My Money & Me

By now, most of us have at least heard of Simon Sinek and his maxim— which is also the title of his bestselling book—“Start with Why.” The main idea that Sinek has captured so effectively is that companies and people can achieve great success by truly understanding the purpose behind what they do, and then ordering all their efforts from that starting point. As Sinek puts it, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”

Depending on the “money culture” of the home you grew up in, it’s likely that you’ve encountered one of two attitudes toward debt: either you view it as a “slush fund” to be tapped when there’s something you want that you don’t have enough cash to buy; or you think of debt as an evil that must be avoided at all costs.

As financial advisors, we often talk about different tools investors can use to earn money, save money, and even protect their money. Some of these tools include access to alternative investment options, some are tax saving strategies, others are legacy protection techniques. But of all the tools we talk about, and of all the benefits different tools can offer, there is one that trumps them all.

Simple is good, right? If you want to get something, the direct approach is best. Yes, simple is good, but simplistic is not. Many times the straightforward approach gets you exactly the opposite of what you actually want. The world we live in is complex, largely unknown (to each individual in it), and full of feedback loops and consequences….

“No” has gotten a bad rap. When we hear ‘no’ we tend to associate it with bad things, negative outcomes, not being able to do or get something. But ‘no’ has another side – a creative, positive, enabling side – and one we shouldn’t lose sight of. The fact is that, as much as people may dislike it, the world is full of choices and limits. And without a willingness to say ‘no’ to some things we can never truly say ‘yes’ to other things….

With the competition for quality employees growing, many companies have turned to equity compensation as a way to attract and retain talent. Currently, the most common form of equity compensation is restricted stock units (RSUs). And while RSUs may seem straightforward, they are also frequently misunderstood, especially by employees who have previously dealt with options and who therefore may not completely grasp how the two vehicles differ.