The Art of The Financial Planner
by Stephanie Berenbaum of 'Fabulous and Frugal'
January 2010
Think a financial planner is only for someone who has a ton of money to invest and manage? Think again! It’s a common misperception that “financial planning” is only for the rich, but, really – how do you think the rich get so rich anyway?! Definitely not by sitting back and letting their financial lives pass them by. So, no matter how much (or, ok, how little) you make, it might make sense for you to consult a financial professional to help chart your financial future.
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The Best Ways to Cut College Costs Now
by Maya Frost
January 2010
I often receive questions from parents regarding how to save for college, but lately, I’ve been getting emails from financial advisors. They are looking for tips to pass along to their clients who are overwhelmed by the cost of educating their kids and ask me, "What’s the best way for families to save for college now?"
Unfortunately, this is an Old School question that, though still relevant, does not lead to the solutions that are helping savvy families give their kids a great education without spending a fortune.
Things are changing, and I wanted to find a financial advisor who is embracing a more progressive and holistic approach to finances in general. I was especially delighted to connect with Mark Zaifman of Spiritus Financial. I'd learned about Mark through Vicki Robin and her best-selling book, "Your Money or Your Life" which was published in the nineties and just re-issued with an updated edition. My husband and I read this book years ago and it profoundly influenced our perspective on money and time and planted the seed for our big decision: selling everything we owned in 2005 and leaving our suburban American lifestyle behind in order to move abroad with four teenage daughters.
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Making and Keeping Investment Portfolio and Financial Planning Resolutions For 2010
by Mark Zaifman
January 2010
Even if you aren't among those who normally make New Year's resolutions —this may be the time when you will want to make and keep them in the year to come.
With stock markets around the world recovering from their lows last year, and a sense that maybe, just maybe the worst may be over, it’s unfortunately too early to take our eye off the ball.
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FI Thinking…
by Mark Zaifman
January 2010
I’m sure like many of you reading this article, I was more than ready to bid farewell to 2009 and was eager to welcome in 2010. As the dust settles from the tumultuous year we all experienced, time to set our focus on the New Year ahead. That means, more than ever, it’s time to make sure your financial house is in order.
Last year, I connected with many people from around the country and around the world that contacted me through my work on the updated edition of Your Money or Your Life. Many of you signed up for our newsletter, are following me on Twitter, became a fan on Facebook and some of you became new financial planning clients in 2009.
For me, this is a real treat as the profile of an FI’er (your money or your life lingo for someone that has attained financial independence ) is a person of high integrity that has their financial house in order. It’s someone that has looked hard and long at how they spend, save and earn their money. It’s a person that has aligned their money and their life with their values and feels very comfortable and peaceful around their relationship with money. These are my people and I’m proud to have the opportunity to work with such savvy clients. To all of you new to Spiritus, welcome, merci, grazie, danke, gracias, thank you!
There are also many of you that may never have read Your Money or Your Life. Allow me to please offer you some of what I think are the real juicy bits that hopefully will motivate you to read this seminal book on your money and your life. It will be one of the best investments you make this year.
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Are You an Investor or a Speculator?
by Mark Zaifman
October 2009
With stock markets around the globe doing quite well recently, the temptation to speculate, a.k.a. gambling, is back in vogue. John Bogle, the founder of the Vanguard Group appeared on PBS recently discussing this very topic. There are not many professionals in the investment world that hold the stature and credibility of John Bogle, so when he warns of a new wave of investor speculation heading our way, I take his warning seriously.
After a dizzying year of watching the stock market slide lower and lower, seeing stability and growth is a welcome change. It has been reported that there is close to $5 trillion dollars sitting on the sidelines, mostly parked in money market accounts, CD's or high yield savings accounts. It won't be long before a large portion of this money finds its way back into the stock market. Some investment pros think the magic number is 10,000 on the Dow for the big money to get back into the game. Who knows for sure what the magic number or formula will be? But one thing is certain, with interest rates on CD's and money market accounts hovering at 1-2%, it is just a matter of time before this huge pool of money finds its way back into the stock market.
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