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The first thing you should know about me is that I’m not a fear monger. That may be surprising given my involvement with legacy planning, which is related to fear because the association with death. The simple reason why I don’t subscribe to fear-based motivation is because it’s not effective, at least not long term, and it certainly isn’t constructive.

Explaining money and how it works forms the basis for teaching your kids financial literacy. An easy way to do this is by discussing your money decisions with your children – how you earn money, how you spend it and, of course, how you make your savings choices as well. Basically, what you’re doing is modeling the behavior you’d like your children to learn.

At one time, owning a home was a key component of the “American Dream.” You got a job. You worked hard. You got ahead. You married and bought a home. But times have changed. The changes in the world around you may mean changes in the way you look at your lifestyle and financial strategy. So, before you seek out a real estate agent, ask yourself a few questions.

When planning your legacy and thinking about your family’s future, you may want to consider a trust. If you’ve avoided this financial tool because it seems too restrictive, it might be time to reconsider. Trusts are popular when the beneficiary is incapable of handling asset management, but they can also be fairly flexible, depending on how they’re structured. Beneficiaries can be granted a decent amount of control while still enjoying the benefits of asset protection and tax savings.

With the recent shutting down of Bitcoin exchanges by the Chinese government there has been a rise in discussion of and speculation about cryptocurrencies in general. Are cryptocurrencies a form of money? The detractors say, “no.” And there are a number of cryptocurrency detractors.