Americans love getting big checks. The instant gratification of dramatically increasing one’s liquid net worth is far more desirable for most people than the comfortable but far less exciting feeling of getting a check every month for the rest of their life.

Save Early and Often – It’s some of the most popular financial advice out there – start saving in your 20’s, and yet so many people don’t do it. I understand that people have other obligations such as paying off debts and getting established in their careers which can interfere with implementing a savings plan.

The post below is a copy of an interview which Mint.com ran last week about me. To read the interview you can view the transcript below or visit the link. It’s always nice to get some recognition from other financial news outlets given all the time and energy I put into maintaining the blog and educating my clients about financial planning strategies. Enjoy!

I often get asked quick questions such as “how much house can I afford?” or “how much life insurance do I need?” Personal finance is a very subjective science and the answers can vary widely depending on who is doing the asking.

I’m a big fan of rolling over 401K plans into IRA accounts. For many people, a 401K plan will represent one of their retirement income ‘prongs’ along with after-tax savings, pensions, and social security.

There was a good article in Research magazine last month about the business of financial advice and how it needs improvement. Research is an industry publication so it’s not the sort of article which would be distributed to the general public.

When it comes to the question of Social Security income, the choice looms large. Should you apply now to get earlier payments? Or wait for a few years to get larger checks? The first thing you want to do is consider what you do and don’t know.