Whatever you call it - Cash Flow, Budget or Spending Plan - those who live without one usually end up living without. We enjoy helping our clients get a grip on their finances and implement a plan that will help them accomplish their goals.

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1. Keep Christmas Your Own Way (2008-11-17)
   In Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge asks his nephew, "What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money?" Sadly, that sounds like Christmas for many American families binging on expensive gifts.
   
   
2. The Seven Steps of Financial Preparedness (2008-10-06)
   When a hurricane threatens, making a plan and gearing up for emergencies is imperative. Economic emergencies happen too, but it may be less obvious how to prepare. Here are seven steps you should take to weather any financial storm.
   
   
3. Compute Your Net Worth Once A Year (2006-02-06)
   Belated Happy New Year! Now that the confetti has been swept up and your head is a little clearer, how do things look? Specifically, now that you are a year closer to retirement, are you on track to meet your goals? Have you measured? What gets measured is more likely to be accomplished. Computing your net worth once a year is the first and most important step toward financial security.
   
   
4. You too can become a billionaire 2005 (2005-04-11)
   There are 691 billionaires in the world according to a recent survey. Most are in the United States, and the others are scattered throughout 46 other countries. Because of the surging world economy, 104 newcomers were added to the list last year. Learning how billionaires amassed their wealth may expand your financial horizons and possibly seed you with an idea that will lead to the inclusion of your name on the list.
   
   
5. Inflation Part 1: How the Government Lies About Inflation (2008-06-16)
   Officially, inflation today is calculated about 4%. Unofficially, it is over 7%. Since 1997 the government Consumer Price Index (CPI) has manipulated the raw data and significantly underreported inflation.
   
   
6. Learning to Live on Your Own, Part 1 (2008-02-11)
   If you're like most of today's college graduates, you may find yourself ill prepared for the real world of financial responsibility. You never saw how your parents lived when they were first married and struggling. Consequently, you may be basing your after-school expectations on an upper-middle-class lifestyle. Here is my financial advice for those of you learning to live on your own.
   
   
7. Learning to Live on Your Own, Part 2 (2008-02-18)
   Here we offer some sound advice on how to put the money you've saved to work for you.
   
   
8. That Rebate Check Could Ruin Your Retirement Part 2 (2008-05-19)
   Anyone who spends more than 4% of their rebate will actually lose ground saving toward their retirement.
   
   
9. Decide to Be Rich (2008-04-07)
   It used to be that becoming a millionaire was regarded as a huge achievement. In today's dollars, however, it is fairly trivial. The new rich is over $5 million.
   
   
10. Budgeting Part 1: Creating a family budget (2005-03-21)
    Spending less than you earn is the essential foundation that creates the capital for investing and wealth building. Following the simple advice in this series of articles on budgeting will help you create the wealth necessary to benefit from professional fee-only asset management.
    
    
11. Squirrel Away Money While You Can (2005-09-12)
    In 1985, an MIT professor won the Nobel Prize for a simple technique that squirrels have known intuitively from birth -- you have to "squirrel" away some nuts during times of plenty so you can survive during times of scarcity.
    
    
12. Raising Money Savvy Kids - Teen Budgeting (2007-03-19)
    Many parents are concerned about raising their children to be financially savvy. If you want to raise kids who can create and manage wealth, there are a handful of key life skills every child should practice. Every kid should practice living within a budget before leaving home, not after. One way to provide opportunities for real world lessons at home is to give your children some oversight of the family budget.
    
    
13. Financial Harmony in Marriage (2007-05-21)
    Money problems can ruin the love affair with your spouse. The work of blending two lives in harmony requires certain basic commitments. Even a financial planner can't help unless the couple is willing to make five simple commitments.
    
    
14. Buying a Car Without Breaking the Bank (2007-04-23)
    Purchasing a car is the second biggest spending decision we face as consumers next to buying a home. Unlike real estate or an investment portfolio which appreciates, cars are rapidly depreciating assets. In addition to the car's sticker price, operating expenses can drive the unsuspecting consumer into the poorhouse. And, if you choose to finance your car purchase, your losses will be compounded.
    
