Good Financial Reads: Making Your Money Work For You

2 min read
October 03, 2025

Stewarding Money, Energy, and Time

by Jason Branning, CFP®, RICP®, Branning Wealth Management, LLC

Financial planning lives at the corner of Money Street and Life Choices Way. Planning helps illustrate the intersections and interactions between a family’s or an individual’s goals and their resources. Financial planning is not a product, but a process of thoughtful reflection on stewarding our three most valuable resources: time, money, and energy. During the planning process, decisions about goals get clarified. 

One of life’s difficulties is that typically only two of the three of our most valuable resources are pronounced at a given life stage. The chart below highlights that children have excess time and energy, with little money, while a retiree would have money and time on their hands, but limited energy.

Read the Full Article

 

How to Navigate Market Volatility Without Losing Your Cool

By Michael Reynolds, CFP®,  Elevation Financial LLC

Volatility is a natural part of investing. It’s the “price of admission” that we pay in exchange for the opportunity to grow wealth over time.

But when markets start swinging wildly, especially to the downside, it’s easy to let emotion take the wheel.

Why does volatility happen, what does it mean for long-term investors, and how can you position yourself to stay confident and grounded through market ups and downs?

What Is Market Volatility?

Volatility refers to the big moves, both up and down, that we see in the market. It’s the reason we get headlines like “Stocks Plunge Amid Global Uncertainty” one day, and “Markets Rally on Economic Optimism” the next.

Read the Full Article

 

Don’t Let Your Stock Options Expire Worthless: How to Make the Most of Expiring Equity Grants
 Wealth: The Best Strategy for Selling Stock Options and RSUs

by Christopher Stroup, CFP®, MBA, EA, Silicon Beach Financial

Stock options are an exciting part of many tech professionals’ compensation packages. They offer the promise of owning a piece of the company you help build and the potential for significant financial gains. But stock options come with expiration dates. If you don’t act before they expire, those options can become worthless — a missed opportunity that’s hard to recover from.

This blog breaks down what happens when stock options expire, how to avoid letting them go to waste, and whether exercising early or waiting is the smarter move. Understanding the timing, tax implications, and personal financial goals behind these decisions can help you unlock the real value of your equity compensation.

What Happens When Stock Options Expire?

Stock options have a limited lifespan, often 7 to 10 years from the grant date. The expiration date is the final day you can exercise those options (meaning, buy the shares at your predetermined strike price). After that date, any unexercised options simply vanish.

Read the Full Article


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.

Find An Advisor