Good Financial Reads: How to Save and Prepare for a Wonderful Vacation

Time to Travel?!

by Ella Taylor, Ella Financial Advising

First and foremost, I encourage my clients to make travel one of their savings buckets. While it's a blast, it's not exactly cheap, so going on vacation requires planning and forethought.

Each year, sit down and think about or reevaluate the amount of money you'd like to set aside for travel. Do you tend to do one big trip a year, or do you spread smaller trips throughout the year? Each of these options will have different costs associated with it, so you'll want to be prepared.

[Read the Full Article]

Write a Summer Bucket List

by Phil Weiss, Apprise Wealth Management

Officially, summer starts on June 21st. But Memorial Day weekend festivities tend to kick off the season. They also remind us to make the most of the warm months ahead. If you don’t start planning soon, July 4th will be here and gone. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself shopping for new school supplies, wondering where your summer went.

Here’s a quick and easy four-step process to help you fill up your family’s bucket list and get a greater Return on Life this summer.

1. Plan ahead.
2. Include your kids in the discussion.
3. Go out and stay in.
4. Think big and make room for small.

[Read the Full Article]

Sabbatical Prep: [Financial] Planning for Your Extended Vacation

by Regina Neenan, Financial Planning Fort Collins

The dog days of summer are officially here, and if you’ve got a vacation on your mind, I’m right there with you! Whether it’s a weekend getaway, a staycation, or a legit vacay, just about everyone needs to get away from it all from time to time. But what if you could extend your time away from work before you reach retirement? I’m not talking about the standard two-week vacation. Ever heard of a sabbatical?

Traditionally, the sabbatical is an extended period of time away from work. Employers are increasingly offering sabbaticals as work perks to attract and retain top talent. It’s common for employees with this benefit to work for their employer for five to seven years, then receive the opportunity to take four to eight weeks away from work. The upsides include having a job to come back to and receiving a salary during your time away. Sounds pretty great, huh?

Still, sabbaticals come in many different shapes and sizes. Some folks who go plan to work full-time while they’re away and enjoy themselves on nights and weekends. Others keep working part-time to get the core pieces of their jobs done while traveling. Still others will do the basics, like check their email. And some step away from work life entirely.

While not all employers are able to offer their employees sabbatical leave in the traditional sense, that doens’t mean that employees can’t create their own! So, if you’re considering taking an extended leave away from work whether it’s a work perk or not, how can you prepare? 

Since sabbaticals can vary widely from person to person, let me pose some questions in different areas to help you make the most of yours. While this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, it can help you set your plan in motion — or at least make it feel a little more real as you begin to prepare. 

[Read the Full Article]

How do Financial Advisors Vacation?

by Michelle Smalenberger, Financial Design Studio

How do financial advisors vacation? In this episode, get to know some of the FDS team as we share our experiences as well as tips and tricks we have learned the hard way.

[Listen to the Podcast]

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.