Are You Ready for Life’s Surprises–Big and Small?
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin Life’s surprises catch us at the best of times and the worst of times. Reflect back a few years ago at this time. The markets were in a serious funk with an understandable anxiety about Europe crashing as an economy. Now as 2019 ends and we ease into 2020, the […]
The Financial Therapist Will See You Now
Every investor out there knows just how STRESSFUL it can get. In this article, we learn a little bit more about TPC Psychologist, Marty Martin who spends his days counseling these nervous investors through their toughest times. Wm. Marty Martin, PsyD, is a Psychologist in the Chicago office of The Planning Center, a fee-only financial planning […]
Coping with Financial Stress
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin The scientific research is clear that chronic stress has a cumulative and deleterious effect on how we function over time. As an example, let’s assume that you experience muscle tension and irritability when you experience acute stressors such as a tightly scheduled day packed with unscheduled interruptions. This sense of […]
Is The Market Making You Motion Sick?
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin ‘‘What is important in market fluctuations are not the events themselves, but the human reactions to those events.’’ Bernard Baruch Nobody needs to be told that the markets are volatile. It is not unusual for the Dow Jones to gain 400 or more points in a single day and then […]
Will My Children Ever Leave Home? And If They Do Will They Come Back Like A Boomerang?
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin May and June are the months associated with graduations and weddings. Both represent big transitions in life. The focus here will be on graduation. Not so long ago, graduation marked not just the end of formal education, but also the beginning of economic independence. While graduation still represents the end […]
Taking an Inward Journey
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin Seasons come and go. In most places, the weather changes throughout the year. Engaging with nature reminds us of the rhythms of life. As you reflect on all that you accomplished last year, how will you celebrate and embrace the year ahead? Life’s meaning often is based not so […]
Time: Our Most Precious Asset
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin “Oh, how I wish I had more time.” “You can’t go around wasting your time.” “I was so engaged that I completely forgot about the time.” “As I get older, time seems to go faster and faster.” “I have the money, I just don’t have the time.” These quotes are […]
New Year, New Beginning, Same Old You
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin For many, celebrating the New Year means making resolutions. As January fades away, so, too, do our actions regarding our commitments or resolutions. Resolve is defined as “to make a definite and serious decision to do something.” Plenty of us, including myself, resolve to lose weight, exercise more, save more, […]
Cash Flow: Is Cash Really King?
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin Reflect on the days when you had more than enough money to pay your bills. Now picture yourself just squeezing by to meet your financial obligations. Or imagine drowning in a sea of debt each and every week or month. These three scenarios may relate to your home or your […]
Past, Present and Future
by Dr. William “Marty” Martin Life is lived in the present. Though memories take us back to the past, so do lessons learned from good and bad experiences. Wondering or worrying about what happens next is all about the future. For most of us, each day we are living in the past, present and future. […]
Transition: What Can a Trapeze Artist Teach Us?
by William “Marty” Martin There is a beautiful metaphor for financial life planning. It’s a trapeze. Picture the trapeze artist letting go of one bar ready to embrace the coming bar. In that moment between letting go and holding onto the coming bar, there is a gap. Not a void. But a gap. This gap […]
Setting Goals: From Resolution to Action to Benefit
by William “Marty” Martin The New Year is a time associated with new possibilities and new beginnings. Many of us like to make resolutions for the New Year. Others have declared they’ll never make another resolution again. Yet, there are estimates that approximately half of us choose the New Year as the time to set […]
