We all want to save more money and give more money, but we don’t always know where to begin. Fortunately, some of the best financial experts in the country have talked to us about everything from raising financially smart kids and starting an emergency fund to preserving wealth and saving for retirement. Ready to get smart with your money? Here are some of our favorite financial tips.
1. Raise Your Kids to Be Money Geniuses (and Give Back Too)
Beth Kobliner, best-selling author of “Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not),” says it’s almost never too early to begin teaching your kids about money. Here’s how to get started.
2. Make Sure You’re Saving Enough for Retirement
While 98 percent of wealthy Chicago women say they are confident they will reach their financial goals, 67 percent of them lose sleep over money worries. If you’re in this group, read on to learn how you can rest easy knowing you’re providing adequately for a comfortable retirement.
3. Set Up an Emergency Fund
Do you have an emergency fund — a savings account you can rely on in the face of an unexpected event or emergency such as a flooded basement, a car accident, emergency surgery or a sudden loss of income? If you don’t, here’s why you should, and how to get one started ASAP.
4. Maximize Your Money, Values and Impact
Money, Values and Impact is an Impact Investing Summit created to empower our audience to develop financial investments aligned with their values. From impact investing to smart travel to the best way to invest in fine wine, you won’t want to miss these tips from some of the brightest in the business.
5. Start Having Those Difficult Discussions About Money
Financial conversations between spouses and family members are some of the toughest discussions facing affluent families. Kathy Roeser, a Wealth Advisor at The Roeser Group at Morgan Stanley in Chicago, tells you how to break the ice to begin healthy and consistent communication.
6. Make Sure You’re Preserving Your Wealth
You’ve probably heard the saying, “From shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” The old adage is a pithy commentary on how difficult it is to pass wealth from one generation to the next. In fact, transferring wealth may even be more difficult than amassing it in the first place. Here’s what you need to do to ensure your money outlives you for generations.
7. Learn The Secret to Getting the Salary or Raise You Deserve
Are you ready to take control of your career and get the salary, raise or promotion you deserve? “Employers won’t give you one cent more than you say you are worth,” says Dana White, author of “Leader Designed.” So what are you waiting for? Make sure you’re getting the financial and career recognition you’ve earned.
8. Use Credit Card Programs That Encourage Giving
When times are tight, we sometimes struggle to give to others as much as we’d like. An easy way? Gift your credit card rewards. Here’s how you can use your credit cards to send your points and cash to the people who need it most.
9. Get Your Finances in Order With These 7 Apps
Why manage your money the old-fashioned way when technology is here to help you? These seven apps make everything from budgeting to tracking spending to investing manageable, no matter what your knowledge level.
10. Don’t Be Guilty of These 9 Reasons You’re Not Rich Yet
We asked top financial experts to tell us the bad habits that prevent people from getting rich. How many of these are you guilty of?
11. Learn From the Next Generation
When it comes to managing money, millennials have more than a few things figured out. Here are 10 financial metrics where millennials excel — and in some cases, might even be smarter than their parents.
12. If Your Child Has Special Needs, Be Smart About Planning Your Financial Future
When Dana Singla gave birth to her second child, Brandon, who was born with Down syndrome, a long-term financial plan for her family was the last thing on her mind. We asked the experts what you need to know to ensure you set up your child and family with the long-term support and stability you’ll need.
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