The Joy of Financial Security

Articles by the Author
Money Messages Learned as a Child
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Money Messages You Learned as a Child
Money Messages You Learned as a Child 1024 683 Donna Skeels Cygan
What did you learn about money? During our childhoods we received messages about money, and they are deeply ingrained in our behavior as adults. Taking the time to reflect on the money messages you learned as a child will help provide perspective on how you manage your money now. Money is often considered to be [...]read more
giver yourself permission to be human
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Give Yourself Permission to Be Human
Give Yourself Permission to Be Human 500 332 Donna Skeels Cygan
In our lifetimes, we experience a multitude of emotions: happiness, sadness, excitement, anxiety, concern, fear, anger, grief and many more. Society dictates which emotions are acceptable in different situations. For example, showing extreme anger, grief or anxiety is generally not acceptable in a work environment. In an effort to “fit in.” we often “stuff down [...]read more
money envelope
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Reduce Your Expenses, Increase Your Savings
Reduce Your Expenses, Increase Your Savings 350 233 Donna Skeels Cygan
Having money can provide us with the freedom to live our lives the way we choose. Once we determine what makes us happy, we can then design our money to support our personal goals. This post gives tips for reducing expenses. As you reduce your expenses, recognize that the items we spend money on can [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Manage Your Human Capital, Part 2
Manage Your Human Capital, Part 2 1698 1131 Donna Skeels Cygan
The Joy of Financial Security covers many financial topics and many strategies for increasing one’s happiness. In Human Capital, Part 1, I described that human capital involves managing our income stream throughout our career, in a way that allows for consistent savings which can lead to financial security. One of my long-term clients retired from [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Manage Your Human Capital, Part 1
Manage Your Human Capital, Part 1 1698 1131 Donna Skeels Cygan
This is Part 1 of a 2 part series on the topic Human Capital. In financial planning, we focus on financial capital, which is basically money. This includes your investments, how much you save, how much you spend, the growth within your investment accounts, withdrawals during retirement, and many other factors. Another important concept is [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Drip, Drip, Drip…The New York Times Book Review
Drip, Drip, Drip…The New York Times Book Review 2877 1853 Donna Skeels Cygan
My book —The Joy of Financial Security—was released nationally on November 1, 2013. Six years of writing resulted in a book with a compelling message that financial security is within reach (taking control of your finances is not rocket science), and that “compound benefit” strategies can improve your finances while also making you happier. Kirkus [...]read more
yellow pie plate
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate
Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate 450 244 Donna Skeels Cygan
The book The Joy of Financial Security covers many financial topics, including estate planning. I encourage my clients to get their finances and legal documents “in good order” so that members of their family or an executor can more easily sort through everything in case of their disability or death. I provide my clients an [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Reframing Leads to Powerful Changes in Your Financial Security
Reframing Leads to Powerful Changes in Your Financial Security 150 150 Donna Skeels Cygan
Reframing applies to your attitude about money. If you know that you have a serious problem—always trying to keep up with the Joneses—you can deliberately work to change your perspective. Rather than lusting over the new car in your neighbor’s driveway, think about the positive lessons you are teaching your children about living within your [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Reframing in our Personal Life
Reframing in our Personal Life 1698 1131 Donna Skeels Cygan
Today's entry is about a tool we can use in our personal lives called reframing. The next blog entry will be about reframing your finances. We perceive situations based upon our beliefs, our values, our personal experiences, and many other variables. This frame of reference then leads to our opinions and actions. We often assume [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Gratitude and Your Finances
Gratitude and Your Finances 1132 1696 Donna Skeels Cygan
We can cultivate greater happiness and financial security by making some intentional changes in our lives. My last blog entry was about the power of gratitude in our personal lives. Today's blog entry is about Gratitude and Your Finances. Gratitude exercises often focus on families, friends, pets, health, and other personal areas of our lives. [...]read more

© 2024 Donna Skeels Cygan, CFP®, MBA, Author of The Joy of Financial Security and Becoming Enriched.

Enter your
text here