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“Yes we can.” “The change we need.” “Too liberal.” “Spread the wealth.” “Lower taxes.” “Drill, baby, drill.” All of these were “sound bites” from the 2008 elections. People make very important decisions, decisions that should require cognitive research and careful deliberations, (like choosing a President) based on easily recalled “sound bites” such as these. Have [...]

First, you always want to take advantage of any employer match—it is free money. For example, if the employer matches $.50 for each dollar you contribute, that’s like earning 50% after taxes for each matched dollar. Regardless of economic conditions, you should always contribute up to the amount that the employer will match.

Financial calculators and simple illustrations are one-sided solutions. All financial problems and solutions occur within the total financial situation of a household. Financial calculators and simple financial illustrations only consider a limited set of factors – just the factors that are relevant to the particular calculation. A cash flow analysis considers not only the benefits of the solution, but also the costs of the solution.