Laura D Money

is one of my favorite writers. He focuses on finance, obviously, and makes the case in this article not only for members of Congress not to hold individual stocks (insider trading can become too tempting) but for all of us to invest in index funds.
We don’t recommend actively managed mutual funds to our clients. Nor do we recommend portfolios of individual stocks.
That’s because time and again studies show that index funds simply do better. And they are cheaper. It’s one of those rare cases where “you get what you pay for” simply doesn’t work.
I know it’s counter intuitive. But the harder you try the worse you do when it comes to investing, at least statistically.

Who knew that when something is free it’s also practically irresistible?
Now my goal is to get as many people through to the end as possible. 8 weeks is a long time, and it’s going to require a few hours per week commitment. Most people don’t make it through online courses that they start, and even fewer when they don’t have a financial investment on the line.
If you’re up for the challenge and know you need a plan to take back control of your money once and for all, hop in and join us.
We start Sunday and there are a couple of mini lessons and action items you can dive into if you sign up now.

Anyone else spending more on booze these days?
I got these squeezie popsicle-style frozen wine coolers and hate drinking them straight from the package so they go in a glass and I eat them with a spoon. The bourbon is .one
Yes I feel slightly guilty about all the alcohol and the money spent on it. But I can only address so many problems at once, and this is one I’m postponing until a later date.
Let me know if you’re spending more on alcohol than you did pre-pandemic. And if you want to have an organized way of building booze into your budget, join me in my Money Master Plan course starting this Sunday October 18th. It’s free this time so there’s no excuse not to jump in!

Ego ever gotten in your way?
Mine has. You may know I’m running my financial planning course Money Master Plan starting this Sunday October 18th.
I put my heart and soul into creating this course and was going to charge accordingly. I figured that people would automatically understand my awesomeness and the results they could get and fork over their money.
It hit me that I really need to PROVE my system works before I sell it. I mean, who the hell am I? Sure, I’ve got great results with my 1:1 clients, but I haven’t run this course before.
So I decided to give it away for free this time. That’s right, no charge. All I ask is that you give me feedback where you see fit and a testimonial if I blow your socks off.
The course gives you 8 weeks of bite-sized lessons, group coaching, and a step-by-step process to create your own holistic financial plan.
I cover everything you need to know from budgeting to insurance to estate planning, investing and taxes.
Even though I’m making it free, I fully expect that less than 20 people will take me up on it, so you’ll get lots of attention and your questions answered.
There’s a link in my bio or you can go to my website lauramoney.com for the details.
Hope to see you in class!

Gotta do the work.
When you are planting the seeds it’s often hard to see how they will grow. But you can’t get growth without planting.

Join me tonight October 8th for a super fun time!
Ok, so it’s not gonna be as fun as that time we went to Seattle and took super cheesy pictures, but unlike sticking your head through a hole in a board you WILL learn something about personal finance tonight.
I’m teaching the three biggest money mistakes people make and how to avoid them, so head on over to the link in my bio, put the kids to bed, and grab a glass of wine.
We’re gonna get your money straight.

We’ve all got ups and downs.
I’ve had a lot of them over the past few weeks. There have been moments that I’ve beaten myself up over decisions I’ve made.
But I’ve also gained a lot of clarity. .one was saying this weekend that he doesn’t like the words “pivot” or “failure”. He likes the word “evolve”.
I’ve continued to do a lot of evolving. And I’ll keep doing it. Fundamentally my goals are the same, but how I’ll get there keeps morphing.

You won’t know until you try.
Being in the world of financial advising we have to follow a ton of regulations.
Social media falls under that category. I have to archive my content. And I can’t provide anything that could be construed as advice, especially investment advice, only education.
This is scary. If the regulatory agencies deemed that I was breaking a rule, I could be prosecuted.
This post is a friendly reminder that nothing I say on this page is intended as giving advice and I do not guarantee outcomes for anyone.

Another amazing illustration from for my personal finance book. Wait until it’s water colored!
You guys. This book will be chock-full of illustrations. This is not like one per chapter. Every page has illustrations that let you visualize concepts and organize your money.
We’re getting closer and closer to being print ready!

