You and Your 3% Mortgage
Strategies for a low-rate home loan in a high-rate world. If you bought a house or refinanced your mortgage in the decade leading up to the spring of 2022, you have a right to feel lucky. Mortgage rates were often below 4 percent in those years, reaching an all-time low of 2.65 percent in January 2021. Then came inflation. As of late October, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate had risen to 7.79 percent. Read More
Are You on Track to Retire?
Many people get serious about calculating whether they are on target to retire when they hit their fifties. That’s often when reality starts to sink in and retirement no longer seems like just a vague goal. Read More
3 Ways to Maximize Your Tax Refund
Instead of spending all the cash, these tips can boost your bottom line. Most Americans plan to stash away their tax refund in savings, according to a recent survey. Expecting a tax refund? Join the club. In 2016's filing season, the average tax refund was close to $2,800 and about 75 percent of Americans received one, according to TurboTax. Read More
3 Ways to Maximize Your Tax Refund
Expecting a tax refund? Join the club. In 2016's filing season, the average tax refund was close to $2,800 and about 75 percent of Americans received one, according to TurboTax. That's a significant windfall, and it's easy to look at that money as something to spend frivolously. While a little splurge is good, there are ways to maximize your tax refund. Read More
Voices: Some Clients Need Permission—or a Push—to Spend Money
Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it certainly increases our sense of contentment. A financial plan doesn’t have to be all about saving; it can also be about spending on things that we can afford that will make us happy. If we help our clients to manage and spend money wisely and have a healthy attitude about it, it can boost their happiness. Read More
Vacation memories that linger as regretful purchases
As Beth Jones dug through the closets of her Brookline home, memories of trips came flooding back to her — mainly in the form of frivolous, forgotten souvenirs. Read More
Permission to Spend
Are your clients hoarding their wealth? Five advisors suggest how to help their high-net-worth clients enjoy life more now. Read More
Break Down The Roadblocks To Your Financial Goals
When it comes to saving money and planning for long-term financial goals, the first instinct for some people is to opt for instant gratification instead. So when it’s time to buy or save, you wouldn’t be alone in having a whole list of things you need to buy and a plethora of reasons why you can’t save. Read MoreShould You Convert Term Life Insurance to a Permanent Policy?
If medical conditions arise, it's important to have a term life insurance plan that you can convert to a permanent policy. Read MoreHow to Shop for Term Life Insurance
Factors such as your family medical history and risky hobbies can affect the cost of your premium. Read MoreGuide to Buying Life Insurance at Every Stage of Life
Your life insurance needs are different when you're starting a family and when you're about to retire. Read More
Summer vacation: 7 great savings tips
Have you taken your summer vacation yet? Or has your vacation taken you? Some people travel on autopilot. You cart the kids off to Disneyland because you're supposed to? Or, you fly to Europe because everyone says you should see Paris before you die. Read More
Retirement: Life insurance for empty nesters and retirees
Even after your kids are on their own, you may want to hold on to some life insurance if you're working to help your spouse pay the bills and save for retirement; your spouse would need that extra money if you died. Read More
Millionaires Who Are Frugal When They Don’t Have to Be
BOB WEIDNER likes to play a game when he goes to a high-end outlet store like Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren: How many things can he buy and not spend more than $100? On his last visit, the answer was seven. Read More
The Pharrell Williams of Advisors?
