Buying a House with Cash: Pros and Cons
by Sonja Breeding, CFP®Traditional home buyers should think through the implications of buying a house with cash and fully understand the long-term effects of such a decision. Today’s housing market clearly has buyers coming to the bargaining table with an offer that’s hard to ignore: Cash offers with no delays and no hassles for the seller. Offering to… Continue reading
Make Sure Your Money Lasts Through Retirement
by Sonja Breeding, CFP®Thousands of people retire every day, either stepping away from long-term careers or downshifting into either full retirement, a second act that pays less, perhaps a fledgling business idea, or a passion project that pays nothing at all. Retirement is a glorious transition that should be celebrated, but too often this change of life creates… Continue reading
Help! I’m About to Retire and Inflation Scares Me
by Sonja Breeding, CFP®Picking a date to retire is a big decision, even in the best of times. What does one do in an environment of rapidly rising inflationary pressures? After all, being retired means living on an income that is likely to be the same or less than you had when working, and there will be no… Continue reading
Six Steps to Building an Effective Financial Plan
by Sonja Breeding, CFP®A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline, as the saying goes. So what does your dream of retirement life look like, and I mean really look like? Making a commitment to your retirement goals requires getting your financial life in order today. That means writing down a financial plan, and I… Continue reading
5 Practical Steps Toward a Secure Retirement
by Sonja Breeding, CFP®Back in 2006, a couple of U.S. Senators took it upon themselves to create a national retirement security awareness week, set for the third week in October. As you can imagine, the intervening twists and turns in the stock market — the 2008 Great Recession and the Covid crash in 2020 — only served to… Continue reading