Last day of my mini series median/average net worth posts.
While I don’t agree with the severe inequality these stats are proving, and I hope that over time we get to a place where there is greater wealth equity in America, today we need to work inside of the system we have.
And yes, that means YOU are responsible for your financial well-being. You can’t count on someone else to take care of you (unless you’re a trust fund baby) and you’ve got to have a plan.
Let me know if you need help. I’ve got you!

Spent too much on college?
Me, too! You know what I didn’t leave my 6-figure undergrad education with? The knowledge to help me be successful with my money.
Universities just don’t teach this stuff in practical, actionable ways. That’s why I created the Money Master Plan course. It’s everything you wish you had already learned, plus an actionable process that gives you a financial plan you can maintain yourself.
I opened the doors today - 8-week course starts October 18th. Check it out on my website www.lauradmoney.com

If you read my post from yesterday, you know that if you can get to average by “normal” retirement age (65) with $1.0M, you will probably be just fine.
As long as you make reasonable lifestyle choices.
If your net worth is at median levels, however (remember that’s the more accurate number) you are going to struggle.
Make a plan to be above average.
If you don’t have one, join me for my free webinar next week on October 8th. I’ll tell you the 3 biggest mistakes I see people make with their money and how you can avoid them.

You know it’s true.
Trump is in some deep s**t when it comes to his money and the IRS. It’s not admirable. It’s not something you would want to emulate. It could be that the audit that has been going on a decade doesn’t find anything technically illegal, but even if they don’t, Trump’s got a big tax bill coming.
There is a ton of complexity here, and I don’t want to oversimplify, but the bottom line is this:
If you are voting for Trump because you think he’s good at business, you may want to look a little harder.
**t

Now we’re older and we’re getting somewhere.
But let’s be serious, that median number is still very worrisome. I’ve got a theory about a comfortable retirement. It requires:
1. A paid-for house.
2. Delayed Social Security
3. $1.0 million
The million is assets outside the home and it’s in today’s dollars. So these median folks would have to 8x their money at least to get there by retirement. Possible yes, but not likely.
I don’t agree with it, but our social system requires that you are hyper responsible for your financial well being. There are very few safety nets.
Let me teach you how to work the system so it doesn’t work you in my Money Master Class. Doors open this week!

Filming my intro video for my Money Master Plan course.
Do I know anything about video? Nope. Am I filming with my iPhone? Yep. Is it perfect? Nope. Good enough? Yep.
While I’d love to be at as professional a level as my goal of helping regular people get a handle on their money doesn’t require a video team.
Maybe someday! But for now, if you join me in my course you’re not going to get perfection from me. But you WILL get RESULTS for you.
Doors open this week!

Mini series! Today’s your day if you are a late millennial or a Gen X.
Median and average net worth increase significantly from the pre 35-year-olds.
Do these stats make you feel bad? Good? Motivated?
Let me know! And don’t forget to join me in my free money class October 8th - link in bio!

If you’ve been here a while you probably know I’m not super athletic, but I do love being outdoors.
One of the things I love most about being outside is that it’s usually free or costs next to nothing.
Especially now that I can’t do other free things like wander around or without living in fear of a super spreader, walking or hiking outside is my favorite way to relax. As long as my kids aren’t there. They manage to make activities not relaxing.

Wanna be above average? How about above median?
Remember your math class from a long time ago - median is the middle number. Average, or mean, is all the numbers added together then divided by the number of data.
In this case, median is a much more meaningful measurement because the average is pulled up significantly by a few of the very rich.
It shows the extreme wealth inequality we have here in America.
If you want to push above average, or even above the median, join me in my free webinar Thursday October 8th to find out how to avoid the biggest money mistakes people make.

The holidays may look a bit different this year, but I’m pretty sure most of us will still do a fair amount of gifting.
I try to buy gifts in advance but don’t set aside a specific pot of money just for that. We usually wind up spending around $1500 for all things holiday gift related.
Do you keep track of what you spend on gifts? If so, how much do you think is reasonable to spend during the holidays?

