Many years ago, I was invited to a “networking lunch” by one of the managing partners at the small professional services company I worked for. He was meeting up with a long-time contact of his from another firm, and I was asked to join. It was my first time attending anything labeled as a “networking” event, and I had no idea what to expect.

Here’s what I noticed at the lunch.

This is an interactive guide that will have you actually TAKE ACTION on each step to create a debt payoff plan. You’ll be tempted to just read and not do the work - I encourage you to push through and actually do the activities in each section!

If you do, your will literally create a complete debt payoff plan in under an hour - and experience an immense weight off your shoulders.

Ready to get started? Let’s dig in.

In my 15+ years in human resources, and now as a career transition coach, I’ve seen many people who feel unhappy in their jobs, but they keep pushing through.

They tell themselves it’s not that bad. They don’t have the energy to figure out what’s next. Maybe they worry that making a change is too risky.

These days, many people consider their pets to be family members. The emotional bond we share with our pets often surpasses that with our human companions. As such, it’s only natural you’d want to make sure your furry friend is provided for in your estate plan, so when you die or if you become incapacitated, your beloved companion won’t end up in an animal shelter or worse.

When I talk about networking with clients, I often sense a quiet resistance. For some, it’s the introvert’s dread of having to “extrovert.” (I can relate!) For others, it feels like an unfair hoop to jump through; one more exhausting task in an already broken job search system.

And you know what? They're not wrong.

Vacations can be the perfect opportunity to relax, disconnect from work and responsibilities, and enjoy your spouse, partner, kids, or friend’s company. But before you head off on your next getaway, there’s something else you should consider doing that might not sound quite as fun—creating an estate plan. While it may not sound like the most thrilling way to spend a day, here are some reasons you need to consider your estate plans before traveling.

Imagine this: You've built a business empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars, transformed a city's downtown area, and touched countless lives with your vision and generosity. Then, unexpectedly, you pass away—and nearly five years later, a will you may have created suddenly appears. Meanwhile, your family has been battling creditors, former associates, and mounting legal fees in a probate nightmare that has cost millions and years to manage.

With the arrival of summer, young people across the country are about to reach a key milestone: high school graduation. If you have a child claiming their diploma, now is the time to prepare them for life after leaving the nest.

Graduating from high school is a significant accomplishment. However, it comes with serious responsibilities that your child probably isn’t thinking much about right now. Once your child turns 18, they become a legal adult, and specific areas of their lives that were once under your control will be solely their responsibility.

Picture this: you've just set up your estate plan using a quick and easy online DIY form or a budget-friendly legal service. Or, your financial advisor drafted it for you for a nominal fee while creating your financial plan. These options promise ease, convenience, and at a fraction of the cost of hiring a legal professional. The website assured you that in just 30 minutes, you could secure your family's future. You click "submit," pay the fee, or receive the documents from your financial adviser, and breathe a sigh of relief, thinking your affairs are now in order.

But if you're a business owner, this might not be the all-encompassing solution it claims to be.

If you have some extra cash sitting around, you’re probably wondering the best place to keep it. Should it stay in your savings account, or is there somewhere better to grow that money? The right answer depends on your goals, your timeline, and how much risk you’re comfortable with.

Let’s break down the most common options for keeping extra cash safe - and what you should know about each.

If you’re thinking about saving for retirement, chances are you’ve come across both 401(k)s and Roth IRAs. Both are popular retirement accounts, but they each have unique features that make them better suited for different situations.

So, which one should you invest in? Let’s break it down.

When you’re new to investing, you’ll probably come across a lot of unfamiliar terms, and one of the most important (but often overlooked) is the expense ratio.

While it might sound like a small technical detail, it can actually make a big difference in how much money you keep in your investment account over time.

If you're just starting your investing journey, you might be feeling overwhelmed with all the options out there. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, index funds - it can feel like learning a new language. But once you understand the basics, it gets a whole lot easier. And honestly, it can even be fun.

Let’s break it down. Here's what each of these investment types actually means, how they're different, and which ones might be right for you as a beginner.

Let’s talk about one of the most common (and powerful) financial questions out there: How much do I need to invest to become a millionaire?

Whether you're just starting to think about your financial future or you're already working toward big money goals, understanding how to get to $1 million is a smart and achievable move. So let’s break it down in a way that’s simple, doable, and maybe even a little exciting.

If you’ve created a Target Company List (and if not, you can always revisit last week’s post), then you’re ready to move from planning into action. Where’s the best place to start? Your Power Circle. These are people who already know, like, and trust you. They believe in you and want you to succeed.

When most people think about networking in a job search, they picture telling friends and family, “Hey, let me know if you hear of anything.” That’s a start, but unfortunately, it won’t get you very far.

Before your network can truly support you, you need to point it in the right direction. One of the most powerful (and most overlooked) steps in a job search is creating a Target Company List. This is a curated group of 10-25 organizations that align with your values and career goals.

As a career transition coach, I work with professionals who are ready for a change. Often, they’re stuck in roles that no longer resonate with them. Maybe they’re feeling undervalued, exhausted, or just plain bored. Sometimes, they’ve been unhappy for years. And like many of my clients, they come in hoping to find the dream job - the perfect role that will make everything click.

Money can be planned for - financial planning is essential, and that’s where we come in! But the truth is, money isn’t the only barrier holding people back from taking a break. While finances are often cited as the reason, they’re sometimes used as a convenient excuse to avoid addressing deeper concerns. Before diving into the financial side, it’s essential to tackle other key obstacles that prevent professionals from making their sabbatical dreams a reality.

Here are three significant concerns we’ve found that often keep people from moving forward with their plans. These lingering questions and doubts can stall the steps needed to bring your sabbatical vision to life.

I work with a lot of clients who tell me they don’t love social media. Honestly? Same here. LinkedIn is the only platform I use, strictly for professional purposes.

So I get the resistance. But if you’re a job seeker, I have to be honest: LinkedIn is too valuable to ignore.

“I wish I had known about this website years ago.”

This is something I hear all the time from clients once they discover O*NET, a powerful—and completely free—career exploration tool.