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Author: Randy Chalmers

Are You Monitoring Your Spending Habits?

by Randy Chalmers on May 12, 2023.

Tracking your money is an important part of managing your personal finances. By keeping track of your income and expenses, you can better understand where your money is going and make informed decisions about how to save and spend. In this blog, we’ll cover some better ways to track your money. Use Budgeting Apps: There...

Are You Taking Advantage of All Your Financial Advisor’s Services?

by Randy Chalmers on May 5, 2023.

A financial advisor is an invaluable asset to managing your finances and providing you with personalized advice specifically for you. When you begin your relationship with your financial advisor you tend to have many face-to-face interactions as the long-term relationship is being established. Once a plan is in place the meetings slow down, but don’t...

Roth IRA / Roth 401(k) Are They the Same?

by Randy Chalmers on April 25, 2023.

Employer-sponsored retirement plans offering a Roth 401(k) have been slow to adapt to offering the Roth 401(k) alternative to their participants. In 2011 only 49% of plans included a Roth 401(k) option, however, in 2021 that number spiked to 88%. Although subtle, there are some differences between a Roth 401(k) and a Roth IRA we...

What’s on Your Bucket List?

by Randy Chalmers on March 31, 2023.

A bucket list are activities we’d like to do before we die. Everyone has a bucket list, even if it isn’t written down. Don’t you catch yourself saying things like “one day I’d like to…” or “before I die, I’m going to…”? How will you fund those adventures if you aren’t planning for them? Frequently...

‘Tis the Season

by Randy Chalmers on March 10, 2023.

As tax season is upon us, let’s talk about them! We know they are an essential part of our society, but nobody wants to pay more taxes than necessary. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to reduce your tax liability. Tax deductions are expenses that reduce your taxable income. There are several tax deductions available, such...

Time, not Timing

by Randy Chalmers on March 3, 2023.

The saying “time in the market is more important than timing the market” is a key element that is hard to live by for a lot of individual investors. They see their portfolio drop and want to move to stocks or mutual funds that have been outperforming their current allocations, however, most of the time...

Another Blog about Cars…

by Randy Chalmers on February 24, 2023.

I had a meeting with an individual today, and they brought up a great point I’d like to share. Before retiring, he was a teacher and would talk to his students about being fiscally responsible. He would explain to them that the first purchase a college graduate makes is normally a car. Now buying a...

Are You Struggling to Save?

by Randy Chalmers on February 9, 2023.

If you are like….everyone else in the world, saving is not at the top of your “fun things to do” list, nor is it an easy task. So, here are some ways that you can ensure you pay yourself with a little less stress about the topic. Pay Yourself First You’ve probably heard the phrase...

Consumer Satisfaction

by Randy Chalmers on February 3, 2023.

When you hear about someone saving for a large purchase, are you the type of person to think that person is probably planning to purchase a car, boat, antique, or another material item? Or, are you the type of person who thinks of saving for an RV tour of North America, a luxurious cruise, exploring...

Financing or Paying Cash for Cars

by Randy Chalmers on January 27, 2023.

Like Dave Ramsey says, a lot of people state they will always have a car payment, which is something I personally have said most of my adult life. This is because we’ve learned to budget our lives around paying our necessities like the mortgage, groceries, water, electricity, and…car payments? According to 2022 data from Experian,...