9 of the 10 most impactful common stressors involve money
From the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory, the top 10 most impactful life events are: You’ll notice, many of those are pretty common, if not year over year, we can expect to encounter multiple of them in a lifetime. And of those, only 1 isn’t something that financial planners would commonly discuss…
The value of an educator in your financial court
I was in a financial community meeting with ~60 others yesterday, and we were comparing some of our commonly occurring experiences (as well as observing the NBA finals games in progress). One of the most common things mentioned was that people were coming to them because: -they were clients of…
Income and satisfaction as a research scientist
Research scientists are the workhorses that move scientific progress along. But do you know what to expect for compensation and job satisfaction as a research scientist? More than half of 3,600 respondents say that they have sacrificed a good salary by going into science, and nearly 20% would not recommend…
Female physicians – Bring data to the battle for gender-equal income
Just like in many other professions, there is a distinct inequality in male and female physician income, and that disparity begins straight out of school even with the same degree and the same GPA. Plus, your starting income often impacts your future years incomes, whether raises at the same medical…
Medical school loans – new rates go into effect July 1st
Inflation continues to impact all aspects of our financial lives, and that includes loan interest rates. All of the 2024-2025 school year federal student loan rates have been announced. This includes undergraduate direct loans, graduate loans, and GradPLUS and ParentPLUS loans. Interest rate Interest rate Origination fee 2023-2024 2024-2025 Undergraduate…
Fidelity: “___, is your 401(k) on life support?”
I’m so frustrated with scare tactics. I logged into my NetBenefits portal at Fidelity yesterday, and got the above headline, about “___, is your 401(k) on life support?”. First of all, I don’t even have a 401(k). Courtesy of working for a non-profit employer, the accounts I have through Fidelity’s…
“Taking Stock” – Book Review and Discussion with the Author
This book got on my radar when it was added to my book club’s meeting list for April 2024. Given the financial planner theme in a professional development book club, I assumed it would be about stocks (ownership of companies), and investing. Until I saw that the author is a…
Listening, librarians, and … empathy?
What do listening, being a librarian, and empathy have to do with each other? They’re all related to communication. Listening This week I had a first mentoring meeting with a new staff member, and one of the activities was an overview of communication. Since doctors and statisticians naturally speak different…
Silence is not the same as consensus
One of the people I work with on a non-profit board has a day job in the leadership development space. The last time we were running an event together, she gave an impromptu mentoring session to 5 women, including myself, about being a leader. It centered around her new favorite…
December is the new October – FAFSA timelines 2023
Typically, October 1st is the first day you can complete the FAFSA each fall, for your student who will be in college the following August. In 2023, because of the transition from the Expected Family Contribution to the Student Aid Index, and the changes to the FAFSA form, the government…