Blog Round-Up: February 2015 Edition

It’s hard to believe that February is almost over. It seems like it just began! Chris celebrates his birthday in February, which is always fun. This year, we did a quick trip to Las Vegas, then the following weekend was Valentine’s Day. We’re celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary later this year, so it’s no longer a pressure cooker holiday for us, but we still always try to do something special too.

Weekly Recap

Most people consider taxes to be a required chore they do annually when they file taxes. I know you may not want to hear this, but it needs to be more than a once-a-year to-do. In part 1 of my new tax series, I shared why Understanding Your Tax Reality is important and the first step to lowering your taxable income. On Monday, I’ll take a closer look at the role of asset allocation in reducing your tax liability today and in retirement.

A Few Good Reads

These are my favorite reads from February.

Grayson shared It’s Not About Your Dreams, But How You Reach It in his staff post at Frugal Rules. I spend a lot of time with clients helping them identify dreams and which ones should become goals. Because as Grayson points out, if we ever want to move beyond dreams, we have to do the work to make it a reality.

Michelle at Shop My Closet Project gave us 5 Reasons Why Self-Talk is so Important. Our self-talk is a huge reflection of how we view ourselves and definitely affects our ability to succeed, personally, professionally and financially.

Travis from Enemy of Debt shows us how to Change Your Perspective, Change Your Life. Travis discovered how just a small tweak to his language completely changed how he viewed his goals and revved up his motivation to achieve them.

Holly at Club Thrifty reminded us that Success is Not a Zero-Sum Game. Love her abundance mindset when it came to helping another peer grow professionally. Too many of us are stuck in scarcity mode when an abundance mindset is what helps you succeed.

Tonya over at Budget and the Beach is Ditching Perfectionism. Love her thought process around what is easy for one person, isn’t necessarily easy for another. Great point and something we need to remember the next time we compare ourselves to others.

Brian from Luke 1428 taught us How To Enjoy a Life of Guilt-Free Spending. This is something we all want to experience but too few of us do. Brian shares the reasons behind our guilt and steps to help us go from guilty to guilt-free spending while under adult supervision.

DC at Young Adult Money shared the 1 Thing You Need to Do to Improve Your Finances in 2015, which is protecting you and your family from the unpredictable with life insurance. And I agree wholeheartedly.

Kim at Eyes on the Dollar asked Should Kids Have a Credit Card? It’s something every parent with kids ends up debating and my vote is yes. Not as a gateway to mindless spending and consumer debt, but to give them hands on experience on wielding the power of a credit card responsibly.

Lauren from LBee and The Money Tree shared her 10 Step Guide to Building a Fabulous Budget. Budgets don’t need to be painful to work, and these steps will help you build a budget that works for you.

Well, that’s a wrap for this week. Do you have big plans for the weekend?

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