Donna Skeels Cygan wants advisors and their clients to broaden the scope of their investment objectives to include living richly rather than just becoming rich Read More10 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund
This is the time of year when many Americans start salivating over their federal income tax refunds. And why not? The IRS says the average refund issued so far in 2015 is $3,120. It's easy to blow a nice windfall like that by shopping, taking a vacation or buying some high-end electronics. The better financial move is to use that refund wisely. Here's how: Read More
Managing Money and Happiness
Financial advisors traditionally have made a name for themselves by speaking and writing about their investment strategies. Fee-only planner Donna Skeels Cygan prefers another approach—one that encompasses investing but focuses on the wider topic of happiness. Read MoreYour Guide to Tax-Efficient Investing
In early February U.S. investors typically receive their 1099 Forms, reporting income from brokerage accounts. Often, those weeks leading up to April 15 are the only time of year when Americans give much thought to their taxes. However, investors can improve returns by applying year-round strategies to minimize their tax burden. Read More
HOUSING SCENE: Get ready to apply for financing
With interest rates at or near record lows, gasoline prices tumbling to their lowest in a half-dozen years and the Federal Housing Administration stepping up to the plate by lowering insurance premiums, 2015 is already being called the year of the first-time homebuyer. Read More
Your Budget: Rethink These Modern-Day ‘Necessities’
Compare your monthly expenses to those of your grandparents (maybe even your parents), and you’ll probably find that your expense list is quite a bit longer. Over the decades, more and more conveniences, habits, and gadgets have found their way into our everyday lives. And gradually we’ve accepted them as normal, even necessary. (For instance, who thinks twice about paying a cell phone bill—talk, text, and data—these days?) Read More
How to deal with holiday spending hangover
If, like many Americans, you’ve overspent in your pursuit of the perfect holiday and now the bills are rolling in, there are steps you can take to ease the pain, financial adviser Donna Skeels Cygan says. Read More
Financial advisor says, ‘Ditch the budget in 2015’
Getting financially fit is a perennially popular New Year's resolution, and for good reason. Experts say more than one-fourth of Americans have no emergency savings, and over one-third have no retirement savings. To take up the slack, many try to budget and stay on the financial "straight and narrow." But as the statistics show, most aren't successful despite their best intentions. Read More
12 tips to help you take control of your finances
As you look back on 2014 (and more preceding years than you'd like to admit), it's clear that you could have done a better job of managing your finances. Read More
15 Tips to Help You Get Back on the Path to Financial Responsibility
If you’re mired in debt and unable to save a cent, you’re well acquainted with stress, worry, and shame. But the thought of digging out is so overwhelming that, frankly, you’d rather push it away and drown your woes in (yet another) $5 latte. Read More
15 tips to help you get back on the path to financial responsibility
If you're mired in debt and unable to save a cent, you're well acquainted with stress, worry and shame. But the thought of digging out is so overwhelming that, frankly, you'd rather push it away and drown your woes in (yet another) $5 latte. Read More
Taking control of your finances (finally!)
If you resolve (and fail) to manage your money wisely each year, Donna Skeels Cygan is here with 12 strategies to help you make a realistic plan to get on the path to financial security in 2015. Read More
Good Debt, Bad Debt: It’s Mostly Bad For You
After six years, the era of deleveraging household debt is over, according to the Federal Reserve Bank. Since the fiscal crisis, Americans have reduced their household debt by $1 trillion, from $12.7 trillion in the third quarter of 2008 to $11.7 trillion in the third quarter of 2014. Read More
A new year and a fresh start for financial goals
Happy new year. It’s time to start afresh with your finances and lay out your financial goals for the new year. The most important thing is to make your goals realistic and achievable. Otherwise, you’ll give up early. Read More
The ‘stuff’ alternative: Why experiences make the best gifts
Each year, we stress about which gifts we’re going to give our friends and families and how we’re going to pay for them. Just in time for the holidays, Donna Skeels Cygan suggests an alternative to the traditional gift exchange: give experiences instead of things. Here, she suggests 12 options and explains why they’re so meaningful. Read More
‘Experience’ gifts are an alternative to ‘stuff
Sometimes the long-awaited holidays end with a letdown. We look around and see a heap of “stuff” we didn’t ask for, don’t know what to do with and/or don’t really want. Read More
A life-altering holiday gift.
