Share this
Low-Tech Cash Flow
by Timothy Iseler, CFP®, Iseler Financial, LLC
Today I want to share three low-tech approaches to cash flow management that don’t require any apps or tools or creating a super-detailed budget. Before that, though, let’s start out with what cash flow means and why it’s important.
Cash flow, in a nutshell, is all the money coming in and all the money going out. To simplify it, I’m going to define that as income, spending, and saving.
Your income is all the money coming in. For most of us, the great majority of that is going to be the money you earn through work. Your income has to go somewhere – it comes in, you gotta do something with it – and it can either be spent or it can be saved. That’s it. Your income either leaves you forever, which is spending, or you keep it in the form of saving and/or investing, which I’m going to treat as the same thing for our purposes today.
Now, the reason it’s important to manage cash flow is that it’s fundamental to literally every other financial decision you will make. Like, you can’t have a conversation about taxes without knowing your income. You can’t talk about debt or loans without understanding both income and spending. And you can’t talk about investing until you’ve saved enough money in cash to manage your short-term needs over the next 3 or 6 or 12 months. So you have to get cash flow right before you can start to get ahead in the rest of your financial life.
How Emergency Savings and Banking Alerts Helped One Client Bounce Back from Identity Theft
by Dawn Mabery Chestnut, CFP®, MSPFP, ChFC®, AIF®, MPAS™, Mabery Consulting, LLC
Imagine logging into your bank account and discovering that nearly half your balance is gone—withdrawn without your knowledge.
That’s exactly what happened to one of my clients recently.
Their identity had been stolen, and the thieves gained access to their bank account. In a single transaction, they withdrew thousands of dollars. It was a deeply unsettling experience—emotionally and financially. But thanks to a few smart financial habits, the situation didn't spiral into a crisis.
Here’s how they managed to stay afloat, stress less, and ultimately recover.
How Decluttering Your Finances Can Improve Your Life
by Michael Reynolds CFP®, Elevation Financial LLC
A cluttered financial life is rarely just about disorganization. More often, it's a silent source of stress that hovers beneath the surface, affecting everything from your decision-making and emotional health to your ability to achieve financial goals.
In a world increasingly defined by digital subscriptions, multiple bank accounts, and an abundance of tools and platforms, financial clutter is more common than ever.
But when you take the time to simplify and streamline your financial ecosystem, you’ll likely find more than just money. You can find clarity, calm, and confidence.
What Is Financial Clutter?
Financial clutter can take many forms, both physical and digital:
- Old, unused bank accounts and multiple credit cards
- Forgotten 401(k)s or IRAs from past employers
- Subscriptions that continue to bill long after you’ve stopped using them
- A drawer full of unopened statements or a cloud drive packed with unorganized financial documents
- A fragmented approach to budgeting, with several apps or spreadsheets that don’t communicate with each other
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.
Share this
Subscribe by email
Good Financial Reads: Strategies to Save on Your Taxes
Good Financial Reads: Building Stability as a Business Owner
