Author Archives: Beth Remick

Women and Money: Where the Magic Begins

Posted in Financial Planning, Goals, Women and Money on by .

The women I meet are AMAZING.

They are running, and they are running FAST.  They are seeking to improve their communities, embracing aspirations, taking care of others, and following their desires … all while sorting out their own personal financial journey.

These women’s stories are relatable, passion filled, and inspiring:

“I want to play an important role in stopping human trafficking so much that I feel it in my bones.  I’d like to earn a master’s degree in Cybersecurity, but I still have undergraduate student loans.  How do I make it work without hurting my future choices?”

“I have had a long, successful career as a lawyer, and now I want to start my own business.  I have some money saved for retirement, but I don’t want to tap into it for my regular day-to-day spending while I get my business off the ground.  What do I do?”

“We didn’t have any money growing up and when we did, it went fast.  I now have an incredible job and make more money than I ever dreamed.  Yet, I barely have anything saved.   How do I learn to think differently about money?”

“My sister is a playwright and doesn’t make a lot of money.  I’m single and have worked in corporate America all my life.  I want a comfortable retirement, and I’d also like to help my sister so she can continue to pursue her craft comfortably.  How do I do this without negatively impacting my own retirement?”

These are all deeply personal, laudable, life-altering goals!

My answer to each one is the same – and it’s neither to stop spending nor to tuck away a heartfelt dream.  Simply stated: we must “SIZE IT” in order to “SEIZE IT”!

We need to …

… determine how big the desired goal is;

… see what money is coming in, what money is going out, and what money is saved;

… consider all the possible ways to achieve the goal – there’s never just one way; and

… calculate the dollars needed for each of options.

Once we do this, the MAGIC begins to happen.

As we talk through the various paths to success and see the trade-offs, she begins to OWN where she wants to go and how to get there.  She says YES to things that fill her up and NO to things that are just things.  She is courageous in her answers because she is coming from a place of knowledge, power, and energy.  She is moving from a being a worrier to a true warrior around her money.

If she wants a masters degree, to retire, start a business or understand her money, she has to be intentional with money.  She has to be disciplined and persistent.  She has to track it, monitor it, and let it flow.  Money is energy.  It needs to flow in and flow out and with intention it needs to know its true purpose.

This is what’s truly thrilling about empowering women through financial planning.

It begins with an authentic PURPOSE, driven by KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS, COURAGE, DISCIPLINE, and PERSISTENCE.

It’s evolving from being a worrier about money to becoming a warrior for your goals.

It’s about being intentional in your financial choices.

It’s seeing money as energy that can strengthen your financial world … and give you the power to move towards your heartfelt desire.

Let’s create the magic together.  We love helping women HONOR their purpose, LIVE their purpose and CELEBRATE their purpose.

Financial Records and Decluttering: What Goes and What Stays?

Posted in Tips on by .

In her bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Marie Kondo takes decluttering to the next level.  However, Kondo is silent on the issue of keeping or disposing of financial records.  We thought it would be helpful in the New Year to have a handy summary of how long to keep your financial records.

Type of Record Length of Time to Keep:
Tax Returns and Supporting Documents 7 years
IRA Contribution Records Permanently for nondeductible contributions to show you already paid the tax on the money
Retirement Plan Statements Keep annual summaries until you retire or close the account
Brokerage Statements Keep until you sell the securities
Bank Statements Keep from 1 year to permanently.  Hold on to those they those related to your taxes, business expenses, home improvements
Bills Keep from 1 year to permanently.  Hold on to those bills for big ticket items such as jewelry, rugs, appliances, etc. for insurance purposes.
Credit Card Statements Keep for 7 years if tax related expenses are documented
Paycheck Stubs Keep 1 year
House/Condominium Records 6 years to permanently

 

Source: Bankrate.com

Note:  If you are interested in going paperless you can convert your paper records to electronic records by scanning them and saving them.  With the right scanner this can be quick and relatively painless.  We recommend the Fujitsu ScanSnap ix500 if you are serious about scanning!