By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA®
Tuesday, 03 September 2019
Did you know that 41% of first marriages end in divorce?[i] Did you ever have money issues in your first marriage? It wouldn’t be surprising, even if that wasn’t the reason for the split, as money disagreements account for 21% of divorces and for those with incomes over $100,000 a year it jumped to 33%.[ii] On top of that, most couples have conflicting money values such as when one is a saver and one is a spender. Now you are onto your next marriage…congratulations! The next step will be going over a few important financial details that you should discuss with your partner. Financial communication is absolutely vital in a relationship and, in some ways, even more important in a second marriage as you will be bringing more complexity and baggage with you. You will both be better off moving forward in this new romantic chapter if you can get everything on the table and discussed.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA®
Wednesday, 31 July 2019
When it comes to getting your kids ready for college it can seem like there are a million things to do, think of, and prepare. I remember I was a wreck when my daughter Maddy went off to college (She successfully graduated May 2019). I had my concerns about her safety, her well-being, her ability to create her own structure with all that freedom, and all the other concerns that come with being the parent of a young adult. Maddy, on the other hand, was excited to begin this new chapter of her life. The furthest thing from her mind was worst-case scenarios and creating a plan for the what-ifs of adulthood.
If you are a mother and you have a job, chances are you feel like finding that perfect balance between managing your family and your career is just out of reach.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA®
Tuesday, 25 June 2019
That’s because there are only 24 hours in a day and some of those are supposed to be earmarked for sleep (though with little ones or teenagers in the house that often proves a challenge). The reality is that you can have it all, you just need to reconfigure what all actually means. We are bombarded on all sides by endless streams of advice on how to be better parents as expectations for parent involvement have been growing alongside many other more elaborate expectations for working mothers. How are we supposed to be more with less on both sides? You can’t! Step one is to realize a lot of the goals for being the perfect mother and employee are unrealistic. Do you want to win? Change the rules of the game. Succeeding at mothering may not be endless Pinterest crafts and a full schedule of extra-curricular activities. At the same time, earning employee of the year honors may not require tons of overtime and being available 24 hours a day.