    
15. Why is Bob Cratchit So Poor? (2005-12-12)
    Christmas is a time for oft told tales like Charles Dickens’s "A Christmas Carol." At first glance, this story fills us with pity for the Cratchit family, always struggling to make ends meet. Poor Bob Cratchit is forced to work for Ebenezer Scrooge, whose personality makes an easy target for the cause of Bob’s financial troubles. But, the true source of the Cratchits’ poverty is not Scrooge but Bob’s own impulse to live a lifestyle worthy of the Lord Mayor himself.
    
    
16. You too can become a billionaire 2007 (2007-07-02)
    There are 946 billionaires in the world according to a recent survey. Half are in one country, the United States of America! The others are scattered throughout 53 other countries. Because of the surging world economy, 195 newcomers were added to the list last year and only 32 dropped out. Learning how billionaires amass their wealth may expand your financial horizons and possibly stimulate some ideas that could lead to your name being added in the future.
    
    
17. Retirement Wisdom Part 6 - Have a concrete plan (2004-12-06)
    Saving something toward retirement and hoping for the best does not constitute an adequate plan. Because retirement is years - even decades - away, planning is more critical, not less. The more detailed the retirement plan, the greater the likelihood of success.
    
    
18. The Business of Being an Artist - Part 1 (2007-08-13)
    The image of the starving artist has prevailed too long. Here are the financial essentials that artists avoid at their peril.
    
    
19. Compute Your Net Worth Once A Year (2004-01-05)
    The yearly cycle of financial planning begins with computing your net worth at the start of each New Year.
    
    
20. Budgeting Part 2: Living on a family budget (2005-03-28)
    Dieting is difficult when the rest of the family is still feasting. Living on a budget without the help of your family is impossible.
    
    
21. Creating A Ladder for Retirement Income (2006-01-16)
    Laddered bonds are an effective means of finishing that climb to financial success. For the 75 million baby boomers who begin turning 60 this year, this simple investment tool can help America’s soon-to-be retirees maintain financial health in the years to come. If you are retired or planning on retiring soon, a tailor-made laddered bond portfolio can provide a dependable income stream without compromising your growth investments—even during your retirement years!
    
    
22. Seven Financial Rules for Marital Bliss (2006-06-12)
    An overwhelming number of failed marriages cite financial troubles as a major factor in their breakup. This is no surprise because the way we use our time and money reflects our values. Without a strong set of shared values, marriages drift apart. But, dealing with finances together can bring a couple closer. Here are seven principles of how you can build wealth and your marriage.
    
    
23. What the Rich Know and the Poor Do Not (2007-01-15)
    This new year, resolve to get your financial house in order so that you can enjoy peace of mind. Financial planning is important, but it is never urgent. Most people fail to establish a financial plan because they fail to start planning. Some resolutions can be postponed, but for every six years that you delay saving and investing, you cut your retirement lifestyle in half. So, act on your resolution today.
    
    
24. How much do you need to save this month? (2006-11-13)
    There are only a few critical financial planning questions you need to be able to answer. Probably the most important is, "How much money do I need to save this month to meet my goals?" Many people don't know the answer to this question and avoid it to the detriment of their long-term financial well-being.
    
    
25. Budgeting Part 3: Reduce Your Spending (2005-04-04)
    If you need more money to makes ends meet, you can earn more or spend less. Both take work, but making a game out of the latter can reap more rewards than Monopoly. Let’s roll the dice and get started. You’ll be amazed at how much money you can save.
    
    
26. The Business of Being an Artist - Part 2 (2007-08-20)
    For those working in the arts, financial planning is artistic freedom. You can be an artist and also eat well if you don't avoid the subject of financial planning all together. After you have your cash flow and career planning in place, you also need to address your insurance and legal concerns.
    
    
27. Retirement Wisdom Part 2 - Automate Your Saving (2004-11-01)
    The most successful way to save it is to automate your saving plan. Saved money makes money. And saved money making more money can make the differece between upper middle class and struggling middle class. Automate your savings, and you will automate growing richer.
    
