Appreciate Finance Blog
Emergency Fund Mantra
The emergency Fund Mantra, as supported by the well known Suze Orman and Costco. I am delighted to see her suggesting folks keep a larger cushion than she used to recommend. Read more here...
Building Financial Resilience
Financial resilience, or knowing you can make things work out, no matter the twists and turns life takes, is an essential part of our existence. According to an Edward Jones study, nearly 70% of those with a financial plan feel they are financially stable and...
Are grades really worth big money?
Should you tell your youngster grades are worth big money? You can try your best, though sometimes it can be hard for kids to wrap their heads around future financial concepts – one of the difficulties in planning to pay for college. Read more here...
Using Cryptocurrency… you should know this
And on the topic of non-boring investments, if you are dealing with Bitcoin, you might want to read this piece on taxes and cryptocurrency. Some folks don’t know the IRS treats bitcoin as an asset and not as a currency. Unwelcome tax surprises can ensue for the...
Boring investing
One of my mantras is that investing should be boring. This article spells out why long term plain vanilla investment plans tend to create more wealth than exciting GameStop type, adrenalin and drama -filled ones.
Important FAFSA Changes
As kids get closer to college age, you may want to read up on important changes that have been made to the FAFSA by the Department of Education. This form, to be filled out for college financial considerations, has been simplified but some benefits have gone away, and...
Children Need Social Security Numbers
Make sure your children have Social Security numbers, especially if you are a US person living overseas, or a resident in the US with children who have other citizenships but are still eligible for a US number. The stimulus payments will be based partially on having a...
Social Security Benefits While Abroad
If you travel the world or those you know live abroad, it is helpful to know you can likely still get your Social Security benefits from the USA while living in other countries, as long as you are entitled to them. There are pitfalls to look out for if you have...
Property & casualty insurance policies and your trust
If you have a living trust, you probably want to add the name of your trust to your Homeowners and Umbrella insurance policies as a named insured. Thinking from a liability perspective, if the home is owned by the trust and the policy is in the trustee’s name, any...