Our Q1 2022 financial planning newsletter is now available. In addition to an investment market update, we discuss the potential for a bear market and how that affects your actions now. We also dig into how inflation affects your financial plan and cover the upcoming student loan interest and … [Read more...]
New Rules for College Campus Pre-paid Credit Cards
Advertisements aimed at promoting a particular financial institution's debit and prepaid credit cards are a common sight on many college campuses today. While many financial institutions have partnerships with colleges to market these products, consumer groups argue that they sometimes come at a … [Read more...]
Paying Off Debt in 2016
One of KFP's Financial Planners Beth Shurtz was quoted in the International Business Times on the key first steps on paying off credit cards and getting out of debt. “Get all the statements and plug them into a software or a basic Excel spreadsheet to help prioritize which ones should be knocked … [Read more...]
August 2013 Personal Finance Newsletter
The August Personal Finance Newsletter is now available. It includes information on how this summer's Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage affects financial planning for couples in Texas and other states. It also covers an update on the bond market, how to fix an error on your credit report, … [Read more...]
September Personal Finance Newsletter
The September personal finance newsletter is now available. In addition to an investment market update, it includes information on several financial planning topics. For retirees, we look at how remarriage affects social security. For those in the wealth accumulation phase, we look at the … [Read more...]
April 2012 Personal Finance Newsletter
The April personal finance newsletter is now available. It includes the investment market update from January - March 2012, how to decide whether to pay down debt or save and invest, and planning for a career change. In addition, there's information on upcoming retirement income and social … [Read more...]
Dallas News Personal Finance Blog Credit Question
As a contributor to the Dallas Morning News' personal finance blog, I answer questions on a variety of personal finance, college, and retirement issues. Today's question regarding credit scoring is fairly common, so I wanted to share my response with a link to the Dallas Morning News blog. The … [Read more...]
March 2012 Personal Finance Newsletter
The March 2012 personal finance newsletter is now available and covers several personal finance topics. For retirement planning, we look at your options when you inherit an IRA. For debt management, we cover how to pay down credit cards without hurting your credit. For investing, we look at … [Read more...]
Advice Featured in Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News hosts an annual financial planning hotline and web chat to allow readers to get free financial advice from members of the Dallas-Fort Worth Financial Planning Assocation. I've participated in this event for each of the last 3 years, and this year's questions reflected many … [Read more...]
Should you pay off the mortgage?
One of the best financially freeing moments in life is the day you compare your savings and mortgage principal balances and realize that you could pay off your mortgage if you wanted to. If you’re at that point, congratulations! If you’re not there yet, keep saving; it can come sooner than you … [Read more...]
Recovering from Unemployment
If you’ve been out of work for a period of time, it’s a huge relief when the paychecks start rolling in again. Depending on how long you were unemployed, what your finances were like before the job loss, and other sources of income in your household, getting back to work could be just the beginning … [Read more...]
30-Second Financial Gut Check
If you're like many Americans right now, you're worried about your finances. Even if nothing has particularly changed for you in the past year - perhaps you still have the same job, same mortgage payment, same retirement accounts - you likely now have a gnawing sense of insecurity about what the … [Read more...]
Free Financial Webinars
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors is starting a new series of free webinars on various financial topics including Money 101, Kids & Money, Investing Basics, Protecting What you Have, and more. These sessions are designed to provide a convenient, accessible way to get … [Read more...]
Should You Consolidate Student Loans Now?
If you have a federal Stafford Loan or PLUS Loan issued on or after July 1, 1998 and before July 1, 2006, consider yourself lucky. Beginning July 1, 2009, the interest rates on these variable-rate loans are set to drop to the lowest rates in the history of the federal student loan program. These new … [Read more...]
Keep an eye on your credit
The Credit Card legislation passed last month should ultimately help consumers. However, in the short term, many people are being squeezed. We have a combination of factors: banks attempting to shore up their financial statements by reducing the available credit on credit cards, home equity … [Read more...]
New credit card law provisions
The key provisions of the credit card law that Obama signed last Friday, May 22 are below. But first, my two cents ... I've heard a lot of talk about how these changes might make it more difficult to get credit and could result in higher fees in general and annual fees in particular for people … [Read more...]
April 2009 Newsletter
The April 2009 newsletter is now available online. It includes an update on market conditions, plus information on the Cobra subsidy, writing off worthless securities on your taxes, an estate planning pitfall to avoid, a conversation for parents about saving for retirement vs. college, and a how-to … [Read more...]
Free Financial Advice Bus Tour in D-FW
Mark your calendars for February 23 from 11:30 to 1:30. The national Your Money Bus tour will be making a stop at a place near and dear to my heart – Southlake Central Market. Local financial advisors, including me, will be there to answer your financial questions at no charge. We’re all keenly … [Read more...]
IOUSA on CNN this weekend
I just learned that IOUSA will be airing on CNN this weekend. I plan to set the DVR to make sure I get to watch it. It's a documentary about America's addiction to debt that's received outstanding reviews. Here's the info: CNN to Broadcast I.O.U.S.A. The public has spoken, and we've listened. … [Read more...]
Silver Lining in the Market Downturn
When you look at your retirement plan statement and it's down 30% or more from a couple months ago, it's hard to believe there might be a silver lining there somewhere. While the market downturn has created a tremendous amount of anxiety and it's caused a significant change in plans for some who … [Read more...]
Emergency Fund
In times of crisis, you don't want to be shaking pennies out of a piggy bank. Having a financial safety net in place can ensure that you're protected when a financial emergency arises. One way to accomplish this is by setting up a cash reserve, a pool of readily available funds that can help you … [Read more...]
How to get a free copy of your credit report
Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA), every consumer is entitled to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three credit bureaus. To get your free annual report, you can contact each of the three credit bureaus individually, or you can contact one … [Read more...]