Not everyone is ready for a book about personal finance, even if it’s desperately needed. Some potential recipients believe they’ll figure things out for themselves. Some don’t believe that the economy will ever really work for folks like them. Some know they’re taking the last train to Brokesville but are frankly enjoying the trip too much to consider getting off at the next station. Read More
The Financial Conversation to Have with Your Kids Before They Leave for College
“Parents, think of the money management discussion as your parental contribution to freshman orientation,” says Donna Skeels Cygan. “The budgeting, spending, and saving habits your student forms in the coming months and years are likely to stick around long after graduation. By providing sound guidance, you’re making an investment in your child’s long-term security and happiness.” Read More
The “Stuff” Alternative: Why Experiences Make the Best Gifts
Every year after the stressful holiday gift-giving frenzy ends, we’re usually left with a heap of “stuff” we didn’t ask for, don’t know what to do with, and/or don’t really want. Meanwhile, our bank accounts are in acute distress because we’ve overspent on gifts for all the people on our lists. Read More
The “Stuff” alternative: Why experiences make the best gifts
Every year after the stressful holiday gift-giving frenzy ends, we’re usually left with a heap of “stuff” we didn’t ask for, don’t know what to do with, and/or don’t really want. Meanwhile, our bank accounts are in acute distress because we’ve overspent on gifts for all the people on our lists. Read More
As American as Baseball and Apple Pie
NM—No doubt about it: We’re drowning in debt and struggling to save. Earlier this year, Time.com reported the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s findings that during the last three months of 2013 the debt carried by Americans rose at the fastest rate since 2007 Read More
John Stancavage: Why many consumers overspend during holiday shopping
“It’ll take the next six months to pay my bills/When I think about it, folks, it gives me chills,” sang B.B. King. “But I don’t care cause Christmas comes but once a year.” Read MoreKeep the joy, hold the regret
Why do we overspend during the holidays (and how can we stop)? The holidays are supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year,” yet for many of us they lead to overspending and stress. Financial advisor Donna Skeels Cygan offers insights as to why we spend so much against our better judgment—and advice to help you break the cycle this year. Read MoreS.C. is ready to spend, but within bounds
The most recent Winthrop Poll indicates that South Carolinians’ holiday spending habits are going to be a reflection of their beliefs in the economy. Many say times are better and are going to get better still, but nearly an equal number see times getting worse. Read More
10 Things To Ask Clients If They Can Live Without
More conveniences, habits and gadgets have found their way into our everyday lives and these things have gradually been accepted as normal, even necessary, according to financial advisor and owner of Sage Future Financial, Donna Skeels Cygan. Read More
Why we go overboard on Black Friday every year
Black Friday has company! It’s now preceded by Gray Thursday and followed by Cyber Monday, and you can bet that deals will be popping up all day Saturday and Sunday, as well. Read More
South Carolina Editorial Roundup
The most recent Winthrop Poll indicates that South Carolinians’ holiday spending habits are going to be a reflection of their beliefs in the economy. Many say times are better and are going to get better still, but nearly an equal number see times getting worse. Read More
Is it really worth the money?
Compare your monthly expenses to those of your grandparents (maybe even your parents), and you’ll probably find that your expense list is quite a bit longer. Over the decades, more and more conveniences, habits, and gadgets have found their way into our everyday lives. And gradually we’ve accepted them as normal, even necessary. (For instance, who thinks twice about paying a cell phone bill—talk, text, and data—these days?) Read More
Keep the Joy, Hold the Regret: Why We Overspend During the Holidays (and How to Stop)
Are you familiar with this holly-but-not-so-jolly cycle? As the holidays approach, you promise yourself that this year you won’t get caught up in a frenzy of overspending. You know that piles of gifts do little to enhance your family’s seasonal joy—and you definitely don’t want a debt hangover that carries into January. And yet, every year, your resolve disappears under a mountain of shopping bags and wrapping paper. Read More
One Advisor’s Focus on Joy and Gratitude
If you prefer working with clients who need help paying off debt to working with clients who want help choosing their next yacht, you have something in common with advisor Donna Skeels Cygan. She has committed herself to keeping her practice at its current level while inspiring others to adjust their priorities to focus on joy and gratitude, according to ThinkAdvisor. Read MoreWhy we overspend during the holidays
A combination of factors conspires to loosen our wallets each November and December. Holiday carols and images of Old St. Nick in the stores. Family traditions that seem to get more expensive every year. That annoying cousin who talks about how much he spent on his wife and kids. Endless ads that trumpet the Best sale ever. Read More
Black Friday FOMO: Why We Go Overboard Every Year
Black Friday has company! It’s now preceded by Gray Thursday and followed by Cyber Monday, and you can bet that deals will be popping up all day Saturday and Sunday, as well. Oh, goody: More ways to spend money we might not actually have. Read More
Health Insurance Do-Over
Randy Cygan, a 57-year-old scientist in Albuquerque, has been covered by his employer’s health insurance for years. The policy also covers his wife, Donna, 56, who owns a financial-planning firm, and their daughters, Kate, 22, who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Nora, 20, a student in St. Louis. Read MoreAdvisor on Mission to Make Clients—Yours and Hers—Happier
Donna Skeels Cygan is a most unusual financial advisor. She teaches clients how to invest in…joy, in addition to stocks and bonds. She gets lots of lucrative referrals from attorneys and CPAs, and turns them all down. And whereas advisors who write a book typically intend to use it to boost their status vis-à-vis well-heeled clients and prospects, Cygan’s target audience are the masses of Americans struggling to pay their credit card bills, not those seeking or sought by Merrill Lynch. Read More
Beware of These 10 Scary Investments.
