Category Archives: Investing

RISK: Managing, Accepting, and Embracing

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Amy Jo Lauber

“Most men either compromise or drop their greatest talents and start running after, what they perceive to be, a more reasonable success, and somewhere in between they end up with a discontented settlement. Safety is indeed stability, but it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Goals, Investing, Personal Finance with a twist, Psychology of Money | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What a Personal Financial Policy is & How it Makes Your Life Better

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Amy Jo Lauber

Most of economic theory is based on the assumption that we make rational, logical, and beneficial financial decisions. Ha! Most of us make purely emotional (or “socially informed”) decisions about money most of the time, some of which may be … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Charitable giving, College, Faith & Finances, Goals, Insurance, Investing, Living the life of your dreams, Marriage and Money, Money & Spirituality, Money in relationships, Personal Finance with a twist, Psychology of Money, Retirement, Saving, Tackling debt | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Taking Risks, Choosing Careers & Your Portfolio

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Amy Jo Lauber

The part of me that longs to be a sociologist has been thinking a lot about how people view risk in general, and if people with conservative career positions also invest conservatively. In my practice I see many people who have steady-freddy … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, Personal Finance with a twist | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

If you ask me about the Facebook IPO, I’ll give you a similar look your landscaper would

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Amy Jo Lauber

It’s funny, whenever anyone learns that I am a financial planner, they automatically ask me about an investment; these days, it’s Facebook’s IPO (which stands for “initial public offering”: the first time a company’s stock is for sale to the public). I … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, Personal Finance with a twist, Psychology of Money | 4 Comments

Financial Ingredient Labels

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Amy Jo Lauber

I often compare financial issues to food, mainly because personal finance is loaded with jargon that only furthers a person’s confusion. I will compare using riskier investments to having a tolerance for hot peppers. Or, a budget (spending plan) is … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, Personal Finance with a twist | 2 Comments

“Sign this form stating that you’ve read and reviewed this material” – Yeah, right

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Amy Jo Lauber

My relative’s investment advisor is changing firms, so his accounts have to transfer from the old company to the new one. To confirm this change, the new company sent a packet – as required – disclosing all of the material … Continue reading →

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Real Estate Versus Equity Investors

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Amy Jo Lauber

You just never know when a discussion about money will crop up. I had a rather interesting conversation with a man yesterday while we both waited for our cars’ news tires to be installed. He’s into real estate; always has … Continue reading →

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The Fourth Step: Grow

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Amy Jo Lauber

So much of financial planning information seems to be focused on just the investing portion of it. We’re inundated with stock market updates and talk about asset allocation. It is only one portion of a person’s financial plan, but it … Continue reading →

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How to Get out of a Variable Annuity Virtually Unscathed

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Amy Jo Lauber

Apparently I’ve ruffled some feathers in my industry because of my disdain for variable annuities. It’s not going to deter me, though. Too many times I’ve created financial plans for clients only to have their plans thwarted because they’re handcuffed … Continue reading →

Posted in Charitable giving, Insurance, Investing, Personal Finance with a twist, Retirement, Taxes | 18 Comments

Don’t ask me about the market

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Amy Jo Lauber

My husband and I used to have this running dialogue when I got home from work. He’d ask “What did the market do today?” and I’d reply “I don’t pay attention to the market, I pay attention to my clients.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, Personal Finance with a twist | 1 Comment