Wendy B Namack, CFP®'s Blog – June 2009 Archive (6)

Whether it’s the holidays or an unexpected disaster, Americans are always willing to donate to those less fortunate. It’s the easiest thing in the world for us to open our checkbooks to a worthy cause without a second thought.



Yet your donation, regardless of size, should make the largest impact possible on your cherished causes and issues. When you support a charity’s best interests, you’re not selfish to support your own as well.



Give to efficient… Continue

Art as an investment certainly seems attractive. We’ve all read the headlines when

Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, or Warhol set new auction records. Or maybe you’ve seen an episode of Antiques Roadshow where a 50-cent yard sale purchase ends up being the long-lost work of an obscure master artist.



The fine art market is a $10 billion-a-year industry in the United States alone. Over the past 50 years or so, art has returned a compound annualized rate of 10.47 percent, according to… Continue

Confused, stressed, afraid? These are just a few of the emotions people across our country are experiencing in light of the current market situation. Whether you are starting to build a nest egg, or are close to retirement, the reality is that negative market performance has likely impacted your investments. That’s not going to make you feel good, and you shouldn’t pretend otherwise. We are humans, not machines, and humans react emotionally to circumstances beyond (and even within) our… Continue

As unemployment figures have risen during the recent downturn, you may have started to worry about the worst-case scenario: “What would I do if I lost my job?” Fortunately, there are positive actions you can take, regardless of your employment situation now. While you may not be able to dictate whether or not you maintain your job, you can control what you do about the challenges that downsizing presents.



Know your benefits

Familiarize yourself with the benefits offered… Continue

If you’re still managing bills and other financial matters the old-fashioned way, you could be missing an important opportunity to invest in the future of the planet. A thoughtful review of your financial life is likely to yield a wealth of strategies for nurturing a cleaner, healthier environment.



Green finances are good for the soul

Even with the best intentions, most people tend to put off changing the way they do things until tomorrow. But consider the environmental… Continue

Confusing spreadsheets and penny-pinching are just a few things that come to mind when we hear the word budget. Indeed, budgeting can be a tedious task that we tend to do only when absolutely necessary. Yet the value it can provide in helping us continue to meet our financial goals cannot be discounted. And while budgeting is a detailed task, it doesn’t have to be a painful one.



Why should I budget?

The economic downturn has forced many individuals, regardless of their… Continue