Passionate Investing

The flexibility entailed with owning my own firm is such a gift.  I work hard...and also work "non-traditional" hours when necessary to best accommodate my clients.  Nine-to-five job and kids' activities on Saturdays?  No problem.  I'll meet you Sunday afternoon when your children are doing their homework.  The benefit is my ability to carve out pockets of "free" time during the week for me to do…

Women's United is an initiative of the United Way and is made up of women in the Quad-Cities area who are committed to ensuring that all children are Kindergarten-ready, no matter their socioeconomic status.  I am extremely proud to count myself among Women's United Charter Women.  We are passionate about children and early childhood learning and believe that parents can be given the tools to become…

In mid-2017, NerdWallet reported that Americans held $12.96 trillion of total household debt.  For those Americans who did carry debt, the average household had $131,431.00 (including mortgages).  Of those holding credit card debt, the average household carried a balance of $15,654.00, an increase of 8% since 2016.  To put it in meaningful terms,  those Americans who possessed credit card debt paid…

When I was a little girl, I loved school.  I own it: I was a geek.  I loved learning, I loved being the first one to raise my hand, I loved writing papers...I even loved taking tests.  One of my favorite things was going school supply shopping with my mom in August.  I would--bear with me--thrill to pick out my folders and pencil case and smell the new crayons and write my name on everything when…

According to the latest data reported by CNBC, 57 million Americans have zero emergency savings.  This equates to 24% of all adults, but, more disturbingly, a full 32% of young "Boomer" adults ages 53 to 62.  This age group, nearing retirement and most in need of savings, represents the largest demographic of the general population with no savings.  What this means, in very real terms, is that these…

I started mentoring Nikki when she was in Kindergarten.  We ate lunch together every Thursday for 13 years.  Her senior year at Central High School in Davenport, we were honored with the 1st Annual Award for "Most Amazing Match".  When I watched Nikki cross the stage at the I-Wireless Center in 2015 to accept her high school diploma, I cried like a fool.  She has two beautiful children: Zion, 4…

A professional advisor, after listening to your goals and dreams, can build a plan and use a retirement income calculator to come up with "your number".  "Your number" is that amount of financial assets needed to fund the retirement that you want.  Most experts say you should plan on funding 70%-80% of your pre-retirement income while in retirement.  That's very subjective and depends on your particular…

Myiah, my "Lil' Sister" through Big Brothers/Big Sisters, brought me so much joy when I celebrated Christmas (which was also her 9th birthday!) with her this week.  Circa '21 is a gem in our Quad-Cities community: a dinner/theater showplace where folks have been enjoying quality local theater productions for over 40 years.  Myiah and I attended a childrens's show, "Fancy Nancy's Splendiferous Christmas"…

Throw out the mindset that retirement is an arbitrary age like 62 or 65.  Instead, retirement should be the point at which you reach a certain level of financial security that will sustain you throughout your retirement years.  Financial security means a lot of things.  Unless you are forced to retire due to health-related issues, pay off your mortgage, credit card debt and any student loan debt…

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School is a small Pre-K through 8th grade elementary school in Bettendorf, Iowa.  It makes me smile to begin every week by volunteering there on Monday mornings.  I first help in Mrs. Driscoll's 6th grade math class.  I love working one-on-one with the students!  It makes me feel so great to see the "lightbulb" come on in a student's eyes after I help with a percentage…