What Stories Do You Like to Tell

Presented by Mark Phillips

From our favorite illustrator of all things elated to behavioral finance, Carl Richards, comes the latest post of the above title. As with so many of Carl’s insights this is worth our consideration.

We are so easily prone to telling ourselves a story that supports us doing what we emotionally want to do, and then looking for the evidence to justify what we are wanting to or have done. This is an incideous process, it begins happening within us long before we become conscious that our emotions are manipulating our logic centers of the brain.

As always, Carl offers one of his hand drawn pictures…. Enjoy, and allow this to challenge your reasoning for the choices you are making.

Click here or on the title above to access the drawing and article.

Finding Prices of Medical Procedures Getting Easier

Presented by Mark Phillips

It has been nearly impossible for patients to search and compare healthcare prices for procedures & tests. The good news is things are beginning to change. Now there are online tools and pricing sites which will help you to comparison shop before moving forward on a medical procedure or test. In addition to the benefit of price comparisons, some sites also show quality ratings for services like MRI’s, X-rays, and CT scans. Two of these sites are HealthBlueBook.com and SaveOnMedSavical.com.

Please read the LA Times article to learn more …Click here for the full article

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Market Timing

Presented by Mark Phillips

Recent uncertainty due to the fiscal cliff, debt ceiling negotiations, and economic concerns in the U.S. and overseas may have made you reluctant to take on additional risk in the equity market. If you are thinking about moving your investments to cash or making other changes to your portfolio because of ongoing market volatility, you might want to consider the longer-term impact of such decisions, as there are pitfalls to trying to time the market.

Read the full article...Click here.

Buyer Beware: Tips for Safe Online Shopping

Presented by Mark Phillips

Looking for power tools? A vintage Chanel purse? A living-room sofa? Millions of shoppers are bypassing brick-and-mortar stores, as well as their respective websites, in favor of purchasing such items from individual online sellers. For many people, sites like Craigslist and eBay offer a chance to save on everyday items and luxury products, both new and used—all from the comfort of their own homes.

Yet, while online shopping may be a convenient way to find deals and one-of-a-kind items, it’s important to protect your identity and financial information, particularly when dealing with individual sellers. Before you purchase anything listed on an online classified ad, auction, or marketplace site, keep the following precautions in mind.

Read the full article...Click here.

Why we believe in setting up “Tripwires” in your financial life…

Carl Richards, one of our favorite thinkers on the art of planning and advice – not all financial, shares a great reminder of the value of the “tripwire” in his latest post on his blog site (Behavior Gap). Using a story about a medical procedure he underwent Carl relates, with his typical elegant simplicity, the beauty of the well-designed tripwire.

We believe in a huge way in the tripwire tool. After all we are only human, life is ever more busy and complicated, and mistakes, especially those not caught for a long time, can be expensive.

Please give yourself a well “invested” five minutes to enjoy and think about Carl’s article.

Click here to read the article.                                                                                                                 

Please jot down 2-3 tripwire opportunities in your life to share with me at our next meeting. They need not be explicitly financial in nature. After all, we have all discovered that the non-financial problem eventually often becomes a financial problem as well.

More than You ever Imagined You Would Want to Know About Taxes in the U. S. of A. …

In one amazing wall poster brought to you by the Wall Street Journal.

Click here to see (and print) the whole thing.

The Great Switch to Paperless Benefits

Presented by Mark Phillips

Besides the April 15^th deadline, Uncle Sam has another deadline for recipients of Social Security payments, Veterans Affairs and other government programs. The government has been making a push for almost three years and encouraging recipients to sign up by March 1, 2013, to receive their benefits electronically (read: direct deposit) versus paper check. 

There are still several million retirees and other recipients who haven’t made the switch yet.  To learn more about the benefits of electronic payments (i.e. identity theft), click below to view the full article.

The Great Switch to Paperless Benefits