We had a chat with Douglas Boneparth (President, Bonafide Wealth) and Tiffany Lee (former Gc, Thrive Market) about two words that can be scary to many....personal finance. With their help, we managed to demystify equity, stock options and financial planning. Get your pen and paper ready to take notes!
In this event we cover:
- Managing Your Money
- Understanding Risk Vs. Reward
- Choosing Investments
Managing Your Money
To manage your money effectively, focus on both cash flow (money coming in and going out) and net worth (assets minus liabilities).
- Prioritize paying off high-interest debt before investing or saving.
- Consider automating savings contributions to make it easier to save consistently.
Understanding Risk vs Reward
- 6:11 Investing involves balancing risk and reward. Generally speaking, higher-risk investments offer higher potential rewards but also come with higher potential losses.
- Diversification is key to managing risk in your investment portfolio. Spread your investments across different asset classes and industries.
Choosing Investments
- When choosing investments, consider factors such as fees, historical performance, and the overall market environment. Index funds are a popular choice for many investors because they offer broad exposure to the market at a low cost.
Importance of Tracking Expenses
Why Track Expenses
- Tracking expenses is important to understand spending behavior.
- Getting 12 months of data is necessary to account for seasonality and smooth out spending habits.
- Use tools like Tiller Money, Mint, or Rocket Money to plug in accounts and get real data.
Compensation Structure
- 18:16 Partners in law firms receive a base salary for three years before their total compensation is increased to seven or eight figures. Partners are responsible for making estimated tax payments directly to the government instead of having withholding come out of their paycheck. This can lead to cash flow issues and confusion about promised compensation.
Challenges of Partnership
- The transition to partnership can be challenging due to the sudden increase in responsibility and financial obligations. It may take several years before things normalize, leading to frustration among new partners. Many professionals, including lawyers, lack financial education and rely on working hard and throwing money at problems rather than managing finances effectively.
