We’re headed into the home stretch before Christmas, and I’m not ready for it to be the weekend before Santa comes. Are you ready? This has been been an extra busy month with Christmas preparations, Taylor’s birthday to plan and my niece’s wedding to attend, all while contractors still hammer away in our new home. Some days it’s overwhelming, but at the same time, I am so grateful for everything
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We’ve been an experiencing a very hot October in LA, so it doesn’t feel much like Fall here. But according to my calendar, we’re halfway through the month, which means Thanksgiving is about 5 weeks away and Christmas will be here in 10 short weeks. Yikes! Fall is always such a busy time of the year as we jump from holiday-to-holiday. Of course, that is what also makes it fun,
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These days people want passion and career to mesh and ultimately turn into their dream job with excellent earning capabilities. This is the American Dream, after all. What constitutes as someone’s passion and an excellent earning is, of course, personal and subjective, but most people tend to think traditional jobs when they think of high-paying professions. However, that is not always the case. Doctors, lawyers and IT gurus don’t own
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This week has been a huge roller coaster in the markets, which has left many investors feeling uncertain. As you can imagine, my week has been very busy answering questions and alleviating fears. I know many of you have similar questions and concerns as well. Next Monday, I’ll talk some more on the recent market volatility and more importantly — how to respond to market swings.
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One of the most popular topics on The Heavy Purse and when I’m invited to speak at public or Corporate events is money happiness. It seems so elusive or make-believe to many. Too often we spend money emotionally, which typically leaves us feeling even more emotional afterwards. Now we are filled with regret, shame and even defiance over the items we purchased as we justify the costs to ourselves and/or
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Small business owners are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. Fortune 500 corporations tend to get all the headlines and attention, but more than half the working population is employed by a small business. For many, the idea of becoming a small business owner is their ultimate dream come true and approximately 543,000 new businesses launch every month in pursuit of that dream. The flip side is also the bitter
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On Monday, I shared some valuable family vacation money lessons you can weave into your next trip together. I’m a huge proponent of finding teachable money moments to help avoid the dreaded money lectures that neither you or your kids enjoy. From personal experience, I know vacations offer plenty of learning opportunities for both parents and kids.
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Student debt has topped 1 trillion dollars and many parents today worry about how they (and/or their kids) will pay for their college education. It’s an opportunity and advantage we want to give our kids, but the rising costs make it feel out of reach for many. Like most things we want, we need to create a plan and it starts by educating ourselves, so we can make smart decisions
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Mother’s Day is this Sunday and it’s always one of my favorite holidays. It may be heavily commercialized but celebrating our mothers is important. To give thanks and share our love with our mothers (and maybe work in an apology or two for those teen years) and to receive it back as both a daughter and mother is a real privilege. In honor of our mothers, I have a fun
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While conventional wisdom suggests that an overly large tax refund isn’t ideal since you’ve been giving the government an interest-free loan, many people still eagerly anticipate getting a big refund every year. Thanks, in large part, to their dreams about how they are going to spend it, because in their mind, it’s free money.
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SHANNON RYAN, CFP®