Do you want to see a financial advisor jump? Bring up one of these frightening investments. These ideas give financial advisors goose bumps because they’re like Halloween candy: seemingly free, hard to resist, and in this case, likely to deliver financial cavities. This article was also published in Rich Dad Wisdom and Seniors Financial Services. Read MoreBeware of These 10 Scary Investments
Do you want to see a financial advisor jump? Bring up one of these frightening investments. These ideas give financial advisors goose bumps because they’re like Halloween candy: seemingly free, hard to resist, and in this case, likely to deliver financial cavities. Read More
The joy of living with less
If there’s anything that can make you feel better about not being filthy rich, it’s watching any of the “Real Housewives” franchises on Bravo TV. Sure, it’s fun to see how the other half lives – tiny dogs in tuxedos drinking from crystal champagne flutes, $60,000 parties the four-year-old birthday girl cries or sleeps through. Read MoreHow to Buy Long-Term-Care Insurance
Start your calculations by looking at the cost of care in your area. Then figure out how much you could cover with your retirement income and savings. The calculation may be very different for single people than for married couples, who often need to plan on spending more than singles to cover long-term-care bills for one spouse plus living expenses for the spouse who remains at home, says Donna Skeels Cygan, a certified financial planner in Albuquerque. Read More
Seven Finance Lessons for Your New College Student
If you’re like most parents of college students, your pride and relief are mingled with new worries.You want your child to thrive (or at least survive) academically. You hope you’ve made a lasting impression when it comes to teaching time management skills and making “responsible life choices.” Read More
10 Things You Think You Need That You Really Don’t: A Checklist for Joneses in Recovery: Part 2
Sure, you see the wisdom in cutting ties with the Joneses. You want to become more financially responsible while crafting a values-centered life for yourself. But you’re just not sure where to start. Read More
10 Things You Think You Need That You Really Don’t
Sure, you see the wisdom in cutting ties with the Joneses. You want to become more financially responsible while crafting a values-centered life for yourself. But you’re just not sure where to start. Read More
Consumerism: Why Trying to Keep Up Is Actually Keeping You Down
The American Dream has evolved past the humble "white picket fence." Way past. We all strive for the "nice" home (as defined by HGTV and Pinterest) as opposed to the cozy one, keep a perpetual car payment instead of driving an older model, and chauffeur kids to an endless array of pricey activities rather than sending them outside. Read MoreWhy Keeping Up With the Joneses is Keeping You Down: Part 1
Most of us have an ingrained, unconscious drive to keep up with the Joneses (or, as we’re more likely to think of it, the status quo). But instead of creating fulfilling lives, we’re actually making ourselves anxious and unhappy. Read More
To heck with the Joneses! Why “keeping up” is actually keeping you down
The American Dream has evolved past the humble “white picket fence.” Way past. We all strive for the “nice” home (as defined by HGTV and Pinterest) as opposed to the cozy one, keep a perpetual car payment instead of driving an older model, and chauffeur kids to an endless array of pricey activities rather than sending them outside. Read More
Cure a vacation-spending hangover
Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer. As you begin to resettle into your normal work routine, are you suffering from a vacation-spending hangover? Read More5 routes to blowing your vacation budget
You know the little voice in your head that says, “I work hard, so I deserve this”? It’s just one of the psychological games we play that can get us in financial trouble on vacation. Donna Skeels Cygan, author of “The Joy of Financial Security” and president of Sage Future Financial in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says you should slow down and plan a vacation that fits your personal goals and values. Read More
To Heck With The Joneses! Why KEEPING UP is Actually Keeping You Down
The American Dream has evolved past the humble “white picket fence.” Way past. We all strive for the “nice” home (as defined by HGTV and Pinterest) as opposed to the cozy one, keep a perpetual car payment instead of driving an older model, and chauffeur kids to an endless array of pricey activities rather than sending them outside. Read More
10 Things You Think You Need That You Really Don’t
Sure, you see the wisdom in cutting ties with the Joneses. You want to become more financially responsible while crafting a values-centered life for yourself. But you’re just not sure where to start. Read More
To Heck with the Joneses! Why “Keeping Up” Is Actually Keeping You Down—and Nine Good Reasons to Stop Doing It
The American Dream has evolved past the humble “white picket fence.” Way past. We all strive for the “nice” home (as defined by HGTV and Pinterest) as opposed to the cozy one, keep a perpetual car payment instead of driving an older model, and chauffeur kids to an endless array of pricey activities rather than sending them outside. Read More5 Money Topics for Parents to Discuss With College Freshmen
