What's in store for you:

1. Photo From My Life
2. Financial Thought: Goals
3. Life Thought: Grammy
4. Good Sh*t: Tipping

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Photo From My Life:

Financial Thought:

Goal Setting: As many long term readers know, I am pretty loyal to goal setting. I first set 5 and 10 year goals, turn those into 1 year goals, and then set quarterly goals that I check in on every Friday. I know what you are thinking.

But I do this for one reason. Intentionality. Good planning is essential for life and money. If you do not decide where you are going, you will still end up somewhere. You just might not like the destination.

The end of the year is the perfect time to take a step back, build life goals for your family, and then figure out how to set yourselves up financially for the year ahead.

My recommendation is simple. Crack open a bottle of wine, talk about your goals, and write them down. Then translate those into financial goals you can actually execute on.

1. What do we want to do this year as a family?
2. What big purchases are likely coming?
3. How much do we want to save and invest?
4. What tradeoffs are we willing to make to fund the things that matter most?

It is always easier to plan the big stuff when the decision is directly in front of you. A car, a house project, a vacation, a move, childcare, helping family, whatever it is. When you plan in advance, you avoid the classic trap of waking up one day, swiping the card, and then acting surprised when the numbers do not work.

Your future self loves intentionality. Give them a plan.

Life Thought:,

Grammy: My Grammy, Emily Gest Todd, passed away last week at the age of 97. This one hit home. I was lucky enough to spend 2 to 3 months a year bonding with her in Northern Michigan. She was happy, loving, and easy going. She loved her family, sweets, and most importantly, Neah.

Every year we would force her into swimming and she dreaded it. She would complain the whole way down to the water, look at us like we were insane, and then do it anyway. And then the funny part. The next day she would ask to do it again.

She was not very mobile over the last few years, so I like to imagine she's now walking around her garden and looking out at the Lake Michigan sunset.

I do not have a big moral to this story. She lived a great life. We would all be lucky to make it to 97. But, I am going to miss her smile, her joy, and her love.

Good Sh*t:

Tipping: Most weeks, this section is a book, a song, or some random thing I found on the internet. Today, it is way simpler.

It is holiday season. Which means we are all running around like lunatics trying to squeeze a month of work into a few days.

And in the middle of all that chaos, there are a handful of people quietly holding up your life.

Your daycare teachers. Your babysitter. Your cleaning person. Your mail carrier. The barista who somehow remembers your peppermint mocha order. The garbage crew. The handyman who magically appears when something breaks at the worst possible time.

This week, tip them. Or at least thank them like you mean it.

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