Appreciate Finance Blog
Slowing down and Greening up
Happy New Year! 2020 ushers in a new decade. It's an exciting time to consider what changes we might see in coming years. What changes do we want to see for ourselves and for the world? I liked this article about slow living. It's a good reminder that the quality of...
The Australian Miracle, Plastics and College
It may not be worth it to take on large amounts of debt for parents or children, nor to endanger household savings for retirement, in the interest of expensive college tuitions. Read the full article here.
Gifting, Equanimity, Investing and Moving On
I want to strongly encourage folks to consider taking action to ensure that when we pass (and we all do, as much as we don't want to think about it), others are not burdened by our lack of preparation. The grief of losing a loved one is tremendous so we don’t want to...
Why We Diversify
Protecting against the downside is the first step in investing. Ownership of multiple securities lowers portfolio risk because of the smoothing effect of stock prices moving up and down at different times. Because we cannot predict the future, we should plan our...
Keep Cash on Hand
As Warren Buffet says, “In order to succeed, you must first survive”. Read more to understand why it is so important to keep cash on hand, even when it can put a drag on your portfolio.
Digital Assets for your Estate Plan
You may have an estate plan, but does it account for your digital assets? Many of us today manage a complex web of digital assets from our Linked In accounts to our photos, music blogs, Facebook site and more. What happens to those after we pass away? Learn more in...
Here’s why high salaries don’t necessarily make you rich
High salaries are deceptive. They make us feel rich, but many of them come with an expectation that spending money earns money, read more about it here...
Annual college savings plan survey
Morningstar has come out with their annual survey of college savings 529 plans. One surprise is that the California plan has just been upgraded-- too bad the recent proposed California Tax Break on that plan did not get passed in legislation. Read on for more news....
Only 20% of Americans max out 401k/Retirement plan
An interesting new retirement report by TD Ameritrade reveals some key facts, among them: Only one in 5 Americans maxes out consistently their 401k/retirement plan; and, Most folks would rather spend less in retirement than less now.