Preparing a teen for college? Make sure to talk budgets and credit cards before they leave for campus. Read More5 Money Topics for Parents to Discuss With College Freshmen
As college freshmen prepare for the fall semester across the country, parents and students have a lot to think about: what to bring for the dorm room, where to buy textbooks and how to register for classes. One important area that’s all too easy to overlook: money. Read More
Real-life money lessons await college students
Leaving home for college gives students an opportunity to build credit and learn budgeting skills - or become mired in debt and bad spending habits. "The budgeting, spending and saving habits that a student forms in college are going to stick around a long time after graduation," said Donna Skeels Cygan, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based certified financial planner and author of "The Joy of Financial Security." This article also appeared in News Journal, Longview TX. Read More
The Financial Conversation You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Leave for College
If you’re worried about your new college student’s ability to manage money on his or her own, you’re not alone. Here, I spotlight seven specific things you and your student need to consider before freshman move-in day. Read More
5 Biggest Vacation Budget Busters
You know the little voice in your head that says, “I work hard, so I deserve this”? It’s just one of the psychological games we play that can get us in financial trouble on vacation. Also published at Exchange Lender and Virmmac.com. Read More
College Bound: 7 Financial Tips Parents Need to Inform their Kids of Before Leaving
Your years of encouragement and supervision have paid off, and your teenager will be heading off to college this fall. But if you’re like most parents, your pride and relief are mingled with new worries. You want your child to thrive (or at least survive) academically. You hope you’ve made a lasting impression when it comes to teaching time management skills and making “responsible life choices.” Read More
7 Financial Talks to Have With Your Kids Before They Start College
Before your children start college, it’s a good idea to sit them down and talk about a few things. Time management skills, “responsible life choices” and how to do their laundry can be among them. But don’t leave out how to manage their money. Read More
A Financial Conversation You Must Have with Kids Before College
Money is a topic that is rarely discussed but as a parent you know there is a financial conversation you must have with kids before college. We know that older generations considered it to be hush-hush, but that needs to change. It is essential that we discuss money with our kids so they can become financially responsible. Even if they are rolling their eyes, they are paying attention. Read MoreThe Conversation You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Leave for College
Your years of encouragement and supervision have paid off, and your teenager will be heading off to college this fall. But if you’re like most parents, your pride and relief are mingled with new worries. Read More
The Conversation You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Leave for College
Your years of encouragement and supervision have paid off, and your teenager will be heading off to college this fall. But if you’re like most parents, your pride and relief are mingled with new worries. Read More
The Joy of Financial Security 1 The Afro News, August 6, 2014 The Financial Conversation You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Leave for College
If you’re worried about your new college student’s ability to manage money on his or her own, you’re not alone. Here, I spotlight seven specific things you and your student need to consider before freshman move-in day. Read MoreThe 7 Financial Tips to Tell Your Kids Before They Leave for College
College is a time where financial habits are formed. Have a conversation with your child and prepare them with this practical advice. Read More
A Financial Conversation You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Leave for College
Your years of encouragement and supervision have paid off, and your teenager will be heading off to college this fall. But if you’re like most parents, your pride and relief are mingled with new worries. Read More
Making Cents With Your College-bound Kid
The Financial Conversation You Need to Have with Your Child Before They Leave for College Read More
The Financial Conversation You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Leave for College
If you’re worried about your new college student’s ability to manage money on his or her own, you’re not alone. Here, I spotlight seven specific things you and your student need to consider before freshman move-in day. Read MoreWhen You Have the Urge to Splurge
You recently turned 50 — or maybe even 60 or 70 years old — and now you want to buy something big. A vacation home. A cruise around the world. That luxury car you've always wanted. Read More
26 Tips for a Financially Sane Vacation
Have you taken your summer vacation yet? Or has your vacation taken you? Some people travel on autopilot. You cart the kids off to Disneyland because you’re supposed to, or fly to Europe because everyone says you should see Paris before you die. Read More
Financial Hangover: Breaking These Vacation Habits Can Make Us Richer and Happier
