by Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

Everyone at some time or another needs some cash - and quickly!  The question is, have you anticipated this need and saved into it?  Or do you need to scramble?  What follows is a list of ten helpful suggestions.  

Here are 10 places to...

 By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

What follows is one of my all-time favorite quotations, from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.  The background is that Alice has come to a fork in the road and wonders out loud which way to turn.  The Cheshire Cat materializes, and the...

 By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

I can now pay for a Tesla with Bitcoin.  And the Mayor of Miami wants to pay City employees in Bitcoin and allow tax payments in the same cryptocurrency.  Honestly, until I can go into Bloomingdale's and buy a shirt with Bitcoin, it doesn't much...

by Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

With mortgage rates so low, we’ve been looking at mortgage refinancing for a few of our clients lately, to see if it might be in their best interests.  Here’s what we know: 

• For those with strong credit, 30-year rates are just below 3%,...

Although I usually blog about financial topics. Now and then I like to switch it up and get personal.  That's the case here - a few observances of the absurdities in modern life.  I hope you are amused!

--GJD

I Got Carded! 

While on vacation recently I stopped at a store to pick up...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

This piece is the third in a Social Security trilogy.  The first is Social Security Benefits, and the second is Taxation of Social Security. 

A common question I’m asked in a financial planning engagement is this:  Glenn, should I plan...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

I thought I’d put together a short list of the most important ages in financial planning.  The ages on the list changed a bit in 2020, so a review is in order.  Look up your age and see what’s happening for you!

Age 21 – UTMA account...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

I get a lot of questions on this topic, particularly for people thinking of real estate investing as sort of a retirement pastime.  So I thought I’d go into a little bit.  Here in Part I I’ll address cash flow issues, and how to determine...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

This is a really personal list.  It is complied from years of observing the human condition and reading good novels.  It is intended to be humorous, yet I’m fully aware that it might hit some raw nerves.  So for the intrepid souls out there,...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

As a financial planner, I work with a lot of couples planning for retirement.  Retirement brings on a sea-change in thinking.  Up until then most people have been in an accumulative stage of money management – saving up against the day they stop...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

A friend recently suggested that I write a piece about children and money.  At first I thought myself unqualified, as I have no formal education in this area.  But then I got to thinking that, as a father and now grandfather, that I might have...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

A lot of thought goes into planning for the retirement years.  Typically, people like to have the mortgages on their primary residences paid off, to go into retirement clean and with no debt.  This often begs the question; Do I have to keep paying on...