What does success look like? What images come to mind when you visualize the word? I grew up watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, where the host, Robin Leach, explored the yachts, mansions, and luxury car collections of the world’s wealthi...
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines generosity as the willingness to give more money and time than is necessary or expected. For decades, I struggled with the idea of acting generously and battled furiously against the desire to keep everythin...
According to psychologists, our happiness peaks when we reach the magical salary of $75,000. Once we earn that much, our health and the quality of our relationships provide more joy than making more money ever could. We need to feel safe, sec...
Do you believe in an afterlife? A place where souls go after they die? If so, do you think our deceased loved ones can send us signs from beyond the grave? It’s a question that’s intrigued me since 1986 when my best friend invited me ...
How vivid is your vision of the future? Do you know where you want to go? Do you create specific financial goals to get you there? Decades ago, I didn’t have a plan for my money. I loaded it into my bank account without a clear idea of why I need...
Have you ever felt like you lost your identity? Anyone undergoing a significant life change can experience a loss of identity. New relationships, losing a loved one, childbirth, moving, job loss, and the end of close relationships can lead to an identi...
This year I inadvertently helped my parents embark on the act of Swedish death cleaning. Shortly after my father received his cancer diagnosis, I began helping my parents clean and declutter their home. Although they keep a relativ...
If given the option, would you choose quality over quantity? As a child, I loved receiving new toys and clothes. Whenever my mom left for the store, I’d say, “buy me something.” When Christmas came, I counted my gifts to s...
The posts on this blog have been sparse lately. Despite my best intentions, I haven’t written much. Caring for my dad, managing my parents’ finances, tending to my children, and completing a never-ending list of household chores haven&...
My dad died peacefully at his home after a nearly year-long battle with cancer. Nine days before he passed, he told me he wasn’t ready to go. He didn’t fear death. What he feared was leaving us all behind. There are so many things I want to...
Today I’m undertaking a good, old-fashioned closet cleanout. I’m rolling up my sleeves, clearing the racks, and embarking on a no-holds-barred closet purge. What do you see when you open your closet? Is it full of so many things you canR...
What financial facts would your family need to know if you became incapacitated or unexpectedly died? What documents would you need to gather, and what questions should you answer before the need arises? I’ve been managing my aging par...
This past summer, I became an official member of the sandwich generation. After my dad’s cancer diagnosis in August, I began caring for my aging parents while raising my two boys. In August, I took over management of my parent’s financ...
It’s been thirty days since I last published a post on this blog. Last month, I wrote about self-care guilt and my desire to care for myself without feeling bad about it. Over the past month, I’ve spent hours in doctor’s app...
Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “comparison is the thief of joy.” I couldn’t agree more. Deep inside, we know that comparing ourselves lowers our self-confidence and limits our happiness. But, it’s not always easy to squash th...
What is self-care? Self-care involves taking an active role in protecting your well-being and happiness. When you practice self-care, you carve out time to focus on your physical and mental health. For years, I struggled with self-care guilt. If ...
Every year you receive a pile of invoices from primary care doctors, specialists, insurance companies, and imaging facilities. Have you ever wondered how long you should keep those medical bills? At a minimum, you’ll want to hold onto medic...
I type the phrase “money isn’t everything” into my keyboard. Then I stare at the words in disbelief. Is that statement true? We often think of the world in terms of black and white. Ideas are true or false, and people are good or evil...
Have you ever heard of minimalist money? How about financial minimalism or financial minimalists? The word minimalism is often associated with simplifying and decluttering our possessions, but minimalism isn’t limited to our physical enviro...
Is there a difference between rich and wealthy? Not by definition. According to the oxford dictionary, the definition of rich is having a lot of money or property. As one might guess, the definition of wealthy is the same. Rich and wealthy both indicat...