Every year, at the start of the year, many of us make New Year’s resolutions.  We think about the things we want to be different in our lives, and we resolve that we’re going to change them.  For some of us, this actually results in life changes every year.  For most of us, we have the best of intentions, but life gets busy, or challenges come up, and by February our resolutions are a thing of the past.  Personally, I’m resolving to make more time for creativity in 2021—dust off my keyboard, do some more crafts and artwork with my kids.  You can ask me in a few weeks what we’ve created, and we’ll see how it goes.  I’m pretty sure my 1^st grader and preschooler are resolving to find a way to get me to bake more cookies in 2021.

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Managing money is something we all strive to continuously improve upon. They are always newer, bigger, and better financial goals to set for yourself. Yet, many of us don’t feel confident in our ability to be financially savvy or to stick to resolutions regarding finances. The new year is typically a prime time to set new goals, but all the advice out there can be overwhelming and deter you. There are apps, articles, social media accounts, books, etc. Instead of wading into the abyss, we have a few recommendations for you start off 2020 with to boost your financial confidence before you start any other financial journeys. These recommendation concepts are drawn and expanded upon from a recent article from Nerd Wallet, “6 Empowering Money Moves to Boost Your Financial Confidence”. These tips are not only ones that we encourage you to practice, but also your loved ones (think recent or soon to be graduates). We are only going to highlight a few of their 6 “money moves”, but feel free to give the article a read if you want to see the others!

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Happy New Year! It’s day 2 of the new decade and it is a great time to review or move forward with your estate planning. Estate planning is a comprehensive plan designed to take care of your loved ones, not just a single document. As our clients know, it is important to regularly review all aspects of your plan, your finances, and your family’s needs. Whether or not you have a plan with us, take some time this month to review the below categories and then schedule a time to come in and either establish your estate plan or go over plan updates with our team!

Beneficiary Designations: For assets such as life insurance and retirement accounts, the beneficiary designation form is crucial. If these documents are not filled out properly, the wrong or unintended person could end up with your asset, completely unraveling your estate plan. As a result, it is a good idea to review these documents periodically to make sure that the correct beneficiary is named. Life can change quickly, and sometimes changing beneficiary designations is the last thing on anyone’s mind.

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