by Owen | Nov 8, 2021 | Behavioral Finance, Financial Goals, Financial Planning, Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning
We want to make the most of our hard-earned money. But that can mean different things to different people. The way we “optimize” our financial plan can vary greatly from one person to the next.
There are a few different ways to optimize a financial plan. Some will be obvious and widely accepted, like minimizing income tax where possible, but some are a bit less obvious or will depend on personal preferences.
Because a financial plan represents our personal preferences and personal values, no two financial plans are the same.
While two people may have similar income, assets, and net worth, they could have dramatically different financial plans depending on what they’re optimizing for.
We all want to make the most of our money, but what that looks like will vary greatly from one person to the next.
Here are a few of the different ways you can optimize your financial plan… what are you optimizing for?
by Owen | Sep 20, 2021 | Behavioral Finance, Budgeting, Financial Goals, Financial Planning, Income, Retirement Planning, Saving Money, Tax Planning
In a world filled with uncertainty a financial plan has this amazing ability to predict the future.
It can help predict future income, expenses, assets, and debts. It can help predict if you’ll be financially secure in the future or if you’ll be eating cat food. It can help predict if you need to save more to achieve your goals or if you can spend more now and enjoy today. In can help predict if you’ll run out of money in retirement or if you’ll end up with millions.
A financial plan isn’t a perfect prediction of course. It’s based on certain assumptions. But good assumptions can create a good prediction. There will still be some chance of the future working out differently than planned, but with a path mapped out the future becomes very real and very achievable.
They say that “failing to plan is planning to fail”. A financial plan will help you know where you’re going. It will help you create a clear roadmap to follow. If you can hit the milestones on the roadmap then success is all but guaranteed.
Here are just a few ways that a financial plan can help you predict the future and make it a reality.
by Owen | Sep 6, 2021 | Behavioral Finance, Budgeting, Financial Goals, Financial Planning, Retirement Planning
What do you prefer to spend your money on? Cars, houses, vacations? Everyone spends their money differently. Some people enjoy nice cars, large houses, the latest clothes or gadgets, luxurious vacations, food, wine, restaurants, the list is endless.
But for some of us, we like to spend our money a different way. Some of us like to slowly buy more and more freedom, flexibility, and time.
Like other ways to spend money, buying freedom is a personal choice, but it’s the right trade-off for us. We don’t value expensive cars, or large houses, or expensive clothes, but what we do value is freedom, flexibility, and time.
by Owen | Aug 9, 2021 | Behavioral Finance, Investment Planning
Are actively managed portfolios guaranteed to underperform passively managed portfolios? That’s what William F. Sharpe argued when he wrote The Arithmetic Of Active Management.
The idea is quite simple, and the paper is quite short if you’d like to read it.
It presents a very simple argument for low-cost passive investing versus high-cost active investing.
Through simple arithmetic, Sharpe argues that it’s easy to see that passive portfolios will outperform active portfolios. The argument is built on a few simple concepts so let’s take a look…
by Owen | Jul 26, 2021 | Behavioral Finance, Buying A Home, Down Payment, Saving Money
Sometimes you have to take a risk. But not all risks are created equal. Some risks have rewards that greatly outweigh the potential downside. These risks can pay off big-time down the road, but its important to pick the right ones.
When it comes to personal finance there are lots of risks (and lots of rewards!). Taking a few strategic risks can do wonders for your long-term personal finances. But it’s important to understand the trade-offs.
Almost nothing in the world of personal finance is completely risk free (except maybe a guaranteed deposit with an insured bank) but there are four financial risks that can be worth taking.
If you understand the potential downsides, these financial risks can have a huge positive impact on your finances.
by Owen | Jun 26, 2021 | Behavioral Finance, Budgeting
Where do I want to spend my time? Not managing my finances, that’s for sure.
If you spend more than 30-minutes per week managing your finances then you need to simplify! That includes budgeting, paying bills, making debt payments, and moving money around.
Spending a lot of time managing your finances can actually be bad for your net worth. It zaps your energy and leads to bad financial decisions. Spending a lot of time on your finances can lead to budget fatigue and makes it more likely that you’ll make an impulse purchase.
Simplifying your finances doesn’t have to be difficult. It might require a bit of time up-front but once you’ve made a change you’ll immediately start to see the benefits.
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