Are Your Investments Working As Hard As You Are?

How do you want your portfolio to work? If the first words that come to mind are “More, harder, faster!” then you may need a portfolio review.

Let me tell you about a new client of mine who came to me for a portfolio review. She’d done enough reading online to know that excessive fees could significantly reduce her returns and her ability to retire. READ MORE

Welcome “Budgeting by Choice for More Savings Earned” Blog

I am a Certified Financial Planner(R) whose does cash flow based financial planning with a focus on budgeting.  While I got my CFP(R) in 1988 it wasn’t till 2007 that I made financial planning my focus.  I started by working for other financial planners in the background and grew until the role of principal adviser.  And the more financial planning I did, the more I realized that people really don’t know what they spend, and basing a plan on current spending is like building a house on a bad foundation.

As a result of having been married, I knew that those same questions were in the middle of a lot of marriages and relationships.  In my search for meaningful work, I realized that I had found “my work” in budgeting and financial planning.  I could make a difference in people’s lives.  Yes, I considered for a short time being a couples counselor.  And I realized that I empathize WAY too much and my clients would probably end up handing ME the Kleenex box.

So while I am here for you when it’s time for you to put together your budget or make a plan for your financial future, this blog is meant to give tips on how to save and, may be, include some techniques on how to work out the bumps in your cash flow.   The emphasis is on how to save money as, frankly, that’s just plain fun.  I will start with some of my own experiences and share those of my clients and others.  Thanks for checking in and if you have a question or an idea, let’s DISCUSS IT!