Spark Financial Advisors Articles
Women in Leadership: Leading Authentically
Let’s be honest, you’re really good at your job. You wouldn’t have gotten to where you are if you weren’t. That doesn’t mean it’s been easy. You’ve likely dealt with conflicting expectations more often than your co-workers, handled competing demands at work and at...
What To Do With A Concentrated Stock Position
Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels Back in 2007 I worked for a large bank. One of my co-workers was a long-time bank employee - he had been through many mergers and he really believed in the capabilities and future success of the bank. One day he told me...
5 Reasons Doctors Need To Look Beyond Group Disability Insurance
You finally finish residency or your fellowship and you sign on with a great medical group or large hospital. Or perhaps you're mid-career, changing jobs, and wondering if you really need that private disability insurance policy still. As part of your benefits package...
The Problem with Permanent Life Insurance for Early-Mid Career High Earners
Are you being pitched a permanent life insurance policy? Perhaps your insurance agent is encouraging you to buy a small disability policy and combine it with a whole or universal life insurance policy. I know that no one really likes talking about life...
What’s it like to work with a financial planner?
Never worked with a fiduciary Fee-Only financial planner before? That's not unusual, there frankly aren't that many of us. We work with many clients who have never worked with a financial planner and aren’t sure what to expect. Here's a high level overview of what...
5 Estate Planning Tips For Unmarried Partners
Are you in a committed relationship but not married? You have some unique planning considerations when it comes to retirement and estate planning. Let’s go through 5 “must-haves” to protect your partner. (This is not legal advice.) 1. Retirement Account...
A Simple Yet Savvy Way To Create A Charitable Legacy
Do you want to leave the world a better place? There are many great ways to leave a lasting impact on our world. These range from daily decisions we make to live more sustainably, to more complicated decisions around how we want to structure our charitable...
7 Tips for Dominating Your 401k Plan
Lauren sits down with Greg Phelps at the Wealth Summit. In this session, she goes deep into 401k land -- covering everything you need to know about: Maxing out your savings (and how to get there) Keeping more of your money (hint: it has to do...
Do I Qualify for Public Student Loan Forgiveness?
*This post originally appeared on Words on Wealth, a personal finance and lifestyle blog by Lauren Zangardi Hayes, CFP®, CIMA Student loans are the bane of many young professionals’ existence. I have worked with several physicians...