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Much of what I write about is specific to my experiences in the financial services industry.

My existing clients are the the type of people that are in need of a ‘formal’ financial plan. And the majority of my clients already have a significant asset base.

They have many complex issues that need servicing. For instance, they pay me to manage their investments, look at their insurance options, provide estate planning solutions, review disability and LTC packages, etc.

This is what I’m trained to do, this is where my expertise lies. My experiences in financial services come from dealing with this sweetspot.

Blog demographic

Now this blog is geared towards a completely different market, those in their 30’s and 40’s; people with far less complex issues than my clients, but no less important. What I want to do is play a small part in filling a sizable void in the financial advisory landscape.

And one of the ways I plan on doing this is by offering ‘Down Home’ financial calculators to anyone that wants to use them. These calculators allow users to build ‘informal’ financial plans to prepare for their future. And one of the big events that I advocate planning for is the 2010 Roth Conversion.

This involves figuring out how much you need to save in order to pay the Roth conversion taxes that will be due in 2011 and 2012. By using many of the financial calculators on this site, you will see the positive effects of savings on your future and the impact it will have on your investments.

Why am I telling you all this?

Because I want you to know what I bring to the table. I want to set the stage for integrating everything I’ve ever learned in this business with some areas I have little experience with.

Chance favors those that use all the resources available

Using financial calculators and setting up investment allocations are familiar territory for me, but creating the good savings habits and how to accomplish this on a daily basis are somewhat unfamiliar.

What these calculators can’t do for you is show you HOW to save money. And I really have little experience in dealing with that side of the equation. I know the importance of saving and can tell you what savings will do for you, but as far as giving you creative, practical ideas on how to save, I defer to people that are much more in tune with this than I.

A match made in heaven

Throughout this blog I’ve tried to show you what I think are the most cost effective investment options and how to look out for them. I’ve talked a lot about how you must be vigilant about controlling your expenses. I always say… ‘you can ONLY control your costs; performance will take care of itself in the long run.’

So with all that said… it makes perfect sense to align myself with the personal finance blogs that are written in a similar vein. The only difference is I’m writing about your investments and they’re writing about the personal savings side of things.

Excellent Personal Finance Blogs

I’ve been reading a few of these personal finance blogs for months now and have learned heaps about creating ways to cut expenses, reduce living costs and build savings, where you otherwise thought it wasn’t possible.

These blogs provide very simple, practical, solid ideas that make sense. I’m often left thinking, “Wow why didn’t I think of that earlier.”

I’ve added the following 5 blogs to my blogroll and plan on reviewing them individually in the next few posts:

• The Simple Dollar
• Get Rich Slowly
• Moolanomy
• Blueprint for Financial Prosperity
• Generation X Finance

In conclusion

If readers would apply the conservation lessons learned at some of these sites and couple that with the informal financial planning tools I’ve set up here, you’d be taking huge strides towards achieving financial independence…

Tags: 'Down Home' Financial Calculators, informal financial planning, personal finance blogs