A good financial plan is a road map that shows us exactly how the choices we make today will affect our future.
Flowers make me irrationally happy.
When I was younger, I used to play mind games in which I'd try to finish tasks in minutes. My favorite was when I would shower, lay out my school clothes, then devour my dinner - in 15 minutes flat.
Personally, I am obsessed with my mom, and I would do literally anything for her.
Kids can learn a lot about necessities and wants by recognizing what people live without. A common routine, but one that should not be overlooked, is having a family donation to a charity for those less fortunate. Ask your kids to search for items, toys, or clothes that they no longer use and contribute those items a collection box.
There is no denying that auto-bill pay is easier and more convenient than keeping track of and remembering to pay all of your bills each month, so it makes sense to use it for fixed expenses that you have approved and that you're 100% comfortable with.
I always have Moleskine notebooks on my desk. I am a big journaler. Every day I write down where I went, who I spoke to and what it was all about. Richard Branson told me to do that.
Losing your job is terrifying, but being prepared makes it so much easier.
As a wife, daughter, friend, and the founder and CEO of LearnVest, my schedule is anything but simple. But I learned early on how meticulously manage my time.
Without any formal personal finance instruction in our high school or college curricula, many college seniors who graduate in the red will continue to make common financial mistakes that only exacerbate their debt burdens.
For many, graduation marks the end of formal student life - the end of long spring breaks and of thinking that a 10 A.M. class is far too early.
This isn't like cancer, where we don't know the solution. Financial planning is math. We have the answers, yet it's this huge cause of stress.
We never intend to lose our jobs, break up with our live-in loves, or face any number of the curveballs life throws our way. But they happen all the same, so have a bailout plan just in case. Sounds corny, but I call this the 'freedom fund' because it gives you the freedom to get out of a jam without climbing into debt.
When I was planning LearnVest, everyone told me I had to talk to Ann Kaplan, one of the first female partners at Goldman Sachs. Within five minutes of our meeting, she totally got the idea - and by the time I left, she was a seed investor.
Without any formal personal finance education or trustworthy resources to tell them otherwise, the majority of people in the 18-to-24-year-old age bracket do not know how to use credit effectively, tackle debt or make wise decisions when it comes to spending.
I think of all my time as existing in 15-minute blocks. Most people think in terms of 30-minute chunks, but I've found that when I free up more time, I waste it.
When you're at work, it's about being present and getting as much done as humanly possible.
As a new entrepreneur, you need a stake in the game, but you can't risk it all.
It's important to have a really clear strategy so when you are in business, you only have to make micro-strategy changes.
I started LearnVest with a tiny savings account where I paid designers, technologists, and even bartered... Because I started with paying for things myself with my own savings, it sharpened my focus of how to spend money.
