Finance

Jane Young: Some farewell thoughts on navigating personal finances

Published

2 years ago

June 16, 2024

Jane Young: Some farewell thoughts on navigating personal finances

It is hard to believe that Linda Leitz and I have been writing this column for close to 12 years. It has been a tremendous honor to share personal finance information with you over this time.

I am incredibly grateful to the Colorado Springs Gazette and my amazing editors for giving me this opportunity. I have enjoyed writing the column and appreciate all the feedback I have received from you, my readers. I have learned so much over the years.

However, I have reached a point in my practice where I need to focus more time on providing excellent service to my clients.

This will be my last article, but most of my articles are available on my website at www.morethanyourmoney.com. I plan to continue doing some writing and speaking, but I no longer can devote the time to a regular column.

I have written countless articles on the technical aspects of personal finance, but I would like to end by highlighting some broader concepts and behaviors that I hope you will keep in mind as you navigate through your personal finances.

Below are some behaviors and habits that will help you achieve and maintain financial success:

• Live below your means: This is the single most important behavior to follow to achieve financial success. It is essential to create a plan to spend less than you earn so you can save and invest for the future. Ideally, you should save and invest 15% of your income.

• Practice gratitude: Gratitude improves your attitude, enabling you to maintain a positive mindset. A positive mindset results in reduced stress, better sleep, improved focus and increased emotional resiliency. Gratitude can transform your financial life. When you appreciate what you have, you can approach finances with greater confidence and less emotion. You are more likely to make financial decisions that align with your values and goals.

• Long-term perspective: Maintaining a long-term perspective is essential to effectively managing your portfolio. Create and stick to a plan that supports your long-term goals. A long-term perspective can help you avoid emotional reactions to short-term market fluctuations and the temptation to time the market. It can also help you save more for the future by understanding the importance of delayed gratification.

• Invest in yourself: Successful people are constantly learning. You do not need to be an expert, but a general understanding of personal finance will help you stick to your plan and avoid emotional decisions. A greater understanding of finance can also reduce anxiety and lead to greater patience during times of market turmoil.

Investing time to stay healthy also contributes to greater financial success. Good mental and physical health leads to a positive attitude, improved relationships and more enthusiasm to set and meet financial goals.

Jane Young is a business columnist and a fee-only, certified financial planner. She can be reached at jane@morethanyourmoney.com.

Finance

Campaign finance reports show big contributions in Lubbock council race

Published

4 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Campaign finance reports show big contributions in Lubbock council race

The five candidates for Saturday’s Lubbock City Council District 4 special election filed campaign finance reports showing political contributions from some notable area organizations and community leaders.

The June 27 special election will determine who will replace Councilman Brayden Rose in the south-central Lubbock council seat. Rose announced his resignation earlier in the year and will formally vacate his seat on the Lubbock City Council once the district elects his successor.

Which candidates are on the ballot for District 4?

Here is the list of candidates as they appear on the ballot for the City of Lubbock special election:

Gary Boren — retired businessman, former city councilmember and member of the Brazos River Authority Board.
Stephanie Ferran — Lubbock small business owner and life coach.
Tim Green — local homebuilder, owner of Tim Green Homes and former fireman.
Bill Curnow — cybersecurity professional with Plains Cotton Cooperative Association and community volunteer.
Boyd Goodloe — Lubbock Area Director for Access Rentals, former Lubbock ISD school board candidate and a youth minister.

Who led in fundraising for the District 4 special election?

Here’s a look at campaign contributions and in-kind donations the five candidates reported in their 30-day and 8-day campaign finance reports, according to documents from the Lubbock City Secretary’s Office.

Green came into Saturday’s special election leading the fundraising battle during the relatively short election cycle that began in the spring.

According to their 8-day campaign finance reports filed with the city, Green reported $16,235.80 in contributions in June compared to $10,400 for Boren during the period.

Their 30-day reports filed in May showed Green reported $21,600 in contributions compared to $0 for Boren during the initial reporting period through late May. Curnow reported $1,740.11 in contributions during the initial reporting period, with Goodloe reporting $378 in contributions and Ferran $0 at that time.

Curnow reported $183.23 in contributions in his eight-day report, while Ferran reported $0 and Goodloe reported $87.45 during the period.

Notable contributions for Boren included $5,000 from businessman and Texas Tech System Regent Dusty Womble, $1,000 from Carl and Gloria Toti and $1,000 from Mike and Suzie Liner, among other smaller contributions.

Notable contributions for Green included $5,000 from the 806 Advantage PAC, $4,000 from Scott Leach along with several $1,500 or $1,000 contributions from other area businesses people and entrepreneurs. Green also reported $10,500 in in-kind contributions from the Lubbock Professional Firefighters Association.

Curnow reported a $1,000 contribution from psychologist Philip Davis among several other smaller contributions.

In their 8-day reports, the candidates also included total expenses for the period, including: Boren with $19,032.57 ($3,948.07 in his 30-day report), Curnow with $886.69 ($1,494.14 in his 30-day), Ferran with $0 ($464 in her 30-day), Goodloe with $673.43 ($266.67 in his 30-day), and Green with $10.90 ($12,864.20 in his 30-day).

Adam D. Young is the Editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and Amarillo Globe-News in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at ayoung@lubbockonline.com.

