CFP®

A 2018 study estimates that just over half of Americans age 34 to 65 won't run short of money in their retirement years. They're the fortunate ones. Unfortunately, on the flipside, that means just under half will run short of money.

With the world becoming more digital by the moment, it’s no small wonder that online security is at the forefront of user’s minds these days. Using tools such as strong passwords can help protect your identity online, which can in turn protect your financial information, important files, and more.

Being financially literate in today’s economic climate is more important than ever. Understanding finances can help you make better money management decisions, budget your money properly, adequately save for college, and be financially prepared for retirement. While it may sound daunting, financial literacy starts with a budget.

Managing finances properly is mainly common sense. While we’ve all made financial mistakes, most of those mistakes are easily rectified, particularly when promptly corrected. However, there are some financial decisions that can be much harder to recover from. Here are just a few of them:

It’s official: Money is stressful. Surveys consistently show that money is the top source of stress for American adults. More than a quarter of Americans say they feel stressed about money most or all of the time. Only 30 percent rate their financial security as high, and more than two-thirds believe that more money would make them happier.

When most people think of retirement, fears about financial challenges frequently come up. With so many people not having any retirement savings at all, benefits like Social Security often make up most or all of the income that retirees get.

Since World War II, obesity rates in the United States have skyrocketed, our net national savings rate has plummeted and American adults and kids alike have allocated a rapidly rising proportion of their free time to staring at electrons dancing on screens.

Since 1926, if you invested in the S&P 500 for any 16 year rolling time frame, you experienced a positive return 100% of the time. For all 10 year rolling time frames since 1926, you experienced positive returns 94% of the time. This shows that, historically speaking, if you invest for long enough the possibility of permanent loss is ZERO, AKA zero risk. 

In addition to the flowers, the chocolate, and the good champagne, remember these lasting financial planning ways to say I Love You every day to your dearest Valentine:

Follow the Golden Rule

Be as honest and accountable to your mate as you would like them to be with you about spending decisions and preferences.

The results of research which studies investor behavior and analyzes investor market returns, consistently shows that the average investor earns below-average returns.

For the twenty years ending 12/31/2015, the S&P 500 Index averaged 9.85% a year. A pretty attractive historical return. The average equity fund investor earned a market return of only 5.19%.