It happens every summer. You book a vacation at some pricey locale—depending on your circumstances, “pricey” could mean Europe, Disney World, or perhaps an oceanfront hotel room at a nice beach - and wait anxiously for your time in Paradise to arrive. Read MoreThe joy of financial security
We've all heard that money can't buy happiness, so while money in itself might prove fairly worthless in this endeavor, financial security really can give us the peace of mind that leads to happiness. And that sense of security doesn't require a fortune to sustain it; it's more about the belief that you have a handle on your finances and are prepared for the future. Read More
26 Tips to a Financially Sane Vacation
An affordable trip means no worries about credit card bills. Use these tips to plan a break that won’t break the bank. Have you taken your summer vacation yet? Or has your vacation taken you? Read More
Savvy Ways to Buy a Home Without a Traditional Mortgage
Low interest rates make a mortgage an attractive means to purchase a home, but if you can’t qualify for one don’t worry, you have options. “There are different options people can use outside of a traditional mortgage,” says Mike Schenk, senior economist of the Credit Union National Association. Read More7 Reasons Why We Overspend on Vaction
Consumers are more likely to overspend with credit cards than cash, research shows, and paying for a lavish vacation can easily increase the opportunity to overspend. Read More15 Ways to Cut Costs (and Add Joy) to Your Summer Trip
The expensive vacations your family typically takes rarely leave you feeling as happy as you’d hoped, and they put a terrible squeeze on your bank account. For the sake of your fulfillment and your finances, you’re willing to try to cut expenses this year…but where to start? Read More
Tips for a great vacation that won’t break the bank
If you’ve ever returned from a vacation and thought, “Yikes, we spent $5,000 in one week!” and suddenly aren’t as relaxed as you were on the beach last week, financial adviser Donna Skeels Cygan offers some suggestions to help plan a memorable trip that doesn’t break the bank... Read More
You Have Alternatives to the Traditional Mortgage
Low interest rates make a mortgage an attractive means to purchase a home, but if you can’t qualify for one don’t worry, you have options. “There are different options people can use outside of a traditional mortgage,” says Mike Schenk, senior economist of the Credit Union National Association. Read More
Savvy Ways to Buy a Home Without a Traditional Mortgage
Low interest rates make a mortgage an attractive means to purchase a home, but if you can’t qualify for one don’t worry, you have options. “There are different options people can use outside of a traditional mortgage...” Read MoreVacation Overspending
It happens every summer. You book a vacation at some pricey locale—depending on your circumstances, “pricey” could mean Europe, Disney World, or perhaps an oceanfront hotel room at a nice beach—and wait anxiously for your time in Paradise to arrive. Meanwhile, you make your flight reservations. Read More
Why We Overspend on Vacation & 7 Tips on How to Stop the Madness!
The Psychology of Vacation Overspending: Seven Truths You Need to Know So You Can Rein It in This Summer. Author and financial advisor Donna Skeels Cygan examines the psychology behind why we spend ourselves into a post-vacation financial hangover year after year—and why. Read More
The Financially Sane Vacation: 15 Ways to Cut Costs (and Add Joy) to Your Summer Trip
The expensive vacations your family typically takes rarely leave you feeling as happy as you’d hoped, and they put a terrible squeeze on your bank account. For the sake of your Read More
Why We Overspend on Vacation & 7 Tips on How to Stop the Madness!
Seven Truths You Need to Know So You Can Rein It in This Summer. Author and financial advisor Donna Skeels Cygan examines the psychology behind why we spend ourselves into a post-vacation financial hangover year after year—and why breaking these habits can make us richer and happier. Read More
15 Ways to Cut Costs (and Add Joy) to Your Summer Trip
The expensive vacations your family typically takes rarely leave you feeling as happy as you’d hoped, and they put a terrible squeeze on your bank account. For the sake of your fulfillment and your finances, you’re willing to try to cut expenses this year...but where to start? Here, nationally recognized financial adviser Donna Skeels Cygan offers 15 suggestions to help you plan a memorable trip that doesn’t break the bank: Read More5 Scenarios When Selling Stocks Makes Sense
Hint: It has nothing to do with the market, and everything to do with your personal circumstances. Ask legendary investor John Rogers Jr. about his biggest challenges, and the story he tells is about selling stocks, not buying them... Read MoreGender split seen in styles of investing
Whether it’s relying on a spouse to handle household finances, being afraid of doing something risky with their money or just not feeling confident, women are less likely to take an active… Read More
Saving for retirement? Retrain your brain
If you ever feel like emotions rule your financial life—and jeopardize your retirement readiness—a new book from financial planner Donna Skeels Cygan,has some tips that you may find useful…. Read MoreGender split seen in styles of investing
Whether it’s relying on a spouse to handle household finances, being afraid of doing something risky with their money or just not feeling confident, women are less likely…. Read More
A Healthy Relationship with Money – is it the Holy Grail?