Marriage and money. Go together like oil and water for some, peanut butter and jelly for others.
So what does it take to create a cohesive sandwich vs. having a bunch of parts that never quite come together?
If you join me in my course next month I’m doing a bonus lesson where I’ll go in depth about couples and money.
It’s cliche, but it’s really about communication and commitment. Being on the same team, deciding on a plan together, and supporting each other when times get rough is the way to be financially successful in marriage.
Having a hubby as cute as mine doesn’t hurt, either.
Check out my website to learn more and get notified when I open the doors to my 8-week financial planning course. I give you all the info and a step-by-step process so you can have an easy to maintain long term plan. www.lauradmoney.com

If you want to walk away from a personal finance class saying you loved it, I’m your gal.
I’m passionate about teaching personal finance in a way that’s fun, non-judgemental and actionable.
If you want to join my next free live class (virtual, obvi) on October 8th, sign up on my website www.lauradmoney.com or via the link in my bio.
I’ll be talking about the biggest money mistakes people make and how you can avoid them.
Because no one knows who I am, it won’t be packed - you’ll actually be able to get questions answered.
Hope to see you there!

Anyone else on the bandwagon?
There’s two things I think about besides the obvious how can I organize my own house like this.
#1 - how did they build a wildly successful business in just 5 years? I think it was because Joanna had a friendship with Christina Applegate and started there. Lesson? Get a famous friend.
#2 - they must spend at least $3k every trip to because I’ve walked out of there with $100 worth of paper clips. Lesson? Much like other home improvement shows it will likely cost you a lot more than you can afford to imitate their results.
Sometimes my obsession with personal finance can get in the way of my enjoyment of stuff that’s supposed to be relaxing.

I repeat. All investing has risk.
No one can guarantee a risk-free return. Yes, there are some investments that are way more risky than others, but even things like money market mutual funds have risk.
Is risk acceptable. Yep. Is it necessary to meet your goals? Absolutely. You’ve gotta take risk to get a reward, and anyone who promises you can get a rearward without any risk either is lying or doesn’t know any better.

Watching the kids play yesterday in the sunshine was almost enough to help get away from the stress for a minute. Almost.
Intense and hours long client meetings are on the one hand so fulfilling-I can give them so much clarity on their financial picture. And checking those action items off their list feels SO good!
The flip side is I give every piece of me during the time I spend with them. I do my best to put myself in their shoes, understand their fears and struggles, and help them understand my recommendations from their perspective.
Then I come out and instead of celebrating and relaxing I’m right back into my own stress again.
I’m lucky to be doing something that I love that pays me and that is flexible. But I know I’m not the only one who feels like each day is a stress hurdle. Being a working parent during a pandemic is tough, even if you have a pretty ideal situation.

talked about the idea of black girl magic in an article in last week. You know I always get some 💎from my subscription!
I’m not black (obviously take a look at my profile pic) but this did make me think about how words that seem positive can be dehumanizing.
This is the way I feel when people tell moms that we’re strong, we can do anything, we can do it all! Inside I’m screaming “NO WE CAN’T!” and that’s OK.
No one is superhuman. Sure, we want to be recognized for our amazingness but we also need to recognize our humanity.

Longing for the days of in-person meetings.
This was back in January when and I were starting to work on my illustrated personal finance book in earnest. I loved the tactile nature of these meetings. Zoom just isn’t the same.
Colleen is working hard on the illustrations, and we continue to adjust layout and copy.
I can’t wait to get the first printed copy - hopefully early next year!

Anyone else feel Ayn Rand has been commandeered by conservative capitalists?
I am a progressive and also believe that capitalism works well as long as the system also has social safety nets.
I choose to interpret “Atlas Shrugged” not as an excuse to push a pull yourself up by your bootstraps or else agenda, but as a construct that, at its core, promotes the idea that everyone should work their strengths so that the system is supported as a whole.
Anyone else think of Ayn Rand a little differently?