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I’ll confess. I am not good with budgeting. I have a rough idea of what I should spend, but often get distracted and don’t pay close attention.

My husband and I are to the point in our careers where day-to-day money management does not affect our overall financial situation.

With apologies to author Judith Viorst, the title of her ‘Alexander’ book from 1972 seemed perfect for my 2020 year-end article.

Growing up, we had family friends who owned a candy company. As a child, it seemed like working there would be a dream job – surrounded by candy. Better yet, the company policy allowed employees to eat all the candy they wanted. You see the trap, right?

2020 has been a stressful year. In normal years, many people find November and December stressful. There are generally more expectations and activities from holiday parties, decorating, gift-giving and general busyness.

While this year might not have as many activities, I am sure most people will find it just as stressful, just in a different way.

One of the highlights every year is attending the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors conference. This year, the conference was virtual. I missed networking with other advisers. Several of the sessions I attended focused on the needs of women.

I’d like to begin with a show of hands: all those who enjoy reading their insurance policies, please raise your hands now. Hmmm, I don’t see very many and I must admit that if this was a Zoom call, you wouldn’t see mine either. However, insurance is part of our lives so it’s important that those who buy it either understand it or have trusted advice at hand.

I was intrigued this week when a story in my newsfeed headlined, “Americans’ love affair with pickup trucks might be derailing their retirement plans” popped up.

Today, Frank Sinatra joins the illustrious group of people who I think might have something to offer the world as a financial planner in addition to his other talents.

Everybody is trying to get an edge on the market and predict what it will do leading up to and after the election in November. Like many advisers, I’m getting questions from clients like this: “What does the upcoming election mean for my portfolio? What happens if the Democrats win? Are my taxes going up?