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Notice of Foreclosure

Dimespring: What happens if I’m renting and the house goes into foreclosure?

By on September 13, 2012 in Real Estate

I’ve recently joined a number of my Garrett Planning Network colleagues in contributing to Dimespring, a new personal finance website with a ton of good, accessible advice.  I’m honored to be a part of it. My first contribution deals with what happens if you’re renting a house that goes into foreclosure. Check it out, and […]

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Life Insurance

Life Insurance – Just Do It

By on August 22, 2012 in Insurance & Risk Management

Special note:  this blog entry is part of a movement to raise awareness of the importance of life insurance. Today, August 22, over 100 bloggers and members of the financial media, will do their part to improve the financial lives of many members of the blogosphere and beyond.  Please consider checking out some of the […]

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Dollar Cost Averaging

What is Dollar-Cost Averaging?

By on July 23, 2012 in College Planning, Investing, Retirement Planning

A general investing maxim that has been passed down over the years is that Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) is a good way to invest, particularly for beginning investors. The basic approach is that you invest a consistent amount at regular intervals, which ensures that you buy more shares when prices are low (and fewer shares […]

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Education Pays

Want a Job? Education Pays

By on June 19, 2012 in College Planning

I continue to be surprised and somewhat perplexed about the current popularity of questioning the value of a college education.  I think there are many thought-provoking aspects to the discussion, a couple of which make a lot of sense to me.  Let’s face it:  the ever-escalating cost of college is making life more financially difficult […]

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oops_ffp

Investors Behaving Badly…?

By on June 13, 2012 in Investing

Do investors behave badly?  I’m not referring to institutional traders that risk billions, and in the view of some put entire markets at risk. I’m talking about individual investors, everyday people who primarily invest to ensure a comfortable retirement in the future.  And by “bad”, I don’t mean with bad intent.  I’m referring to behavior […]

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SocialMadness

Social Madness, Foothills style

By on June 4, 2012 in Uncategorized

And now for something completely different…. This month the various metro Business Journals are conducting a social media contest that they’re calling Social Madness, to determine who is “best at social media”.  Foothills Financial Planning has been selected to compete in the Small Business category in Phoenix, and we could use your help! As the […]

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Exchange Traded Funds

Are ETFs dangerous to your wealth?

By on April 30, 2012 in Investing, Retirement Planning

Can you feel it comin’? As I write this post, I’m listening to the new Velvet Years EP from Blue Eyed Jesus.  While the title song deals with a sort of revolution of a very different nature, the “revolution” concept seems appropriate when considering the impact ETFs have and will likely continue to have on […]

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Is a big tax refund a good thing?

Is a big tax refund a good thing?

By on April 3, 2012 in Taxes

Sometimes, financial planner types like myself get focused on “perfect” solutions that either rely on precise numbers, or are elegant in theory but might not be that beneficial in practice.  For instance, people like me get pretty excited about the ability to earn 1%+ on a savings account when the big banks are typically paying […]

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Roth IRA Movement

A Roth IRA Revolution

By on March 27, 2012 in Investing, Retirement Planning

Okay, revolution may be a bit strong.  In reality, Roth IRAs have been around for awhile, and even a few hundred bloggers collaborating doesn’t make a revolution.  So maybe movement is a better word.  That is what Jeff Rose is proposing on his Good Financial Cents blog.  Jeff recently spoke to a class of seniors […]

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Dividends matter

Why Dividends Matter – Revisited

By on March 22, 2012 in Dividends, Investing

A couple of years ago Kiplinger Personal Finance ran an article that discussed the wisdom of investing in dividend-paying stocks.  The information in the article is pretty well-covered territory at Foothills Financial Planning, but a sub-article covering Why Dividends Matter almost sounded like an advertisement for the Camelback Fund, which made it a good candidate for coverage in this blog. […]

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