Guide My Finances

Happy Labor Day! Our team is out of the office today for the holiday. We will get back to your emails and messages when we return tomorrow!

We hope everyone enjoys their day off!

California is in the heat of fire season🔥It’s crucial, regardless of where you live, to have a financial plan in place for natural disasters and unexpected emergencies.

Here are some tips to protect yourself financially during a time of uncertainty⬆️.

Ready to protect your financial future? Give our team a call today!☎️

What factors affect your credit score, and why is it important to know?🤔💳

Knowing what impacts your credit score can help you take control of your finances, and make financial decisions based on those factors. Whether you’re applying for a loan, a mortgage, or just a new credit card, having a healthy credit score increases your chances of approval!

Have you checked in on your credit score lately? 👀

It can be difficult to bring up finances in a relationship, but it’s important to know where you stand before a big life event, like getting married. Here are some topics to discuss with your partner before tying the knot!💍

💳 Spending Habits
💸 Debt (student loans, credit cards, personal loans, etc)
📄Recurring Expenses (monthly bills, utilities, housing, etc)
🩺Medical Directives

It’s crucial to be on the same page with money before the time comes where your finances start to overlap. Talking to a financial planner can help with adjusting your finances after the big day!

Give our team a call when you’re ready to merge those finances and start planning TOGETHER!💍

We are so excited to announce that both Amanda and Lily have been nominated for awards in two of the finance categories for the San Diego Magazine’s Celebrating Women 2024 Summit!🤩

We have added the voting links below! Voting closes on 8/25, so be sure to vote for both of our talented women before then! 🗳️

Vote for Amanda: https://sandiegomagazine.secondstreetapp.com/cw-noms24/rounds/1/financepioneer
Vote for Lily: https://sandiegomagazine.secondstreetapp.com/cw-noms24/rounds/1/financerisingstar

The “Explorer” financial personality type has good saving habits, but typically prioritizes “wants” today over “needs” for the future. Those with the Explorer personality save money to spend on things like adventures and vacations. They can be challenged by their curiosity and adventurous spirit🧭.

Not sure what your financial personality is? Take the quiz from Financial Behavior Institute at the link in our bio!

As a woman, planning for retirement can look a little different from a man’s retirement plan. Why, you ask?

⭐Longer Life Expectancy: Women tend to live longer than men, so we need to plan for more years of needing retirement funds. This also means potentially higher healthcare costs in retirement.
👶🏻Career Interruptions: During a woman’s lifetime, she is more likely to have career interruptions such as pregnancy, caring for children, or caring for elderly parents. This can reduce our overall lifetime earning potential and retirement contributions.
💸Wage Gaps: Yes, they’re real. On average, women make less than men, which means we have less money to put towards retirement contributions.

Women who are planning for their retirement should consider these helpful tips:
⭐Start saving as early as possible.
⭐Take advantage of retirement accounts like 401(k)s, IRAs, and any employer matches.
⭐Utilize HSA benefits if they are available to you.
⭐Talk to a financial advisor to stay informed about beneficial programs and retirement options.

Give our team of female Financial Planners a call if you have any questions, or if you’re ready to start planning for your future.

Happy National Financial Awareness Day!💸😁

Swipe to learn about financial awareness and why it’s important to your day-to-day life!

What’s your risk tolerance? 👀🤔

By definition, risk tolerance is how comfortable you are with fluctuations in your investment income. In short, how much are you willing to risk financially for a potentially greater outcome later?

When we sit down with our clients to determine their risk tolerance, we consider investment goals, emotional capacity for market fluctuations, and desired timing for distributions. We also work to align client’s goals with their investments to determine an actionable plan.

To reduce the risk of your portfolio, we often advise diversifying your investments over different asset classes including stocks, bonds, indexes, and real estate.

Do you need help balancing your risk management and investments? Give us a call. Our team of skilled financial planners are here to help!

We know that in the finance field, there are tons of terms and acronyms that are less familiar to most people! We strive to teach our clients what these terms mean, and avoid jargon while focusing on expanding our client’s understanding of the market, their goals, and their options.

We’re kicking off a series to help educate you on terms you may hear when talking about finances.

Being willing to understand financial literacy, and work hard towards financial freedom, can help you achieve your goals!

Our team is here to teach you and help you navigate towards your dreams of saving money, affording those big vacations, or just investing with purpose. Give us a call, we can help📞.

5 things you NEED to be telling your financial professional (financial planners, CFPs, etc):

📈Your financial goals: Your financial planner can’t read your mind. Establish your short and long term goals, and timelines up front so they can tailor a strategy for your needs.
💸 A clear view of your financial situation: Your financial advisor needs access to ALL of your financials to accurately create a plan to achieve your financial goals.
😬Your risk tolerance: Where is your comfort level? Do you want to be more conservative, or aggressive in your investment approaches?
🚨Any major life changes: Whether it’s a planned wedding next year, or a sudden emergency, life can impact your financial situation. Giving your financial planner updates on big events like these will help them adjust your plan accordingly.
💛Personal values: Your financial planner will want to align your personal values with your investments.

Effective financial planning relies on you to openly communicate with your financial professional so that they can provide you with the best plan possible. Need help navigating your financial goals? Give us a call! 📞

Meet our fierce owner and founder, Jackie Mazur! Jackie started Guide My Finances back in January of 2009 and has been growing the company ever since. We couldn’t imagine a better woman to lead our team and help us create an environment where our team can learn and flourish together!

While you may think that millionaires can handle their own money, STAYING a millionaire requires understanding financial literacy and investing🤑📈.

Millionaires can benefit from talking to a financial planner, especially if they’re looking to invest and grow their wealth.

