Let’s be honest, the word “budget” doesn’t exactly spark joy. For many, it brings up feelings of restriction, sacrifice, and penny-pinching. But what if we reframed it? What if a budget wasn't a list of things you have, but a roadmap to getting what you truly want? The reality is, your odds of reaching major financial goals without a plan are pretty slim. It requires some effort, but the payoff is huge.
Every successful company has a plan with clear short- and long-term goals. If you want to achieve financial success, especially when you're , you need one, too. The first step is figuring out where you stand financially today. From there, you can decide what you want for your future and map out exactly how you'll get there.
After two decades in wealth management, with a background that spans from Georgetown Law to co-inventing the tech behind Priceline.com, I’ve learned that the most profound insights often come in small packages. We tend to think serious wisdom requires a dense, systematic narrative. But I’ve found that the ideas that stick with me most—the ones I still remember 20 years later—are often short, sharp, and to the point, much like the aphorisms of old thinkers or, in today’s world, a well-crafted tweet.
Sometimes the most profound insights come from the most unexpected places. A few years ago, I was in an Uber in Orange County when my driver, Charlie Clark, mentioned he had been Gwen Stefani’s high school voice coach. As a music expert, a couple of things he said really resonated with me. “An artist will create in a way that conveys how they feel about something as well as how they think about it,” he explained. He added, “Words and notes are not music, the stuff on the page is abstract, you have to turn them into life.”
I grew up in a house where financial literacy just wasn't a thing. We faced some tough lessons because of it, sometimes having no bank account at all, other times relying on check-cashing spots. I can’t bring myself to speak ill of the lottery, because scratch-off tickets were what got us through more than a few tight spots. The truth is, I was 26 years old before I even knew the stock market was a real thing.
There's nothing quite like stepping off a plane into that warm, 80-degree Florida sunshine. After 23 years of fighting it, I think I’ve finally become a true Floridian. I landed back in Ft. Lauderdale around 4:00 P.M., but between the recent expo, a series of back-to-back meetings, and the flight home, I effectively lost an entire day of trading. This is the kind of trade-off that’s all too common when you're .
It was Wednesday morning, and the markets felt like they were holding their breath. It was the day of new Federal Reserve Chairman Benjamin Bernanke’s first testimony before Congress, and everyone was waiting to see what he would say. Coincidentally, it was also the 35th anniversary of the NASDAQ. I used to joke that two things were born in 1971: me and the NASDAQ.
It's Sunday afternoon, and I’m feeling fantastic—probably the best I’ve felt since getting sick back in January. A little time out on the boat with the ocean air seems to be the perfect cure. But despite the great mood, my husband just caught me grumbling at my desk around 4:00 P.M., completely absorbed in my charts. It’s a common scene when you're ; the work never really stops.
Getting potential customers to pick you is always an uphill battle if you don’t genuinely understand what they want and need. This isn't just about knowing the market you’re in—it’s about adopting a client-first mindset and being able to answer the question, “Why should they choose me?”