For much of my adult life, every December 31st I'd fall into the same trap. Around Thanksgiving, I'd remember that I was supposed to do my charitable giving for the year. I'd think about how meaningful it would be, how much of a difference it would make, how carefully I'd choose the organizations, how my [...]
The May/June edition of the Brown Alumni Magazine features Zach and Values Added (link)! "Brown’s alumni ranks are full of people who aim to do well and also do good. Zach Teutsch ’05 has made it his mission to help others do the same."
What would you do if you missed two paychecks? I wrote an article for Vox on: why emergency funds are important, how big they should be, how to get started even (especially) if it seems daunting, why this a weirdly American problem, and some hacks to keep you on track. I hope this helps you [...]
Values Added Financial (VAF) is growing and we'd love to add a third team member in DC. It's a great opportunity to learn financial planning in a mission-driven context with people who care deeply about clients. In the job description, you can learn a lot more about the role, what skills might help someone succeed in [...]
I am delighted to announce that Ari Weisbard has joined Values Added as a financial advisor. I've known him for decades and have often turned to him for advice myself. Like mine, his first career was in public service (DC Council, DC Employment Justice Center, and SEIU). Ari will be using his expertise in estate planning, tax [...]
If you are going to get a mortgage, shop around first! Those simple words might be worth tens of thousands of dollars to you. Whenever I advise clients who are planning to buy a home, I always encourage them to shop for a mortgage. Most people initially say things like "I have a great rate [...]
A major credit reporting company, Equifax, had a large-scale breach. It has effected lots of us. Even those whose data wasn't compromised should still use this as an opportunity to think about data security and whether everything in our credit reports is correct. Check out this great resource on what to do in response to [...]
Lot's of people want to buy a first house and are trying to figure out ways to save up for down payments. I recently contributed to a piece by Meghan Nesmith, an exceptionally fun, approachable writer. She did a terrific job with it, as always! I suggest heading over to Architectural Digest to read it (it's [...]
The Atlantic recently published a piece asking a very interesting question: do index funds have the (accidental) impact of limiting competition and driving up prices? Really smart people are taking both sides of the debate. That's a good sign that it's worth thinking about. In April 2014, Azar, Schmalz, and Tecu posted an early draft [...]
There are lots of issues common to folks in their post-college, pre-middle aged years. Here are answers to many questions people in that age range often ask me. I am, of course, happy to provide more specific answers and update the post to reflect concerns left out–just make comments, I’ll be reading them actively. 1) Why [...]
