Author Archives: Celeste Mirassou

Just when you thought the college planning was over

Posted on by Thursday, August 26

The good news:  the kids are off to college & they’re fiscal adults for the first time

– The bad news:  the kids are off to college…

You’ve spent years preparing for this moment.  Maybe you’re saying good-bye at the curb, maybe it’s in front of the dorm, 1,000 miles away.  You saved to fund the tuition; you did the college visit trip(s), assisted with endless college and financial aid applications and essays.  Now they’re beginning the transition into adulthood.  Most likely, this is their first opportunity to manage their own expenses.  READ MORE

Telephone service – too many charges, bills for too little convenience

Posted on by Friday, July 16

I maintain two telephone lines because I don’t want to give up my business telephone number. I also had maintained two phone cards for long distance.  You know, just in case one is full.  And I was getting (4) ongoing bills for just telephone.  I was paying extra for a voice mail box, insurance, in case, the telephone wires in my 50 year old house failed and I did not have call forwarding. READ MORE

Keeping your financial act together in difficult times

Posted on by Wednesday, July 14

I am all about helping my clients move forward financially.  It’s my way to touch people’s lives in a significant way.  I feel that I have found my work.  Unfortunately, individuals are often referred to me for work that I am not the best resource.

I can help people in a number of ways:

  • Get control of their spending.
  • Create a map of how they are going to reach that next financial goal whether it’s funding retirement, college educations or getting out of debt.
  • Stop the nagging feeling that their assets are positioned wrong or that they are missing out on how to save on taxes.  READ MORE

What a difference a good p & c agent can make?

Posted on by Friday, July 2

As a former licensed agent, in the distant past for a short while, and former lecturer on insurance planning you would have thought that my auto and homeowner’s policies were probably as good as value as you could get.  And still I felt like I was paying more than necessary.  So when an associate, Stafford Jacobs offered to review my coverage I took him up on his offer. READ MORE

Insuring your health – protecting your pocket book

Posted on by Thursday, June 24

While brainstorming/networking with a group of women business owners I found that what we all paid for health insurance was really across the board:  And I was pretty confident that this was a group of similar age and that we all enjoyed good health.  By across the board, I mean that some of us were paying around $200 per month and others were paying $800 per month.  And the later group could not exactly explain why they were paying so much more. READ MORE

Question: when is education NOT the key to success?

Posted on by Thursday, June 10

Answer: When the burden of debt acts as an anchor to your personal finances

When I heard the concept “education debt relief”, I was all ears.  It’s not just homeowners that are catching a break with loan modifications. New government programs allow students or former students to benefit from programs that do not require that the borrowers negotiate with their lenders. READ MORE

What to do with the money you DO have saved for retirement when you ARE ready to retire?

Posted on by Thursday, May 6

Congratulations!  Over the years…

  • you’ve managed your spending,
  • you’ve saved consistently,
  • and invested successfully so that you have accumulated a retirement nest egg.

All you need now is a portfolio with a focus on distributions rather than accumulation.  The trick is how to change a portfolio from growing principal to protecting principal and generating income. READ MORE

Credit repair – the last debt frontier

Posted on by Wednesday, March 3

Now that you’re back on track with your credit you might want to turn your attention to your credit score.

So why do you care about your credit score?

• Thinking about a mortgage or a loan? A good credit score could be the difference of getting financed or not.
• Many employers are including credit checks in their screening process.
• Buying a life insurance policy greater than $150,000? Your credit score will be considered. Your auto and homeowners’ policies premiums are also impacted by your credit score.  READ MORE

Welcome “Budgeting by Choice for More Savings Earned” Blog

Posted on by Saturday, February 13

I am a Certified Financial Planner(R) whose does cash flow based financial planning with a focus on budgeting.  While I got my CFP(R) in 1988 it wasn’t till 2007 that I made financial planning my focus.  I started by working for other financial planners in the background and grew until the role of principal adviser.  And the more financial planning I did, the more I realized that people really don’t know what they spend, and basing a plan on current spending is like building a house on a bad foundation.

As a result of having been married, I knew that those same questions were in the middle of a lot of marriages and relationships.  In my search for meaningful work, I realized that I had found “my work” in budgeting and financial planning.  I could make a difference in people’s lives.  Yes, I considered for a short time being a couples counselor.  And I realized that I empathize WAY too much and my clients would probably end up handing ME the Kleenex box.

So while I am here for you when it’s time for you to put together your budget or make a plan for your financial future, this blog is meant to give tips on how to save and, may be, include some techniques on how to work out the bumps in your cash flow.   The emphasis is on how to save money as, frankly, that’s just plain fun.  I will start with some of my own experiences and share those of my clients and others.  Thanks for checking in and if you have a question or an idea, let’s DISCUSS IT!