Category: Financial planning

I Work with Early to Mid Career Clients. Why Did I Get a Retirement Professional Designation?

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If you look at our website—and please do! I quite like it—you’ll see that we ask “Are you a woman in your early to mid career in tech?” That’s the demographic we target.

Magical (“Magical”) Personal Finance Tactics

Block Woman, a pinkish triangle block on the left, is tipping slightly towards an upturned black top hat.

Are you tempted to believe that there are magical solutions to your financial problems?

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What Are You Excited About?

Block Women is posed slightly above the ground with white inverted curves behind her, indicating jumping. There are also exclamation marks above Block Woman's head, symbolizing excitement.

In my business, the whole team (the whole three of us) gather in December for an annual offsite, a full day dedicated to looking back on the year that’s about to end and forward to the year that is about to begin. A full day also dedicated to lattés, laminated bakery goods, and a delicious lunch with a view of Bellingham Bay. ‘Tis VERY IMPORTANT that such matters be attended to.

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Having Children with Your Unmarried Partner: How to Protect Yourself and Your Children

In the foreground, but blurred, are 2 partial Blocks, a pink one the left and a yellow one on the right. In the background but in focus is a small blue Block.

Several of our women clients are in committed, unmarried relationships, and have had or plan to have kids with their partners. Having kids with a partner you’re not married to is simply different than being married to the partner (co-parent), and I want to make sure you fully protect yourself and your child.

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Do You Feel Cared For?

or How a health scare crystallized for me the role I want to play in my clients’ lives.

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Managing Finances in a Couple When One of You Has Way More Wealth

Are you in a relationship where you have far more wealth than your partner or spouse (or perhaps vice versa)? It can make it hard to figure out how to live your life together, can’t it?

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Roth Conversions Can Save You A Lot in Taxes Over Your Life. What’s the Best Way to Do Them?

Block Woman surveys three pastel colored buckets: blue, red and green. The green bucket is balanced on top of the red bucket and is tilted against Block Woman.

A Roth conversion can potentially save you a lot of money over your lifetime. It is a long-term (years or decades-long) strategy, to be sure. It is one that is usually talked about in the context of retirees.

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You Want Certainty. I’m Sorry, You Can’t Have It. So How Should You Make Financial Decisions?

Block Woman looks at a black-and-white die that is being rolled

Because our clients are of the human variety, a lot of them want some certainty in their planning. They want to know that this decision will turn out right, or that they will be able to achieve this or that goal.

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Reflections on 7 Years of Flow

Block Women's head is lying on a round cake with white icing. Seven colorful birthday candles are strewn around.

My seventh year in business was probably my hardest year, save for my first. My first was characterized by “Will this even work?” Last year was characterized by “It worked. But I’m not happy…and good lord am I tired.”

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You Should Aim to Be Financially Independent…Enough.

Though the fervor around “financial independence” has abated a bit in recent years, I still see quite a bit of it. (Perils of the job, doncha know.) In fact, I most often see this “I want to retire now!” from women who are burned. the f*ck. out. by their career in tech.

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