Your Holiday "Honey Do" List: 5 Financial Tasks In 5 Minutes

Picture this. It’s the Christmas holiday and you’re taking several well-deserved vacation days. You’re laying on the couch with a belly full of holiday goodness. You’ve napped, perused a book, and conquered a few family members in a rousing game of Monopoly.

If you’re anything like me, after a couple days you may start feeling a little antsy to get something done--but “working” will get you chided by your family, right?

Well if you need a little “work around” here are a few quick things you can do to shape up your financial life, each one literally taking about 5 minutes to complete. You’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something, and no one can blame you for working too much.

The Incredible Simplicity of Index Funds and Why It Matters

When it comes to investing, research shows that you’re better off embracing the boring. How is this done?

The primary way is to seek out low-cost index funds for your IRA, 401k, or other investment account, rather than using “actively managed” mutual funds. The research is consistent on this topic: Index funds outperform the vast majority of actively managed mutual funds over time.

What are index funds and how do they relate to actively managed mutual funds? The answer will help you become a better investor.

Why You Should Stay Away From Indexed Universal Life Insurance

Financial products come in a wide variety of “flavors.” With life insurance, you can get coverage that is very plain vanilla, like a fairly simple term or whole life policy, or you can add layers and layers of nuanced features--as with Indexed Universal Life Insurance, or IULs. But my experience with IULs has taught me that the devil is in the details.

Here is a quick rundown of IULs and why you should stay away from them.

“The Hermanos” and a Lesson at the Dinner Table

When I was a teenager in Virginia, my father befriended a group of Latin American immigrant workers.

They hardly spoke a word of english, so my dad, along with a group of other volunteers, cretaed an ESL program and worked to teach them english. A lot of my dad’s free time went into helping them learn and a close friendship quickly formed. He affectionately called them “The hermanos” (the brothers).

How to Prioritize Your Finances by Understanding Your Values

Conflicting priorities are at the heart of much of our everyday lives. We have a long list of things we know we should get done, but with limited time, resources, and energy. Unfortunately, family finances often fall to the bottom of the list.

This is a problem because our own financial picture and family goals probably look different than someone others. As a result, we need take steps to make sure our own goals are getting done, and in the right order.

As you think about how to prioritize your own financial decisions, here are some guidelines to consider.