The Mitchell Hayes Blog
What kind of plans do you have for your retirement years? How does anyone plan that far into the future? My parents were good role models, with a shared joy for family, living, and security. Mom and Dad believed that financial security was the cornerstone for supporting the family and lifestyle that they envisioned. This meant:…
My dad taught me that accidents happen; things break; and life does not always turn out the way we anticipate. If we expect the best and plan for the unexpected we could have a better outcome when life throws us an inevitable curve-ball. No-one wants to think that their spouse could die or that their…
People think that accounting is black and white, but between the black and white are many shades of gray. The gray area is where problem solving, creativity, and compromise live. When people are going through a divorce, the uncertainty of their future causes tremendous anxiety. The financial balance that existed for the couple has to…
I got a call a couple of weeks ago from an old acquaintance. She is experiencing a rough patch in her life and wanted to know how I was able to get out of a bad relationship and still have what she sees as a successful life. Really? You are calling me? Hmm, I have…
I read an article last week that stated that only 9% of the couples that go through a divorce have contentious marriages. The rest of the couples had grown apart or learned how to co-exist even though they had lost that loving feeling. Why is it then that so many divorces become contentious? There are…
My oldest son was a little bit Huck Finn and a little bit Dennis the Menace as a child. I remember one day he was out roaming in the woods around our home with his friend. They drug back a ratty old chair and he wanted to put it in his room. I told him…
Have you or someone you know been through a divorce? Was the experience about as fun as a root canal? Some of you may be able to relate to a couple that I knew that had grown apart. They were essentially living separate lives. The wife wanted to go to counseling and the husband refused. …
Got plans? Are you planning for a major life event, a wedding, a new baby, a trip, a career change, or simply looking forward to the weekend? My husband and I are empty nesters. We enjoy our careers and the joy of learning new things and meeting new colleagues and friends, but we find ourselves…
Vacations, children, education, weddings, repairs/renovations are all large expenditures. Some people determine how much they can spend for these things and then strive to stick to their budget. Some people just charge the expenses and worry later about paying the bill. Divorce can be costly. If you have been through one, hindsight can leave you…
People of all walks of life find themselves in financial difficulty. No matter what you do for a living we all need a backup plan. That backup plan should include a back up career path and enough money to cover us through an emergency or change in circumstance. In our ever-changing world, you never know…