I caught an article today about bad habits people have that sabotage your retirement planning and I thought the final point about funding your retirement before you fund your child’s education was especially important. As the article states, “your child can borrow his way through college, but you cannot borrow your way through retirement.”

This is such an excellent point. As a parent I find myself consistently putting my children before myself in so many ways. Of course I want to give them the gift of a college education but we make it a rule of thumb to pay ourselves (and our retirement) first and according to our financial plan. If there are times when we need to adjust our savings, the adjustments are made to the educational savings plans before our retirement plans.

To read the other ways you might be sabotaging your retirement savings, check out this article:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-Bad-Habits-Sabotaging-Your-usnews-1034336641.html?x=0

Shelly Banjo, a reporter at the WSJ, writes a brilliant piece about the questions to ask when you pick a financial advisor:

Seven Questions to Ask When Picking a Financial Adviser

In her seven questions, Shelly repeatedly addresses the issues that come with hidden fees, kickbacks and conflicts of interest. Alberty Financial was born from the philosophy that the sale of financial products and investment management should not be comingled with financial planning advice. Our mission is to eliminate the distraction that comes with compensation that is tied to product and refocus our clients on making prudent choices based on their unique situations. There are few if any others doing what we do the way we do it now, but it is the way of the future.

Katherine Arnold Wolf’s CaringBridge site

Katherine Arnold Wolf is a story that many across the world have followed, as you can see from the hits on her CaringBridge site. Her story illustrates the ripple effects through friends, family and mere acquantainces of the many miracles that come from a young 20 something mother’s battle back to health from a severe stroke. There are so many financial planning lessons wrapped in this couple’s story.

Today, Katherine hits on the one that struck me the most in her latest blog post. Her husband, who was a law student at the time (now a graduate), was gifted with the wisdom to take out a catastrophic health insurance policy for the couple and their new infant. When you read her story, you will understand how critically important that one decision was to the health and financial well-being of the miracle that is Katherine Arnold Wolf and those who love her.

We are all receiving our important tax documents in the mail: year end statements, W2s, 1099s and so on. These documents are not only necessary for preparing your tax return, but they are also the core documents needed to put together your financial plan. Take advantage of having the bulk of your information in one spot by bringing your 2008 tax file to your financial planner after your CPA has completed your return. With the addition of your legal documents and your insurance information, your tax file should complete the checklist of items necessary to begin the financial planning process.

Isn’t it prudent to have a plan for navigating this uncertain economic environment?

Welcome to the Alberty Financial Blog!  As you get to know me through this blog you will find that I am passionate about financial planning.  I look forward to utilizing the Alberty Financial Blog for providing people with tools to build a sturdy financial foundation.  On a monthly basis, the members of the implementation resources team and I will post timely advice about what is happening in the financial industry.