Finances

  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Happiness is within our reach – and control
Happiness is within our reach – and control 500 722 Donna Skeels Cygan
We’ve all heard people say “money buys happiness.” Others say “money does not buy happiness.” So, which is it? While writing my book, I reviewed research from the fields of psychology, neuroscience and economics to unravel the relationship between money and happiness. My conclusion is that money does not buy happiness. In other words, money [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Retrain your brain for better financial decisions
Retrain your brain for better financial decisions 1000 872 Donna Skeels Cygan
This month I will be posting a series of articles that were published on the Albuquerque Journal. These articles will explore the relationship between money and happiness. Are you ever disappointed after making what seems to be an emotional – and unwise – financial decision? Understanding how our brains are involved in our financial decisions [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

6 billion hours go into income tax preparation
6 billion hours go into income tax preparation 1000 689 Donna Skeels Cygan
This month I will be posting a series of articles that were published on the Albuquerque Journal. These articles will explore the relationship between money and happiness. This weeks topic covers taxes! Taxes were on everyone’s mind in April. It is estimated that the average American household paid $13,000 in 2015 taxes (money.cnn.com 4/18/16). In [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Sales rise not so kind to traditional retailers
Sales rise not so kind to traditional retailers 456 304 Donna Skeels Cygan
This month I will be posting a series of articles that were published on the Albuquerque Journal. These articles will explore the relationship between money and happiness. This week's topic covers retail earnings. During May, several “brick and mortar” department stores reported disappointing corporate earnings, among them Macy’s, Nordstrom, Kohl’s and Gap. However, it seems [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Weekly column to review financial, investment topics
Weekly column to review financial, investment topics 500 302 Donna Skeels Cygan
This month I will be posting a series of articles that were published on the Albuquerque Journal. These articles will explore the relationship between money and happiness. This week's topic covers the stock market. The first quarter of 2016 felt like a roller coaster for many investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average began a downward [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Experiences, not things, create happy memories
Experiences, not things, create happy memories 644 364 Donna Skeels Cygan
This month I will be posting a series of articles that were published on the Albuquerque Journal. These articles will explore the relationship between money and happiness. This weeks topic covers how spending money (with intention) can make you happier. Psychologist Daniel Gilbert said, “Money itself doesn’t make you happy. What can make you happy [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Minimize your Taxes Now and in the Future: Three Tax “Buckets”
Minimize your Taxes Now and in the Future: Three Tax “Buckets” 624 312 Donna Skeels Cygan
Tax season (Jan. 15-April 15) has officially begun! It is time to strategize! “Smart tax planning is essential for smart investing” says Donna Skeels Cygan, CFP®, MBA, who has been recognized as one of the top financial advisors in the United States and is the author of The Joy of Financial Security: The art and [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

The Psychology of Vacation Overspending: How to Rein it in This Summer
The Psychology of Vacation Overspending: How to Rein it in This Summer 540 300 Donna Skeels Cygan
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—and you wait anxiously for your time in Paradise to arrive. Meanwhile, you make your flight reservations and  buy some new clothes. You search the Internet for great restaurants [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Running Naked
Running Naked 302 302 Donna Skeels Cygan
Jason Gay wrote a great article in the Wall Street Journal on 5/29/14 titled How to Enjoy Yourself Running ‘Naked’. He quickly admitted that he doesn’t mean running naked literally. Instead, he means running without the technology tools that many runners use. He is leaving behind his watch, fitness wristband, heart-rate monitor, virtual coach app, [...]read more
  • Donna Skeels Cygan

Six Words
Six Words 600 401 Donna Skeels Cygan
In a New York Times article that appeared 5/29/14, Stuart Elliott wrote about a new marketing campaign for the Ritz-Carlton Hotels (Putting On the Ritz, Six Words at a Time). It is based on a marketing strategy of using only six words to emphasize “experiences and memories rather than the trappings of wealth.” For example, [...]read more

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

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