    
28. NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation (2006-10-16)
    The non-profit NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation is offering a series of monthly presentations in Charlottesville, beginning this Saturday. The Foundation is dedicated to bringing consumer financial education to communities across America.
    
    
29. Bankruptcy Is Sometimes the Best Option (2007-06-25)
    Most people want to honor their debt. But many families have allowed their debt to spiral out of control, and they feel helpless, ashamed, and at a loss to know what to do. While bankruptcy isn't anyone's first choice, sometimes it is an important choice to consider.
    
    
30. How to Double Your Retirement (2005-12-26)
    Every six years you delay saving and investing you cut in half the lifestyle you will have in retirement. You owe it to yourself and your family to make certain that your financial New Year’s Resolution are kept this year. Here are ways to save and to invest that are simple and specific enough to keep.
    
    
31. Financial Planning Begins with Spiritual Values (2006-12-25)
    Many people assume that financial planning primarily deals with cold hard cash. Most financial planners would disagree. Financial planning is the process of aligning your financial choices with your life passions. And although financial planning can tell you how to accomplish your goals, it cannot tell you what your goals should be. Values transcend the cash and the numbers.
    
    
32. Eight Steps to Fix Your Broken Credit (2006-01-23)
    Debt problems destroy your credit history and isolate you from a host of economic privileges and opportunities. If your credit report was a wake up call to get out of debt, you may be wondering what to do next. The first step to stop the hemorrhaging is simply to not borrow another penny until you are completely out of debt. The rest of this article will only benefit those in debt willing to make this commitment.
    
    
33. Personal Debt - The Borrower Becomes The Lender’s Slave (2004-12-27)
    They say that as long as Americans keep spending, the economy will be strong and unemployment will remain low. "Spend now and pay later" is poor personal policy.
    
    
34. Health Savings Accounts (2006-06-19)
    Employers and employees alike are feeling the squeeze of swelling health care costs. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, health insurance premiums have risen at an average rate of 12 percent per year since 2000. Unable to keep up with rising premiums, employers are forced to pass on costs to employees, to trim benefits, or worse, yet, to dump the coverage all together.
    
    
35. How to get out of debt (Part 1) (2003-11-03)
    Triage
    
    
36. Sifting Through Your Own Credit Dirt (2006-01-09)
    Credit bureaus track your financial moves closely. They are in business to find the financial dirt many living on the edge of credit worthiness would rather keep buried. Better credit has a financial value and companies are not likely to take your word for it. But since mistakes are made, you have a stake in reviewing your credit report for inaccuracies or strange activities that could mean you have been the victim of identity theft.
    
    
37. Learn What Credit Stalkers Know About You (2006-01-02)
    With Christmas come and gone, you may be dreading the sight of credit card bills. Regardless of your credit card debt, the new year is a good time to check your credit history. What you don’t know about your own credit history may kill your opportunities for future borrowing.
    
    
38. Cyber Monday (2006-11-27)
    Today has been tagged 'Cyber Monday' by the retail industry. Like the term 'Black Friday' which refers to the Friday after Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday refers to the Monday three days later. Just as Black Friday is considered the biggest traditional shopping day, Cyber Monday is supposed to see a significant spike in online sales.
    
    
39. ARM Yourself for Mortgage Rate Increases (2006-07-31)
    The party is over for home owners with adjustable rate mortgages (ARMS). Lured by tantalizing rates as low as 3.5 percent in the early 2000s, home buyers jumped at the chance to buy bigger and better. However, in today’s environment, borrowers may not be prepared for their inevitable rate adjustment. The bad news is rates are being readjusted in one direction: up.
    
    
40. You’re Fired! Now Get to Work! (2004-04-26)
    “You’re fired!” can be an opportunity to work for yourself. But the best two words you might hear are yourself saying, “I quit.” Working for yourself is risky and frightening, but the financial freedom and opportunities you gain are significant.
    
    
41. Taxes Matter 5 - The Economics and Mindset of the Rich (2004-08-23)
    Being rich often stems from finding your personal area of genius. Being rich involves finding the vocation where your productivity is most valued by society.
    
