Good Financial Reads: Beating the Market, Setting Financial Goals, and More

Following along with the blogs of financial advisors is a great way to access valuable, educational information about finance — and it doesn’t cost you a thing! Our financial planners love to share their knowledge and help everyone regardless of age or assets.

Catch up on some of the latest posts with this week's roundup:

When I Thought I Could Beat The Market...

by Brandon Marcott, Edify Financial Planning

I got into the financial services industry because I wanted to focus on investing. It was fun. It was thrilling. I loved watching CNBC and hearing the second by second updates on the market and economy. I could listen to those talking heads all day.

I read and worked with other advisors to see how they invested money for their clients. It became clear that there WAS a way to beat the market. With research and hard work, you could get your clients returns that were consistently better than the market. There was just one problem...

It didn’t work.

[Read the Full Article]

A Practical Approach To Setting Financial Goals

by Justin Rush, JGR Financial Solutions

To some, goal-setting may seem like an unnecessary task. Rather than investing time and energy towards setting goals, many people go about life without a well-defined path. What’s wrong with that? After all, if we’re too focused on attaining set goals, we may miss out on an opportunity, right?

I believe in remaining open to a new calling, opportunity, or challenge in life. However, I also believe in the importance of goal-setting, related to finances, physical well-being, spirituality, or another area of your life.

[Read the Full Article]

The Five Stages of Budgeting Grief

by Nannette Kamien, Inspiration Financial Planning

Many of you may have heard about the five stages of grief. But what does this have to do with budgeting, you ask? I have a confession to make, I DON’T REALLY BUDGET. When I started thinking about why, there were a lot of feelings and emotions that came up. While I don’t yet have all the answers, I hope this post (and I) can be some help to you as you work through your emotional responses to budgeting and get to the place that you want to be with your finances.

Denial – I don’t need a budget.

[Read the Full Article]

What Your ‘Back to the Future’ Self Would Say About Your Finances

by Sam Farrington, Sound Mind Financial Planning

In the sequel to “Back to the Future,” Marty McFly and “Doc” Emmett Brown traveled 30 years into the future to Oct. 21, 2015. Now that we’re here, in a world without the self-tying shoes and flying cars the moviemakers imagined, it’s easy to see that what you think the future holds often differs from what reality turns out to be.

The same might be true for your financial outlook. If you could talk to your future self, you might want to take steps now to avoid trouble later.

[Read the Full Article]