A hot topic over the last few years has been about the depletion of our country’s social security and medicare benefits. Previously, experts had projected that benefits would run out by 2031. While the economy continues to improve, the projected depletion date will continue to be pushed back⬅️.

As of now, experts have pushed the date of Medicare’s depletion to 2036, and said that social security will run into trouble in 2035, only being able to pay out about 83% of benefits past that point😬📉.

Worried about these depletions and want to talk about your options to feel more secure in your financial future? Give our team a call!☎️ We’re happy to help.

We could not be more proud of our Lily Fallah for being named in the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's Top 40 Under 40 Local Emerging Leaders! Your growth both personally and professionally has been so inspiring to those around you!✨

We can’t wait to see what your future holds!

Have you been a victim of having your bank accounts or credit cards hacked? Here’s some common financial scams and how to avoid them!

📈Investment Scams: These scams are usually an offer for high-return investment opportunities that sound too good to be true… because they ARE. Be sure to research investment opportunities before handing over your banking information.

☎️Phishing Scams: This type of scam can be pretty convincing. These scammers pretend to be real companies asking for login credentials or personal information, or asking you to click a link to verify your identity. Be sure to never click any links or provide these callers with personal information. You can always call the company to confirm if the call or message was really them.
🎰Lottery/Prize Scams: If you didn’t enter a contest for a new car, then you definitely didn’t win one either. These scammers pose as lottery or big company employees and tell victims they’ve won some big prize, but ask for a fee or personal information to approve your “prize”.

🪪Identity Theft Scams: Scammers who get access to your personal information can open accounts or make purchases in your name. Being consistent with checking your accounts, and not inputting your personal information into websites that aren’t reputable.

💻Tech Support Scams: These scammers will tell you that your computer has a virus and that you need to give them remote access to fix it. This will allow them full access to your computer, all of your saved info, etc. If you did not report a virus to a professional, then assume that it is a scam phone call.

Do you want to learn more ways to protect yourself against financial fraud, give our team a call!

Considering a Roth conversion? It's crucial to understand both the benefits and drawbacks before making a move. 📈💰

Our team is here to provide personalized advice and guide you through the process. Let's find out if a Roth conversion is the best strategy for you.

📞 Contact us today to learn more!

Follow us for more expert financial insights and strategies to grow your wealth. 🔍✨

We are ecstatic to announce that Chelsea passed the Certified Financial Planner exam! We are so proud of how hard she's worked to achieve this!⭐

If you’re looking for a CFP, Chelsea is going to be one of the best in the biz 😉.

Asset allocation can benefit your investment portfolio, and help to balance your risk factors.

Have questions about how to spread your investments? Give our team a call. Our financial planners are happy to guide you through the process!

We are honored and excited to announce that our founder, Jackie Mazur, was named in the AdvisorHub ‘s Top 1000 Advisors to Watch in the 250 Advisors Under $1B category.

This is such an incredible nomination! Thank you, AdvisorHub! ✨

Have you started, or are you planning to start, your own business this year? Here are some tax/financial tips that could be helpful!

🧭Understand Your Tax Obligations & Plan for Quarterly Taxes: Learn about your tax responsibilities, including self-employment tax, estimated taxes, and any specific state or local taxes. As a business owner, you may need to pay estimated taxes quarterly. Set aside a portion of your income to cover these payments and avoid penalties.

🧭Take Advantage of Deductions: Familiarize yourself with tax deductions available for small businesses, such as home office deductions, vehicle expenses, and business-related travel. Document these expenses carefully to maximize your deductions.

🧭 Create a Budget and Stick to It: Develop a realistic budget that outlines your expected income and expenses. Monitor your cash flow regularly and adjust your budget as needed to ensure financial stability.

🧭Build an Emergency Fund: Set aside money for unexpected expenses or periods of low revenue. Having an emergency fund can help you navigate financial challenges without compromising your business operations.

🧭Consider Retirement Savings: As a business owner, it's important to plan for retirement for yourself and your employees. Explore options like SEP IRAs, Solo 401(k)s, or SIMPLE IRAs to save for your future.

🧭Seek Professional Advice: Work with us to help you navigate this new financial journey so you can make informed decisions and maximize your financial strategy.

🧭Stay Informed: Follow us to stay up-to-date with changes in tax laws and financial regulations that may affect your business.

Happy Independence Day🎆

Our offices are closed today for the holiday. We will respond to any inquiries and emails upon our return tomorrow!

We hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!

We are ecstatic to welcome Caroline Mason to the Guide My Finances family as our newest Paraplanner! Caroline will be assisting our team in building financial plans and client service.

We can’t wait to watch you grow with our team! 💚

Our team is here to guide you every step of the way!🧭 Schedule your free 30-minute consultation with one of our team members today.

https://guidemyfinances.com/request-an-appointment/

Thinking about buying a home? Get pre-approved for a mortgage to understand your budget and improve your bargaining power🏡.

This can also be a helpful motivator to reevaluate your finances and make cuts in unnecessary spending, so you’re able to save more before making a big purchase.

Congratulations to our team member, Abby Valentine, on passing her Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam!

We could not be more proud of your accomplishments over the last year and can’t wait to see what you accomplish in this industry moving forward. Your future is so bright, and your motivation is inspiring! 🌟

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! SAVE BEFORE YOU SPEND! Whether the money is going into a high-yield savings account, your investments, or retirement, it’s always better to save first and then have fun with some of the leftover cash!

You’ll never regret saving extra money, but you might regret over-spending!

Investing 101: Diversify your investments! 📈

Each of these investments are suitable for different goals and financial situations. By utilizing multiple types of investments, you can balance risk and return in your portfolio.

Want to learn more? Give us a call, we’re happy to help!