
We’re just settling into October, so it may seem a bit early to start planning for Halloween, but it will be here before you know it. And the reason most people end up overspending (on anything) is because they didn’t give themselves enough time to plan appropriately. The holiday snuck up on them, so now…

Fall officially begins on September 23. It may not feel very Fall-like in Southern California at the moment, but soon the air will turn cooler, the leaves will begin to fall and the days will grow shorter. We will fill our free moments with favorite Fall activities, like sipping pumpkin lattes as we carve spooky…

A week ago, we woke-up on a Monday morning to find the stock market in a massive downward spiral, falling more than 1,000 points within minutes of the opening bell. It was the worst start since the financial crisis in 2008, bringing back many bad memories and investor fears. The media was filled with doom…

We are often fascinated by wealthy people and their lifestyle. We imagine their lives to be very different from our own and likely much better living in their plush mansions and driving their high-performance vehicles. We dream about trading places with them and enjoying their opulent and wild lives that we see play out on…

The cliche, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” is one we’ve all heard before and like most cliches, it also has a kernel of truth to it as well. Many people spend their entire lives coveting what others have, believing their life to be superior. This includes the assumption…

It’s hard to believe, but we are just mere days away from celebrating the 4th of July in the United States. I know many of my readers are gearing up to celebrate the holiday by heading to nearby parks and beaches to spend time with family and friends. We enjoy the holiday with plenty of…

When I mention financial literacy to most people, they are often unfamiliar with the term. There are lots of fancy definitions as to what financially literacy means, but to me, it is being able to use your money confidently in the real world. Sadly, this is something many people struggle to do. Everyone wants money,…

Editor’s Note: Tanya from Eat Laugh Purr is getting Financially Real with us and sharing how gender expectations influenced her money beliefs. I consider myself to be a modern woman as do most woman today, whatever their age may be. We’ve been taught to think for ourselves, be independent and value our worth. To be…

Let’s get REAL. Money is emotional. The decisions you make right now around money are driven in part by emotional needs, whether you realize it or not. I see it every day with my clients as I teach them to let their goals guide their decisions, rather than let their emotions fuel their need to…

When my father started his money lessons with me when I was a teenager, he wanted to help me become emotionally competent when handling my money. In other words, he wanted me to be aware of how my emotions affected my money decisions. His lessons started my journey towards financial literacy, but the prize is…