Investing Archives - Flow Financial Planning

Block Woman looks out over the audience at the Grace Hopper 2018 conference.

My Takeaways from #GHC18. And Yes They’re All About Money.

I think I’m still processing the scale and energy of the 2018 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. This was my second year attending.

The conference is, obviously, about so much more than how to manage your finances. But it’s the part I care about most, so I viewed most of the conference through that lens. And, as I did last year, I walked away with a better understanding of how women feel about money, what their questions are, and what kind of guidance they want, need, and deserve.

Flow FP's Block Woman contemplates two piles of stock, one larger but more ephemeral than the other.

Should You Ask for RSUs or Stock Options?

When you get a job offer, or a raise, or a bonus, you’re probably simply told that you’ll be receiving more restricted stock units or more stock options as part of that compensation package. But on occasion folks are given the choice: Do you want RSUs or stock options?

What happens to my stock options after my company goes IPO?

Congratulations! It might seem like all tech companies go IPO, but that’s not true. In going IPO, your company is in rarified company. And now visions of sugarplums, I mean, wealth are dancing in your head.

Flow FP's block woman beside a stack of quarters. A second, smaller stack represents a company match. Matches pairs of quarters, one from each stack, walk into the distance.

My company doesn’t match my 401(k) contributions (or it’s a very small match). Should I still use my 401(k)?

Employer matching contributions to your 401(k) are a beautiful thing. They are also a thing of confusion.

Before You Invest Your Money, Make Sure You Understand What You’re Investing In

I recently spoke with a prospective client who wants to make sure their advisor can advise on cryptocurrencies, because they own some.

Cryptocurrencies fall cleanly outside of my investment philosophy, which is, in a word, boring: low-cost, broadly diversified investments that try to match the market performance, not beat it.

Netflix, Doritos, and How You Can’t Willpower Your Way Through Your Finances.

I am one of about five people in the United States who doesn’t have a Netflix subscription. During the last month, however, I had a free trial. Now that it’s over, I once more have time and brain power to do something other than binge watch Marvel superhero shows and “Dexter.”

The Netflix trial proved to me, yet again, that I have no self-control when it comes to watching screens. Honestly, my behavior in the last month disappointed me. “Surely I should be able to resist! What is wrong with me?” Read More

Investing is risky. Increasing your earning power is the best protection you have.

Whether you’re a confident investor, or you have a bunch of your money hiding out in cash, I think we can pretty much all agree that the stock market is unpredictable.

Historically it has always gone up…eventually, and so it’s reasonable for us to assume it’ll continue in that vein. But we can’t actually know that.

So, how do we protect against the possibility that the stock market will stop working the way it has in the past?

Flow FInancial Planning's Block Woman is confronted with difficult choices and needs discipline

Why should I hire a professional to manage my money?

Having a professional invest your money is not about beating the market. It’s about beating what you’d do on your own.

Flow Financial Planning's block woman sits on a pile of monopoly money, looking puzzled

I have a mountain of cash. I know I should probably be doing something better with it. But what?

Do you have a goodly amount of money, but it’s all sitting in cash? Maybe you’ve gone so far as to put it into a high-yield online account, but still, it’s making at most 1.5% interest each year?