Appreciate Finance Blog
The College debt question
Yes, I am going to bore you with articles about college again. As my son finalizes his choice of college for next year (as countless other teens are doing across the country right now) different points of view vie for attention. What comes up again and again is...
Consider refinancing now
Interest rates are low again, just when we thought they could not get lower. You may be able to catch these rates while they are still low and save on your monthly payment. It might just be time to think about refinancing now.
Gifting tactics
For those employers who like to give gifts throughout the year, here are a few gifting tactics you might want to take note of. Interestingly enough, although cash gifts to employees are considered taxable income, small gifts of little value and turkeys and hams, are...
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...
Plastics and the problems they cause
Plastics - the problems they cause and how we can reduce or eliminate them is an issue that’s beginning to get more attention. The topic comes up in a business publication that suggests we start investing in solutions to the difficulties. Read the full article...
Gender Investing Gap
First there was a pay gap, now an investing gap. Men tend to invest more while women leave more of their money in cash. In addition, 59% of women age 20 to 34 leave investing and financial planning up to spouses, thus losing out on opportunities for learning and...
Being prepared for the end
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.