    
42. Ten Principles for Teaching Children about Money (2004-03-01)
    Every purchase, investment, or donation can be a time to teach your children something about your values.
    
    
43. How to get out of debt (Part 3) (2003-11-17)
    Stop the bleeding
    
    
44. Don't eat yourself out of financial security (2003-10-27)
    The worst financial problems stem from trying to live a champagne and caviar lifestyle on a beer and chips budget.
    
    
45. Wealth is what you save, not what you spend (2004-02-02)
    Many people mistakenly believe that their financial well-being is outside of their control. It isn't. Repair, make do or do without! Your financial future is made is every day's decisions to spend money or save and invest.
    
    
46. Health Savings Accounts (2004-03-29)
    Insurance is best used to limit catastrophic risk, not pool everyday expenses. Therefore affordable medical insurance will have a high deductible. Out of pocket expenses below the deductible will provide sufficient negative feedback to prevent skyrocketing insurance costs.
    
    
47. How to get out of debt (Part 2) (2003-11-10)
    Stop the worst bleeding
    
    
48. The High Cost of Medical Benefits (2004-03-15)
    There are many ways to address the problem, but all of the solutions that will work involve negative feedback, and the best solutions unify payment, empowerment and benefit in the same individual.
    
    
49. How to get out of debt (Part 5) (2003-12-01)
    Reconstructive surgery
    
    
50. How to get out of debt (Part 4) (2003-11-24)
    Emergency medicine
    
    
51. How to Live on 24 Hours a Day (2004-05-24)
    Time is so much more than money. If you have time, you can acquire more money. But money can’t buy you more time. Time is a great equalizer. You can’t go into time debt. Every day the rich and the poor alike are given twenty-four hours to spend.
    
    
52. Gas Prices Part 2: Remove Taxes and Price Controls on Gasoline (2004-06-14)
    High prices are good when caused by increased demand or a shortage of supply, but artificially high prices are not.
    
    
53. Managing cash is key to meeting goals (2003-10-20)
    Managing your family's cash is key to meeting your financial goals.
    
    
54. Business Planning Must Balance Dreams With Reality (2004-05-10)
    Life is all about balance. In business you need to balance dreams and reality, passion and planning.
    
    
55. Economic Hypocrisy Plagues Public Sector (2004-05-03)
    We act as if being a business owner is trivial enough to burden them with the responsibility of funding, implementing, and enforcing whatever social programs are in vogue. Then we exempt ourselves from taking the risk.
    
    
56. Gas Prices Part 1: High Gasoline Prices Are The Best Energy Policy (2004-06-07)
    High oil and gasoline prices are good. Without any coercion high prices set energy policy more effectively than any government program could.
    
    
57. June: The Month of Wedding Financial Planning (2003-06-15)
    Couples getting married in June usually don't take the time for pre-marital financial counseling. Yet much of the friction in marriage stems from different financial perspectives, and how money is handled is often a factor in divorce.
    
    
58. Slow and Steady Wins The Race (2003-09-22)
    Financial lessons from a snapping turtle.
    
    
59. Maintain financial balance when in business (2004-05-17)
    Running a small business requires financial balance. Here are ten rules.
    
    
60. Money can’t buy you happiness (2003-12-22)
    Financial planning is primarily about living life and using money to further values that transcend the things that money can buy. Reviewing your values may not result in a dramatic career change, but it will help you to see ways to align your actions to your goals.
    
    
61. Everyone needs some frivolous purchases (2004-03-08)
    Everyone needs some fun in their life, and sometimes fun costs a little money. But frivolous purchases can also rob a family of the savings they need to reach their goals.
    
    
62. Financial Resolutions for the New Year (2003-12-29)
    Here are ways to spend less money that are simple, specific, and concrete enough to keep.
    
    
63. Holiday Joy Doesn’t Cost A Fortune (2003-12-08)
    Scrooge’s riches did not make him happy. Fezziwig’s celebration did not make him poor.
    
    
64. Family Budgeting (2002-05-29)
    Spending less than you earn is the foundation that creates the capital for investing and wealth building.
    
    

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