Northbrook Financial
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Looking back to move forward: Make 2024 your money year!
The end of the year can sometimes feel like a financial time warp. On the one hand, looking back...
Zillow quotes don’t pay for vacations: Liquid vs Illidquid Wealth
In personal finance, the ability to track progress over time is essential. We often hear about...
Investing in the Age of Echo Chambers
Introduction Trends come and go - and sometimes they come back - I have on good authority (my...
Simple Sam vs Compounding Charlie: Invest Smarter!
Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He...
QCDs: A Retiree’s Golden Ticket to Smart Charity
One of my favorite songs, California Dreamin by The Mamas and the Papas, starts off describing a...
Rising Rates, Sinking Prices and The Changing Investment Tide
For over a year the Federal Reserve has embarked on a massive interest rate hike aimed at taming...
From the Northbrook Inbox: Getting Savvy with Roth Contributions
Question: After diligently maxing out my annual contributions to a Roth IRA in my early career, I...
Health Savings Accounts: The Tax Hero Hiding in Plain Sight
Healthcare is one of the biggest expenses in retirement. Medicare doesn't cover everything, and...
Financial Literacy → Financial Capability → Financial Independence
Financial Literacy → Financial Capability → Financial Independence As you become successful in...
Bunching and Deducting: The One-Two Punch to Lower Taxes
Who said tax planning can't be a bunch of fun? Buckle up, as we unravel the gift that keeps on...
Riding the Financial Time-Machine: Gates’ Law and the Magic of Compound Interest
Financial planning and investing can often seem like a daunting endeavor. The quest for immediate...
When less is more: stock markets, roller coasters, and the beauty of doing nothing
In the fast-paced world of investing, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and frenzy of...
Income Producing Assets or Income Consuming Assets? Choose wisely
A wonderful point along the financial empowerment journey is realizing that, for the most part,...
The Perennial Power of Saving and Investing: Lessons from our Garden
At home we have two flower beds in our yard. The flower beds are special since our family built...
When to Fold ‘Em: Overcoming the Sunk Cost Bias in Personal Finance
The sunk cost fallacy is a cognitive bias that refers to the tendency for people to continue...
Breaking the Silence: Confronting Financial Avoidance Head-On
Financial avoidance is a psychological condition that affects individuals who avoid managing their...
Banks in crisis! New players, same old story
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) on March 10, 2023 was a major shock to the financial...
To Roth or not to Roth? That is the question
An overlooked, but important, part of any retirement savings plan concerns the type of account you...
Avoiding the Big Retirement Risks
Retirement is just as much a leap of faith as any other significant life change. No matter how...
Dollar Cost Averaging – Just an average strategy?
Dollar Cost Averaging - Just an average strategy? Dollar cost averaging is an investment strategy...