%)

If you are already picking up the largest possible match in your 401k program, the next area of your life to fund would be any high interest debt which is greater than 10% interest rate. These could be credit card debt, a very high car loan, or any personal loans you may have taken out.

#3 Health Savings Account (HSA)

Health savings accounts are triple tax free....