personal finance

Tips and tricks to teach your children about money

In 2004, the US Congress officially recognized April as National Financial Literacy Month as a way to improve knowledge and understanding of financial concepts such as budgeting, debt, saving and investing. These are crucial concepts to learn, however, there is very little formal financial education for our children. According to the Council for Economic Education, only a third of states require high school students to take a personal financial class in order to graduate. So it is no surprise that one in five 15-year-olds in the US lack basic financial literacy in 2017 according to the Program for International Student Assessment.

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1-year Treasury rates hit 10 year high

Today in the bond auction, the 1-year Treasury bill yield hit a 10-year high at 2.02 percent. This is good news for savers as they are finally starting to see some risk free returns on their money in the bank. Furthermore, new Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified on Capitol Hill and suggested that there will be 3-4 more hikes this year. That means that we may see 3 percent rates by year end. Powell said, “At the December meeting, the median [FOMC] participant called for three rate increases in 2018,” Powell said. “Now since then, what we’ve seen is incoming data that suggests a strengthening in the economy.”

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Don’t invest in things you don’t understand

Today I want to give you a tip to keep you out of trouble: never invest in something that you don't understand. That includes bitcoin, MLPs, annuities, structured products and even stocks. This may seem obvious but I have seen people make this simple mistake because they are chasing the hottest thing in the moment. Early in my career, it was internet stocks. People were buying companies with no earnings and no business plan and were simply interested because the price was going up. Years later, it was subprime loans. The worst quality mortgages were sliced and diced and then packaged as supposedly A rated bonds. When things are too good to be true and you can't understand how it is possible, trust your gut and run away as fast as possible.

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3 Actionable Tips to get Financially Fit in 2018

As we near December 31st, many people are making their New Year's resolutions. I've never been a fan of resolutions, but last year my pants were getting tight in October and weren't helped by so many holiday treats. I made the decision to get in better shape. It was really more of a goal than a resolution but I digress. I bought a $20 Groupon to try out CKO Kickboxing for 6 classes and after my first class, I was totally hooked. I loved hitting the heavy bag and have been going twice a week ever since. In conjunction, I also focused on eating clean and enjoy having salad during most weekday lunches. I'm happy to report that after a year, my pants are no longer tight around the waist. The funny thing is that I've actually gained weight over last year but it is now muscle instead of fat. This year I'm tempted to write out more formal resolutions and goals to see what I can accomplish.

Since I write mainly about financial topics, today I will focus on 3 actionable tips to help you get financially fit in 2018. I know that many of you are worried that I'm going to go into budgets, planning, emergency funds, 401ks and other boring crap. But worry not, I won't mention any of these terms. I promise. Let's jump into the good stuff!

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