Good Financial Reads: Checklists, Creating Community, 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 the latest posts with this week's roundup:

Your Financial Checklist Before Buying a Home

by Michael Solari, Solari Financial Planning

Buying a home is a big decision that you shouldn’t make lightly. Between all the costs and fees you’re responsible for, real estate transactions get expensive. And the upfront exchange of money is only the beginning.

Houses aren’t cheap and there are a lot of pieces and parts you need to keep well maintained and in working order. When something goes wrong, it’s your responsibility to fix — and pay for — it.

That’s not to say buying a home is a bad idea — far from it for many people! But you should be prepared and fully understand your financial situation so you can make an educated decision on whether or not this purchase makes good sense for you. Use this checklist to help you determine if you’re prepared for homeownership.

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10 Tools and Apps That Can Save Time and Money

by Sophia Bera, Gen Y Planning

Have you experienced that moment when you realize how time consuming just maintaining your life can be? Between work and errands and your social life and the needs of your family, it can be tough to find free time — especially free time for yourself.

But here’s the good news: we’ve never had so many useful tools and apps at our disposal to make life easier. While it may seem counterintuitive, your smartphone can actually help you manage your needs and wants more efficiently if you know how to use it right.

That means hitting pause on all those hilarious cat videos and finding time-saving applications instead. You can automate tasks you have to do on a regular basis, save a trip to the bank, calculate how much you owe your roommate at the end of the month, create detailed to-do lists, and more. Use these 10 tools and apps to help you save time and money.

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10 Things You Need to Know About Infertility and Finances

by Mary Beth Storjohann, Workable Wealth

The below post is not meant for everybody. It’s a very specific post that I’ve felt compelled to write for some time and targets an issue that many couples today are facing, but that most also will never encounter. So feel free to read on if it applies, if you’re curious, or if you think there’s someone you know who may benefit.

Approximately one in eight couples experience some form of infertility issues. My husband, Brian and I contribute to this statistic. When Brian and I first married, he was gung-ho to get on the baby-making-train right away. I however, was hesitant.

I wanted to build my career, to travel, to have freedom… you name it. It took a few years for me to come around, but when I was finally ready to start a family, it… well, it wasn’t happening.

After the obligatory year of trying, the “don’t stress” comments, the “just get drunk” comments and more, we started the round of tests to see if there was an issue. And to our surprise, there was. What proceeded was a yearlong adventure through the world of treatments, prescriptions, roller coaster hormone rides, and an IVF cycle, which ultimately culminated in a pregnancy as I’m now about 28 weeks along.

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So, You Want A Financial Planner. You Have $500,000 Right?

by Brandon Marcott, Edify Financial Planning

I heard an ad on the radio recently for a large planning firm in Wisconsin. They mention all the things they do for clients that choose to work with their company. At the end, in passing, the radio voice says (I'm paraphrasing), "...so if you have $500,000 in investable assets, give us a call at..." Oh. $500,000 huh?

If you do any browsing, you'll notice this minimum asset requirement is the norm in the financial world. Why is this? The company or advisor needs to know that their relationship with you will be profitable. If you don't have a lot of investments to manage, their ability to make commissions or fees from investment products they sell you is negligible. Therefore, the time they spend with you would be a drag to their bottom line. Uplifting, right?

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