Sum180 Lead Coach

Get a handle on your expenses. When you know where your money goes, you are in control and can be thoughtful about aligning spending with priorities. Use an online money tracking service (like Mint or Quicken) […]

Dealing with everyday expenses and financial commitments sometimes feels like all we can manage – and we find ourselves delaying other, important goals like saving for retirement, or even building an emergency f […]

Financial adviser Cordi Powell once wrote a post for our SUM180 community, titled, You’re in love, but his finances are a mess: How to protect yourself – and thrive together. In her post, Cordi made it clear tha […]

If you have decided it’s time to switch financial advisers, here are some suggestions for making the transition as smooth and rewarding as possible.

Secure your landing before you jump ship. Begin the planning […]

Our team has posted about this topic before (for example, here and here), but I was recently asked this question again by someone new to the financial planning services industry, so I thought it might be helpful […]

I’ve written before about the importance of preparing for retirement in your final years of work by really leaning into your savings goals. It’s a piece of advice I often give our SUM180 members in their 50s: Thi […]

There are a few wonderful and surprising things that are true about your retirement:

1.  It’s yours. It’s special to who you are, to what you value, and to what you have to work with.  The media makes it sound a […]

Most of us react to being laid off with shock, anger, depression, or even panic. Knowing there will be financial and lifestyle changes you should be making, here are the first three to focus on to protect your […]

They say people nowadays don’t believe that they will have Social Security to rely on in the future. I say good riddance, because maybe that will get them saving!

Since most of us are only saving about 4-5% o […]

I’m often called on to be a buffer between friends and family members and the brokers and financial advisors that are marketing to them. They like it because they can say “I need to talk to my adviser”, which […]

SUM180 recently conducted two Twitter polls, responded to predominantly by people in their late 20’s through early 40’s, that revealed:

51% of respondents identified “not having enough” as their biggest barrier […]

A few months ago, SUM180 members Sarah and Schnelle raised the same question: What’s the best way for a recent graduate to pay off massive student debt? Since I know this challenge is shared by many others in our […]

The mere thought of “financial planning” can sometimes feel overwhelming or discouraging, but the truth is, if we start where we are, and take small steps, one at a time, dealing with our money becomes simple and […]

Financial stress rates in the U.S. are among the highest they’ve been during the last five years, according to the findings of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2016 Employee Financial Wellness Survey. More than half of res […]

If you’re thinking of refinancing your mortgage, but wondering what’s involved and how to negotiate the best deal as painlessly as possible, here’s what you need to know. Good news: The process is probably simpler […]

Not negotiating a fair salary at the beginning of your career is a mistake that is incredibly costly over time. Why? Because even a small bump in pay translates into bigger annual raises and possibly bigger […]

A SUM180 member recently asked us about long term care insurance. “Is it worth it? Couldn’t I just start saving in an IRA or Roth IRA account myself, and eventually use that for long term care?”

Here’s how I […]

Many studies have shown that women don’t negotiate as often as men.  According to NPR, for instance, men are four times more likely than women to ask for a salary raise. Women don’t think of asking; or if they […]

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Ranking Member of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released a report outlining the potentially devastating long-term effects of the gender pay gap on women, their […]

SUM180 member Doreen McGettigan recently asked, “What type of life insurance (term or whole life) would you suggest for a self-employed, married 58-year-old woman. Healthy except for high blood pressure, c […]