How do I maximize my credit card points?
This article is about how to use credit card points. In a prior post, I wrote about how to properly use travel cards and which one to get. Find that post here. Credit card points and travel hacking are a trend in the modern financial world that truly boggles the mind. Some financial influencers or […]
Your Financial Journey
Your financial journey is going to be unique. The achievements you hope to unlock, the strategy you employ to get them, and the order you do things will be all about you. However, your journey will contain a lot of the same key elements most people deal with in the process of unlocking their achievements. […]
A quick tl;dr on Insurance
Going through big transitions? Time to review some things. Buying a house, getting married, and starting a family are awesome! But, what happens *if*? Homeowners policies have tons of elements to consider, even if renting: 1) Is your deductible right? You’re overpaying for a small deductible if you have a great emergency fund! 2) Does […]
What Can OWFLP Do For You?
”What Can Brown Do For You?” UPS came out with this very effective and somewhat memeable slogan back in the day. The slogan nods to two big ideas. The first is that UPS is willing to help improve others’ businesses and personal lives through their services. The second is that UPS is interested in asking […]
How the Tax Code Gives with One Hand and Takes with the Other
The tax deadline is quickly approaching. A lot of questions are swirling around taxes this time of year. What will my refund be? How much will I owe? How do I adjust my withholdings to make things better for next year? What can I do to save more on taxes? The truth about tax planning […]
Why CFP®?
A common question that financial planner’s get is “What makes a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ different from a non-CFP®?” This question in particular gets asked of me in a lot of my first meetings with potential new clients. I get it. There are a ton of different financial professionals that hold themselves out as financial planners. […]
Weathering the Storm
Best laid plans, right? These days it seems like a storm is always on the horizon. No matter what your lived experience is, you’ve had to pivot due to an unpredictable life circumstance before. We just experienced that in our household. I won’t go into specifics, but safe to say we lost almost a week […]
Vacation Planning: A Quick Tutorial
If you’re like me, you probably need time to reset each year. With spring and summer fast approaching, you may find yourself wishing for a change of scenery. Thankfully the new house has delayed or reset that timer a bit for our household – I’m still learning my new routines- but, eventually the time will […]
“Do you tell clients to buy crypto?”
I’m writing this article as a reference for the future, because I get some version of this question a lot. It’s not always about what I ask clients to do, sometimes it’s about if I own crypto or what my thoughts on crypto are. The short answer is no, to all of it. The long […]
The Modern Homebuyer Story
I was inspired to write today by some conversations I saw from my colleagues – people who couldn’t imagine buying a home at an 8% interest rate today. The typically back-and-forth begins with something like: “I just helped a client buy a $500,000 home at 8%. Wild!”“Back in my day, 8% was normal! It may […]