Finance

Your Savings Account Is Failing: 3 Shifts to Reclaim Your Wealth

Published

14 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Your Savings Account Is Failing: 3 Shifts to Reclaim Your Wealth

You’ve done everything right, and you’re still losing ground. That’s the sentiment many are feeling, as rising inflation takes bigger bites out of your paychecks when you pump gas, pay your electric bill or go to the grocery store.

It used to be that you could turn to a high-yield savings account to outpace it. Yet, with inflation at 4.20% and not likely to cool soon, most savings accounts don’t earn returns keeping pace with inflation.

“It’s not just about earning interest,” says Eric Bernstein, President of LendFriend Mortgage. “When your savings are sitting idle, you’re missing out on the compounding power that could strengthen your homebuying profile. For those targeting a purchase, inflation isn’t just an annoyance — it’s a direct reduction in your future purchasing power.”

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Stop letting the status quo erode your wealth. Here are three strategic pivots to shield your cash from inflation and crush your debt for good.

1. Stop chasing yields

For a long time, savings accounts offered exceptional rates of return that outpaced inflation. In the interim, likely, those days are over. The ongoing war with Iran will keep fuel prices high. And even if there is a permanent resolution soon, energy prices might not stabilize fully into 2027.

The problem is that you need a high-yield savings account as part of your financial plan. Instead of shopping around for rates every few months, I’m recommending a savings account I’ve found that consistently offers good returns and has no monthly fees.

Once you reach your emergency fund and short-term savings goal, you want to shift your focus away from saving.

2. The debt-first pivot

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Debt robs you of future wealth, especially if you’re carrying high-interest debt. Credit cards and HELOCs also feature variable rates that can compound faster than any return you would earn on a savings account.

Therefore, when you view these debts as an emergency, you restore your purchasing power and improve your monthly cash flow.

Here’s a debt repayment checklist to help you devise a plan that works:

Make a list of all your outstanding debts, including balances owed, interest rates, etc.
Use a budgeting app or a personal banker to see if you can free up any cash in your budget or curtail spending
Use the Debt Avalanche method (focusing on the debt with the highest interest rate) first, or do the Debt Snowball, where you tackle your lowest balance to build momentum
Set up automatic payments to ensure you never miss one
Allocate any surplus cash from bonuses, commissions or tax refunds to pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first
Review goals at least quarterly to ensure you remain on track to pay off debt

Along with debt repayment, now is a vital time to reevaluate how you approach buying everyday items.

Use the tool below, powered by Bankrate, to connect with a financial professional that can help you build a plan to reach your financial goals:

3. Spend with intention

Debt repayment takes center stage, but you must also plug any spending holes you have in your budget. To demonstrate, inflation won’t show up as a line item in your budget, but rising per-unit prices create stealthy paycheck erosion.

I’m going to show you a few ways to rein in spending. First, everything in life seems to revolve around subscriptions, so this is a good place to start. Look for apps or memberships you haven’t used much in the past few months and pause them. If you can go a few months without them, then you won’t need them back.

And if you want to save on streaming moving forward, do this:

Use your credit card and cell phone plan perks to lower total streaming costs
Buy annual plans around Black Friday, where deals are usually the best
Use shopping subscriptions like Walmart+, which offers a free membership to Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essentials plan, you can switch options every 90 days

The next area is mastering the art of grocery shopping. Instead of impulse buying, plan meals. Shop ethnic markets for produce, as they tend to be cheaper and offer better quality than most grocery stores, in my experience.

Use warehouse clubs for pantry bulk supplies, where per-unit prices are often lower than at your regular markets.

a man compares two juice bottles

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Another tip seems simple, yet it’s effective. Kiplinger personal finance writer Rachael Green reached out to her service providers to ask if they could lower her bills. She saved over $700 annually, so it definitely pays to reach out.

Lastly, if you find something you want to buy that isn’t essential, implement the 24-hour rule. I do this often and find that after sleeping on it, I don’t really need the item. This can help you rein in impulse spending, giving you more money to devote to debt repayment.

Ultimately, inflation can erode some of your purchasing power, but you can control its impact. The key is to move away from an all-savings strategy and implement other solutions impacting your finances.

Attacking high-interest debt with urgency and treating every dollar you earn with intention helps you not only save money but also buy back your financial freedom. These small shifts can help you weather the storm of higher prices so you can reclaim the ground inflation tried to steal.

Finance

Hong Kong vows stronger exchange with reforms, bond futures and gold push

Published

1 day ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Hong Kong vows stronger exchange with reforms, bond futures and gold push

Hong Kong is pressing ahead with an overhaul of listing rules and the launch of new product initiatives, the city’s deputy finance chief said on Friday as the bourse operator marked 26 years as a publicly traded company.

Speaking at the anniversary ceremony of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun outlined reforms under review, including optimising weighted voting rights, easing secondary listings by overseas issuers, and expanding flexibility for biotech and specialist technology companies.

“We will continue to work tirelessly and proactively to make Hong Kong even better and stronger as a leading international financial centre,” Wong said.

The consultation period closed last month, and HKEX was now reviewing feedback before finalising the measures, he added.

Wong also welcomed the forthcoming launch of five-year mainland Chinese government bond futures, saying the contract would provide efficient risk-management tools and reinforce Hong Kong’s role as the world’s leading offshore renminbi hub.

He said Hong Kong was building a commodities ecosystem, using gold as a strategic entry point, with plans for expanded storage and refinery capacity and the reactivation of a US dollar gold futures contract.