I have never used TikTok, so I don’t understand the point of TikTok Challenges. However, I do see them on the news. Who decides which act of craziness becomes worthy of being a TikTok Challenge? It reminds me of fashion trends with back-to-school clothes. Who decides what brand will be the “it” style this year? …
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September 10th, 2025
The Disability Challenge
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May 31st, 2025
Red Flags for Elder Abuse
Apparently, May is Elder Care Month, so I thought it was a good time to discuss elder abuse. Did you know that financial planners can be trained to recognize when someone is experiencing elder abuse? One of my favorite continuing education webinars was presented by a former FBI agent. He identified different red flags that…
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October 31st, 2024
A Little Reminder
Sometimes life provides little examples of the importance of financial planning. For me, the entire month of October was one of those financial planning reminders. Have you ever experienced an entire month that just sucked? Unfortunately, it can happen more often than we like to admit. Let me tell you a little story. On September…
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July 31st, 2024
Inherited IRAs
I have been getting more questions on Inherited IRAs recently. Inherited IRAs are a sad subject because death is involved. It’s not easy to solve the inherited IRA dilemma while your friend is grieving, but it is a very important service. While everyone appreciates an inheritance, managing that money is the last thing on your…
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June 24th, 2024
Financial Planning Without Money
Can you take financial planning steps without money? “I need money to plan with before meeting with you,” is the most popular rejection I hear when I talk to people about financial planning. Granted, I am biased because I believe everyone can benefit from some financial planning, but I think that is a lame excuse….
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May 29th, 2024
How do Retirement Accounts Work?
One of my dear friends asked me about retirement accounts. He didn’t want to know what we invested in, but how the system of investing works. The question was different for me because I am normally talking about our investing products, not how it all works. I’m used to seeing eyes glaze over as I…
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February 28th, 2024
Investing vs. Gambling
Finally, sports betting will be legal in North Carolina on March 11! Gambling on sports is nothing new. We’ve all participated in our office pools. I remember filling out March Madness brackets as far back as seventh grade, with each game being worth around a quarter. A perfect bracket was worth about thirty dollars, which…
