Entries by Mary Ann Bauer

All the genres of entertainment feature incredibly talented individuals seeking to monopolize the fickle attention spans of paying customers. Athletes work their entire lives to sign a contract, fill a stadium, and win a championship with a professional sports team. Performers spend countless hours training and rehearsing for the audition that will get them the […]

You made it first. Now make it last.

Rain or Shine

Life can throw you curveballs. While you can’t control when and how unexpected circumstances arise, you can prepare a financial buffer — an emergency “Rainy-Day” fund in advance. But, you already knew this, right? So how do you DO it? There are several ways to establish a “Rainy-Day” fund. The easiest is to make regular, […]

Estate Planning: Are you ready?

Discussing the subject of what happens after we are gone is rarely easy. But once we are gone, the discussion becomes impossible. So, however we want to help our families and loved ones, as it pertains to their lives after our deaths, is something that we all need to prepare for in advance. According to […]

You made it first. Now make it last.

Managing Clutter

The clutter we all accumulate throughout our lives can stifle even the most focused performers. Think of clutter as a fog that makes visibility difficult or sometimes impossible, direction misleading, and progress undiscernible. Legal issues, daily routines, scheduling conflicts, relationships, financial confusion, living arrangements…the potential list of “stuff” that can get in the way of […]

How to Evaluate Your Financial Advisor

While there is no exact right answer to finding a trusted advisor out of thin air, there are several ways you can arm yourself for the process and once you get on the path, feel good knowing when you have arrived. In summary: Embrace the process of developing a business relationship with your advisor over […]

Advice and Decision Making

Here are some concepts to consider and ways to make sure you are getting sound advice and how to approach making decisions: The resources should be unbiased, independent and/or aligned with you and your best interests. Ask how someone gets compensated based on the advice they are giving or what is in it for them […]

Financial Ignorance is a Strength

Although it can be perceived as an ugly word, “ignorance”, by definition, is a lack of knowledge and information. Ignorance can be bliss, as the saying goes, but it can also be dangerous. When you talk specifically about financial ignorance, it most certainly is ugly and absolutely dangerous. So, let’s turn this around a little […]