Personal Pro Tips

A few years ago, right after Marie was born, I learned an almost very expensive lesson about FSAs. The kind of lesson that makes your stomach drop, your palms sweat, and your spouse look at you like, “Please tell me we didn’t just waste that much money.” We had signed up for a Dependent Care FSA, maxed it out at $5,000, and felt like responsible adults checking off one more box during open enrollment. Fast-forward to the end of the year… we almost forgot to use it. And by “al

Last week I celebrated another trip around the sun. This birthday felt meaningful because it puts me officially halfway to the age when I plan to claim Social Security. A lot can change between now and then, but it is already something I think about and plan toward. You might be wondering what age that is. With today’s rules, I could file as early as 62. I could wait until my full retirement age of 67. Or I could hold out until age 70. So, which one do I plan to choose, and w

In today’s world, I often see other people think wealth is often equated with what you own: luxury cars, designer wardrobes, and massive homes. But to my family real wealth isn’t parked in your driveway or hanging in your closet it’s the ability to do the things you want, when you want, and often for us it’s traveling somewhere new as a family. To me, travel can be the ultimate investment in personal growth and happiness that lasts long after the trip is over. By shifting you

If you know me, I’m not one for sitting still. I have to do something or I go insane. As my grandma would say, “Idle hands are the devil’s dirty work.” And that Catholic guilt has always stuck with me.  Last week, I was in San Mateo, California for a Wealth Management conference on retirement and tax planning. When the conference wrapped up, I did what I always do when traveling, I went for a run. One of my favorite traditions since my wife and I got married is running in new

Money is an emotionally charged subject matter. It’s impossible to keep your emotions out of your money because it’s human nature to get scared, excited, worried, jealous and all of the other feels. This is why money is almost always viewed on a relative basis for comparison purposes. Rarely do people look at their absolute level of income, net worth or assets. You compare yourself to others. How rich are you relative to your peers, co-workers or strangers on the Internet? An

My wife and I just celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary earlier this month. Ten years of building a life together, growing as individuals, raising kids, and learning (often the hard way) what not to do in a partnership. As I reflect on this milestone, I wanted to share ten lessons that have shaped me, many of which have influenced how I approach life, family, health, and even my work with clients today. 1. Extreme Ownership Marriage has taught me that pointing fingers doe