Investment Vehicles: What Are They and What Are the Risks?
According to the 2019 Schwab Modern Wealth Survey, Americans believe someone to be "wealthy" if they have at least $2.3 million in net worth. Arguably, the best approach to building…
The Financial Planning Process: Your Route to Financial Independence!
The financial planning process is all about "planning" for your retirement far in advance of your arrival there. You need to think of retirement as a destination. I like to…
What Are Stocks? And How To Invest in the S&P 500
Are you a new investor who is looking for ways to build wealth? More than 50 percent of households in the United States invest in some form in the stock market. …
What is a Dividend and Why Would You Invest in Dividend Stocks?
Dividends can be a very valuable part of your investment portfolio. They can reduce your overall portfolio risk, increase your profits, and offer tax advantages. But what are dividends? And…
How to Incorporate Yourself to Save Money (and Protect Your Assets)
So you are a freelancer or independent contractor and you want to know how to incorporate yourself. Smart. My feeling is that if you are self-employed in this way, you're…
Big Picture Investing: Why You Need to Get in the Game Now!
If you have been poking around my blog, you’ve probably figured out that my ultimate goal is to help you reach some version of "financial independence" (or even just plain…
What is Asset Protection Planning (and How Do You Achieve It)?
What do we mean when we say "Asset Protection Planning"? To answer that, we first need to understand to what “assets” we are actually referring. Over the course of your…
How to Make Your Money Work for You: 7 Modern Methods for Investing in “The Market”
You work hard for your money, but do you know how to make your money work for you? No one wants to work until they die, right? If you feel…
What is the Difference Between Term and Whole Life Insurance?
Are you thinking about buying life insurance, but don't know where to start? Here's a money saving tip: get it while you're still young(er) and healthy! Now, let's look at…
Real Estate Strategy 101: Learn the Basics, the Lingo, and the Opportunities
Investing in real estate is well-known as one of the most effective ways to increase your wealth. It also can have the added benefit of generating passive income, which allows you to…
Personal Itemized Budget Categories & How You Wrangle Them with My Budget Template
Do you want to maximize your income and invest your savings in order to increase your net worth and maybe even retire early? Well then, it all starts with a…
Early Financial Independence: Living Your Life in 4 Acts (Not Just the 3 You’ve Been Told About)!
You're probably living your life in "3 Acts"---so were we. (This may sound a bit esoteric right now, but just bear with me.) When we finally realized that life was…
The Ups and Downs of Reinventing Your Life At 43 With a Kid
So...Hello! We are Joe and Kristin DiSanto, a former executive producer/business owner and a former film/commercial editor from Los Angeles. Since meeting and marrying in Los Angeles, we spent many…
Renting vs Owning: Why You Need to Own the Real Estate You Live in (of Which You Will Be the World’s Best Renter!)
Are you pondering the very often debated topic of renting vs owning a home? Well apparently so are a lot of people these days. I don't know about you, but…
The 5 Critical Components of Real Estate Investing Returns
Real estate investing is a big piece of my financial pie. The way I think about real estate investing, in the same way, I think about public markets investing...I look…
Solo 401k vs SEP IRA: A Comparing For the Self-Employed
Self-employment can offer an excellent work-life balance, as well as other freedoms and lifestyle benefits! Hahaha...wasn't that funny. Seriously though, self-employment will likely be the cause of you working 80…
You Need to Do Your Personal Bookkeeping (Like a Business)…and You Hate It…Now What?!?
There just isn't any way around it. No matter how you earn, invest, slice, dice and spend your money, one financial fundamental will hold true: you have to do personal…