Donna Skeels Cygan, financial advisor and author of The Joy of Financial Security, stresses the relationship between money and happiness and give you practical strategies… Read More
6 Ways to Be Happy With Your Finances
Handling money and your finances, whether you’re single or in a relationship, can be challenging. Read More
Does Money Buy Happiness?
Many people believe it does. A much older (and recently deceased friend) used to say that “Money doesn’t buy happiness—it merely helps unhappiness.” Read More
Stop Re-Living Your Money Mistakes
Donna Skeels Cygan shares five common money mistakes and advice for avoiding your own financial “Groundhog Day.” Read More
Q&A: Expert Donna Skeels Cygan on Having a Healthy Relationship with Your Money
For most of us, money means stress, so recently I had a chance to talk with author Donna Skeels Cygan… Read More
Christmas gift ideas: Top five books for the executive who has everything
Every year it becomes tougher to find a gift for someone who has everything. Electronic gadgets are expensive and often the executive who has everything, likely has already bought it. Read MoreGain More Financial Resilience While the Going is Good
With the economy moving slowly and steadily upwards right now, financial expert Donna Skeels Cygan says it’s a good time to take action to protect yourself… Read More
You can’t take it with you. Will you leave it to the kids?
Warren Buffett did it. Bill Gates did, too. Both are planning to leave their fortunes to charity, rather than to their children, when they pass. Of course, most of us aren’t among the world’s top 10 richest people... Read More
Financial advisor shows how money, happiness go hand in hand
Managing money, planning retirement and making wise financial decisions can be a difficult process… Read More4 Reasons why you need credit
In these recessionary times, “debt” is a four-letter word no one wants to hear. But managing a small amount of debt… Read More
Getting Control of Your Money and Your Happiness
Donna Skeels Cygan takes a very pragmatic approach to managing money. She says it has only one... Read More
4 Easy Ways to Save Money Buying Gifts
Now’s the perfect time to start thinking about a budget if you have weddings, parties, and other events that require gifts if you want to avoid manic depression that stems from seeing a five-figure balance on your credit card statement. Read More
Getting Control of your Money and Your Happiness 1-2-3
Donna takes a very pragmatic approach to managing money. She says it has only one truly important purpose – happiness. Read More
Money, happiness linked
Financial planner Donna Skeels Cygan says that psychology and finances are “a fabulous combination.” Cygan, who blogs for Sage magazine’s Ask the Experts panel, started out in life... Read MoreTime for a ‘Backdoor’ IRA?
Uncertainty over the fate of the looming 3.8% tax on investment income is fueling new focus on a trusted tax maneuver: the "backdoor" Roth individual retirement account. The move allows people to transfer money from taxable accounts to a Roth IRA, which earns tax-free income. Read More
Some Advisers Decide Bigger Isn’t Better
Back when Donna Skeels Cygan was running a rapidly growing financial planning firm, her job consumed her. Read MoreI’m Buying… You Selling?
Donna Skeels Cygan, once a corporate marketing type in Chicago, launched her financial planning firm—Essential Financial Planning Inc.—in late 1998. Read MoreDon’t fall for insurance annuity scams
A front-page article from The New York Times last summer titled “For Elderly Investors, Instant Experts Abound,” discussed an insurance agent who used deceptive tactics... Read More
The Investment Industry Should Tell All
The financial industry has earned its tarnished reputation. From 2002 until 2006 several large brokerage firms, banks, mutual fund firms and insurance companies were collectively fined over $2 billion... Read MoreYou Deserve a Loyal and True Fiduciary
What is a fiduciary and why do you deserve one? Let's start with a definition and then discuss why you should insist that anyone giving you financial advice be a fiduciary. Read More