Getting a Tax Refund? Be Like the 50% of People Using it Wisely

Tax day is only a few weeks away. If you are receiving a tax refund, you have some fun decisions to make. A recent study found that only 31% plan to put some of the refund toward their retirement savings, and another 19% plan to pay down debt…meaning only half of people are taking steps to improve their financial situation with their refund.

We know. You get a check in the mail or it shows up in your checking/savings account. Saving it or paying down debt is about as fun and exciting as…well…I don’t know, but it’s not. Unfortunately, doing the right thing sometimes isn’t that fun. However, it is a good feeling when you do the right thing.

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WSJ – Once Bitten, Twice Bold: Look Who’s Buying Stocks Now

Jason Zweig is one of my favorite writers at the Wall Street Journal. Last weekend, he wrote an interesting article regarding some of the classic sell low, buy high behaviors taking place due to the sustained gains of the market rally that is now nearing 24 months in length. It’s a must-read for anyone wanting to learn what NOT to do with their portfolio. Here are a few snippets from the article:

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Don’t Get Burned – Put More Focus on the Recipe Than the Ingredients

A few months ago, I made a big pot of chili. I have made my Mom’s recipe my own, and always enjoy how it turns out. However, I incorporated a few new ingredients that time, and the initial result was quite interesting. I discovered an important lesson – I have some learning to do when cooking with cayenne pepper. When I checked it after it had been cooking for a couple of hours, I found it to look and smell like chili. After tasting it however, it was so spicy that I thought it was molten lava going down my throat.

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5 Tips to Help Stop Worrying About Money

The following article by Carl Richards at the NYTimes.com made some really good points regarding our propensity to beat ourselves up over past mistakes as well as worrying about the future with respect to money. I have been guilty of this, so this really hit home for me. Simply put, we are all human and make mistakes in many aspects of our lives, including financial decisions.

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Conversations About Money…Even When They Are Not

If you follow this blog at all, you know I am a fan of Carl Richards, who does a fantastic job of simplifying investing concepts but also our behaviors around money. The following post from the New York Times is a fantastic example and advice from which we can all (mostly us men) can benefit from.

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