Fee-Only Financial Planning / Wealth Management / Investment Advice, Atlanta, Georgia
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Perhaps Charles Dickens’ iconic line has never been more appropriate. Twenty years from now, we may look back at 2016 and marvel at the unique set of economic forces at play: a near-zero interest rate environment on the part of nearly every developed [...]
Step Three: Start Fighting Back This is my third and final post about “Protecting Your Identity Online.” As you’ll recall from the previous posts, the number one way to protect yourself is a “credit freeze,” and knowing your rights and options if you are victimized is vital (since there is a very high probability that most people will be hit at some [...]
Step Two: Know Your Rights and Be ProActive Back in April–has it been that long?–I posted about how to protect yourself from identity theft in the wake of rampant data breaches. As I discussed in the post, a credit freeze is the absolute best way to lock down your credit file, so that only you [...]
There are a lot of misconceptions about the Social Security system out there. We know, because when it comes to retirement planning, we have had countless conversations with clients and Social Security personnel in an attempt to make the best decisions possible in conjunction with an overall retirement plan. Over the years, we’ve picked up quite [...]
According to new data from Experian, consumers now borrow, on average, about $28,000 for a new car purchase, an increase of about 4%. Even with record low interest rates, the average car payment on a new vehicle is up as well, now almost $500 per month. There are a myriad of reasons why people may feel [...]
I was initially drawn to this recent Wall Street Journal story because it’s situated in a small town just minutes outside of Atlanta, and probably only about 40-50 miles (as a crow flies) from our office. But the situation in Carrollton is just a microcosm of the issues facing the US economy as a whole; [...]
Habits That Help You Get Wealthy Most people believe that having a six figure income and/or being in the top 1% of income earners is what it will take to be wealthy. However, in my experience over the last 29 years of helping people become wealthy and stay wealthy, having a high income is only one [...]
Dave Ramsey is a popular and sometimes controversial personal finance talk show host. He is looked up to by thousands all across the country for his practical advice, and especially for his unique ability to encourage and motivate people to get out of debt. While, of course, we wouldn’t endorse everything Dave–or any other person–says [...]
Household debt is one of the many data points I review when looking at the economy. Since the great recession, household debt has decreased steadily over the last 4 years as consumers have paid down debt and as debt has been charged off in foreclosures. Over the last few quarters however, we have seen household [...]
