Daniel Colston
Financial Freedom, Financial Planning 0 Comment

5 Ways to Save This Holiday Season

Success in your personal financial goals is impossible without the all-important practice of sticking to a budget. Even if you have a massive source of income, you won’t be able to succeed without formulating a budget and then consistently sticking to it. Part of this process involves planning for annual expenses by putting away monthly amounts to prepare for them, paying yourself first by putting money in savings during each paycheck to grow your net worth, and having an emergency…

Daniel Colston
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Choosing a Financial Adviser: What’s Important?

Choosing a financial adviser can have a lasting impact on your success in the future. How do you know who you can trust to handle your finances? With a combined 23 years in the business, we bring the highest level of service and financial expertise you can find. In this video, we share why you’ll want to choose our services. In short: We’ve saved clients thousands and tens of thousands of dollars a year when they implement our advice. You’ll…

Daniel Colston
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5 Ways To Reduce Your Insurance Premiums Today

Insurance

Whether we like it or not, we all carry risks with us throughout our daily lives. We carry with us the risks of death, disability, accident, lawsuit, “acts of God”, and many others. Some of these we can live with, some we can minimize, and some we can insure against. Here are 5 action steps you can take today to lower the costs of your insurance and/or the probability of needing to report a claim. 1. Shop around. Insurance is…

Daniel Colston
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Avoid These 5 Financial Biases to Grow Your Wealth

behavioral finance

Behavioral finance refers to the ingrained aspects of human decision-making processes. They do a good job of helping us make decisions in our daily activities, but can sometimes lead us down the wrong path when it comes to investing. When these biases are widespread it can create bubbles in the markets. When these bubbles eventually “pop” it isn’t a pretty sight. Here are the most common behavioral finance biases. Uninformed decisions. Investors sometimes act on instinct without a full view…

Daniel Colston
College Planning, Financial Planning 0 Comment

College Planning Strategies

College Planning

As of October 1st the Department of Education began accepting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is important for those attending college next year or those with children who will be. The FAFSA must be filled out by anyone wishing to qualify for federal student aid (via loans or grants), state aid, and school scholarships. It’s also required for those wishing to qualify for subsidized and unsubsidized student loans as well as parent PLUS loans. It’s a…

Daniel Colston
News 0 Comment

Lessons from Hurricane Florence: Prepare for the Inevitable and Help Others When it Happens

In the days after hurricane Florence it was discovered that only about 10% of residents of the coastal towns hit hardest by the storm had flood insurance. This means that most homeowners will have to rebuild their homes with their own funds or with FEMA aid typically less than $5,000.[i] Flood insurance is not covered under a typical homeowner’s policy. It must be bought in addition, a lesson too many homeowners learn the hard way. In the Roanoke valley and…

Daniel Colston
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Four Ways To Maximize Your Retirement Savings Right Now

Retirement Plan

If you are receiving wages, tips, or salary, then you’re earning income. You should be contributing to your retirement plan, whether it’s sponsored by your employer, or yourself as a small business owner. Whether you’ve been in the workforce a while or you’re just starting out, it’s never too late to improve your saving and investing habits. Here are 4 steps you should be taking to maximize your savings and grow your wealth, preparing you as much as possible for…

Daniel Colston
Financial Freedom, Financial Planning 0 Comment

How the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Will Affect your Charitable Donations This Year

charitable donations

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by congress in late 2017 came with a lot of changes. Among the most notable is the raising of the standard deduction to $24,000 for couples, $12,000 for singles, and $18,000 for household heads. This is almost double what the standard deductions were before the new law. According to Evan Beach, CFP® of Campbell Wealth Management in Alexandria, VA, this raise in the standard deduction makes it so that only about 10% of…

Daniel Colston
Financial Freedom, Financial Planning, Investments 0 Comment

3 Long-Term Strategies to Slash $163,000 off Your Mortgage

mortgage

Read this article even if you don’t think your mortgage costs this much! Paying off your home faster gives you more money to put towards other activities and priorities in your life. Though it may be a challenging idea, you can do it with a little know-how and good old-fashioned grit! Here are three ways to help you shave off unnecessary mortgage interest allowing you to buy a new car, travel the world, retire earlier, or do whatever you want!…