by Marie Burns | Mar 5, 2021 | Estate Planning, Financial Wellness
I wish we had a different word to use here in the United States for our “status” after we lose a spouse other than the word “Widow.” It’s the only box you can check on forms you need to fill out afterwards at the bank, doctor’s office, dentist, etc. What I have...
by Marie Burns | Feb 22, 2021 | Financial Wellness
Checklists are more powerful than you might think. Research is definitely convincing on the merits of using checklists. They help you focus and accomplish goals, one small task at a time. They train your brain to be more productive which also gives you more time in...
by Marie Burns | Feb 4, 2021 | Estate Planning, Financial Advocate, Financially Organized
What are the odds of getting hit by a bus? 1 in 495,000. Not happening to me, right? But what are the odds that you’re going to die someday? Exactly. Yet only 40% of us put any documents in place about what we want to happen when we die. I always say this topic is...
by Marie Burns | Jan 24, 2021 | Financial Advocate, Financial Wellness, Financially Organized
When I first started public speaking, part of my training was the constant reminder that you only have 30 seconds to make a positive impression and grab the audience’s attention. That training was about 30 years ago and the timeframe to make a first impression has...
by Marie Burns | Jan 7, 2021 | Financial Advocate, Financial Wellness
“Take a deep breath!” That was probably a common phrase that was used when we were younger if we were upset about something. Or we might have been told to “calm down, count to 10” or “walk it off”. Who knew this age-old advice that we all probably heard from our...
by Marie Burns | Dec 21, 2020 | Financially Organized
Put Yourself On the “Nice List” This Year What is a favorite memory you have of holiday time as a child? Maybe it was related to an event or activity rather than a gift. Or perhaps you have smells or sounds that come to mind when you think of the holidays. I remember...
by Marie Burns | Nov 23, 2020 | Estate Planning
“Just like we often have our family around us at the dinner table, Thanksgiving and other holidays, or in times of need, we also should think about having a financial family around us too.” Talking around the dinner table as a young girl is where I heard...
by Marie Burns | Nov 5, 2020 | Estate Planning
The sooner you communicate your wishes, the less stress and potentially broken relationships there will be in the end. When one of my nieces was just a little thing, maybe 4 or 5 years old, she saw a spoon rack on her grandmother’s wall (my mother-in-law). It is one...
by Marie Burns | Oct 26, 2020 | Estate Planning, Financial Advocate
What does money mean to you? If you had to choose one word to describe what money means to you, what would that word be? Survival, security, love, power, independence, or something else? Whatever word you identified is the result of years of experiences, beginning in...
by Marie Burns | Sep 24, 2020 | Estate Planning, Financial Advocate
When we hear the term “legacy” we often think of leaving millions of dollars to heirs, so most of us decide “well, that sure doesn’t apply to me!” and we stop thinking about it. However, the word legacy simply refers to passing something from one generation to the...
by Marie Burns | Aug 30, 2020 | Estate Planning, Financial Advocate
A Frustrating Requirement You Need to Understand We head to the pantry this month in our Financial Open House tour, and if you are like me, you have a place for everything. Your pantry is organized the way you like it therefore you don’t really think much about it...
by Marie Burns | Jul 21, 2020 | Estate Planning
Be sure yours is correct! Let’s talk about your name. You may love your name, or think it’s just okay, or wish you had a different name, and these days, you can legally change your name if you want. BUT that’s not really the name that we need to make sure we get...
