Go ahead. Get out a piece of paper and write down the first thing that pops into your head.

Got it?

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post More Money, More Success, More Stuff? Don’t Count on More Happiness appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

This concern makes me think of the sketch above, which I shared many years ago in a different context. Some expectations of the financial professionals we hire can lead to enormous disappointment, since these particular titles mean nothing. No universal standard of care exists that applies to the financial industry as a whole. Other than the financial professionals who are fiduciaries and must act in customers’ best interest, there is no requirement to put a client’s needs first.

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post Meaningless Titles and Empty Promises in the Money Business appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

It’s for us and our stuff.

From now on, before anything new comes into the house, resident buyers will need to answer a series of questions. How much did it cost? Are you replacing something you already own? Why do you think it’s amazing? And if it’s food, are you sure you’ll eat it?

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post New Rule: All Purchases Subject to a 7-Day Mental Quarantine appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

“Will you come talk to my co-workers?! They are talking about stopping their 401(k) contributions because of what’s going on! Driving me nuts!”

Still not quite awake, I replied, “What?”

Within seconds, he replied, “Stock market fell 500 points this morning, Carl! It’s all the way down to 17,537!”

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post No, Really: Just Ignore Day-to-Day Stock Market Fluctuations appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

While I’m sure there are many reasons for these questions, I submit that the primary one is this: Our collective anxiety around money has never been higher. People are scared, and at the root of that fear is money (or the lack thereof).

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post How Our Fears About Money Could Swing the 2016 Election appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

In the first, money equals money. It fits in a spreadsheet. It’s something to be calculated. In the other, money equals stories. It’s what we tell ourselves about our relationship with money.

Let me share a story I’ve told myself. For six years, we have rented a home in Park City, Utah, and put off making any long-term real estate commitments. We knew we would get to it — eventually. Well, eventually arrived, and we looked at the spreadsheet.

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post The Dual Roles of Money appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

When I read this book in late 1999, I bought into the need to always be looking for opportunities and to live my life at full throttle. I was afraid that if I stopped for even a moment just to rest, relax and recover, I wouldn’t “make it” (whatever that means).

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post The Paranoid Survive, but They Burn Out. Take a Break. appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

One of my main inspirations for writing this follow-up column was my friend, Brett Davidson. A few years ago, Brett and his wife, Debbie, lived in Britain. They were running the successful consulting firm FP Advance with the goal of helping financial advisers live the lives they so often help their clients achieve. Brett and his wife, who have no children, had a nice home with beautiful furniture, and everything was going about as well as anyone could hope for.

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post A Life Full of Experiences May Not Mean Less Financial Security appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Why is he talking about this now? The markets aren’t even that scary.” That’s true. And it’s also true that I can’t predict when the next bad market is coming.

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post Notes on Scary Markets From Your Sketch-Wielding Drill Sergeant appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.

But deciding what to eat? That’s a different question.

Will I eat the bologna or prosciutto? Drink tap water or bottled? And anything discretionary — anything that has even the slightest element of choice in it — invariably deals with a question we find ourselves asking all the time.

Read the rest of the article on The New York Times.

The post Three Ways to Think About ‘Is It Worth It?’ appeared first on JMF Capstone Wealth Management.