Wealth by Design
Hello, loyal listeners! We wanted to let you know that we have a quick update on the podcast and a few things that are happening over at Toujours Planning right now. As you may know, we are a Lake Charles-based business and family, and our community, homes, and offices were devastated by Hurricane Laura in August.
info_outline MINISODE: Do You Need a Financial Advisor or a Certified Financial Planner™?Wealth by Design
Do you need a financial planner? A financial advisor? An investment professional? A money coach? And what are those initials after their names?!
info_outline MINISODE: Are You Falling into This Stock Market Trap?Wealth by Design
In this minisode, Dustin breaks down the Sir Templeton’s quote: “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.”. He also discusses timing the stock market, why it’s a bad idea, and what you should do instead.
info_outline MINISODE: Should You Have a Joint Account with Your Partner?Wealth by Design
We’ll keep the intrigue to a minimum. In our opinion, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. Sharing your finances with your partner builds trust. Keeping them separate can breed suspicion and worry.
info_outline MINISODE: When Stock Markets Dip and Bounce BackWealth by Design
In this minisode, Dustin recaps what a stock actually is and how stocks are bought and sold. He discusses how people’s emotions cause those peaks and valleys in the stock market, and how you can avoid that dangerous herd mentality when it comes to your own investing.
info_outline 112: Growing a Business & Wealth with Katell and Jon of ReverielaneWealth by Design
Katell and Jon, a husband and wife design team, are founders of Reverielane, a purpose-driven brand and web design firm.
info_outline [Summer Remix] 102: Net Worth is KingWealth by Design
We talk about fear a lot on our podcast. Fear is natural and, TBH, necessary. But fear can also make you focus on the wrong thing when it comes to your net worth. Paying down debt rather than building up your assets, to be specific. And that’s what we discuss in this week’s episode: where our fear of the “debt boogeyman” comes from, our three-step strategy on how to overcome it, and what part of your finances you should be focusing on instead.
info_outline [Summer Remix] 101: Robo-advisors: Your New Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy?Wealth by Design
The robots have taken over. Just kidding. But, they have taken over a major chunk of the financial industry in the form of robo-advisors. But the truth is, we think robo-advisors are actually pretty useful. Of course, there’s a time and a place to use them, which is exactly what we cover in this episode of Wealth by Design.
info_outline [Summer Remix] 100: High Yield Savings vs. Stocks: Who Wins?Wealth by Design
There are a lot of misconceptions about investing in the stock market, thanks to fear-mongering in the news, horror stories from family and friends, and a lack of education about the stock market in general. Your fears may also be why high yield savings seems like the better option for your money. In this episode, we talked about the differences between high yield savings and stocks. We know you’re probably a big fan of saving because it’s “safe,” right? Well, we’re about to rock your world.
info_outline [Summer Remix] 98: Leaving Behind the “Punch Clock” MindsetWealth by Design
The concept of a punch clock — punching in to start a shift and punching out when it ends — is ingrained in many of us, even as business owners who write our own checks and make our own schedules. But it doesn’t have to stay that way! On this episode of Wealth By Design, we talk about how you can start changing your mindset and your life right now.
info_outlineThere are plenty of “rules” out there about how much money you need to save up for a rainy day or an emergency, but how do you know what you need to save? This week on Worth It, Dustin and Danielle are digging into a simple formula that can help you answer that question, both for personal savings goals and for your business.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
07:05 Why most Americans are not prepared for an emergency
07:33 Why cash is a parachute, not an airplane
09:49 How much cash should you have on hand?
10:34 How much cash you need on hand for the short-term
11:16 Why your business cash savings should mirror your personal savings
12:25 What you need cash on hand for in your business
13:20 What you need to save if you have a business that earns $1mil in revenue
17:15 Why you need to consider your aversion to risk before calculating cash
17:35 The role your business industry and stability plays on calculations
19:27 Why long-term strategies should be implemented with short-term savings
20:32: What are the types of investments you want for your intermediate bucket
22:58 Juggling different savings goals
A SIMPLE FORMULA
When it comes to calculating what you need to save for an emergency — or to keep the lights on should your business hit some bumps — it helps to have a clear formula. That’s exactly what Dustin and Danielle provide this week on Worth It.
In the episode, they talk about different elements of your “short-term savings bucket”:
- Personal emergency funds. These are 3-6 months of expenses, including your rent/mortgage, utilities, food, transportation, etc. If you run your own business and rely on income from that, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and focus on saving up at least 6 months’ worth of expenses.
- Personal spending goals. These are goals you have the for the next 2-3 years, and include things like buying a house or that sweet Tesla Model X.
- Business operating cash. Just like your personal emergency fund, your business should have 3-6 mos of expenses saved up. This includes payroll, leases, monthly software charges, utilities, etc.
- Business investing cash. This cash fund will support any business investment goals you have over the next couple of years. This might include a new office, training, conferences, software, executive coaches, etc.
To make this a little clearer, Dustin and Danielle share an example in the podcast to demonstrate exactly how you should save. Let’s say you make $1 million revenue from your business, and you spend $10,000 a month to keep your household running.
In this case, for a 3-month personal emergency fund, you’d need $30,000.
For 3 months of business operating cash, you’d need about $250,000.
How did Dustin and Danielle come up with those numbers? This simple formula:
Total monthly expenses x 3 = your bare minimum emergency fund
For larger funds or more volatile income, Dustin and Danielle recommend that you up the monthly multiplier to 6.
The Cash on Hand Calculator inside of the Toujours Planning Resource Vault makes it even easier for you to find this magic number.
WHAT YOU DO WITH WHAT’S LEFT
So what do you do with your money once you’ve got these short-term “savings buckets” filled up? You start with your intermediate and long-term savings goals. This is where you can start investing in less liquid assets that offer compound interest, but it’s best to do that with the help of a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™.
If this is all overwhelming, seek help from a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. And if you want help figuring out how much cash you need on hand and how much to invest, Toujours Planning may be able to help. Take our quiz to see if we’re a good fit.
This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
RESOURCES & PEOPLE MENTIONED
- Cash on Hand Calculator inside our Resource Vault
- The Bucket Strategy
- Cupertino Apple headquarters
- Liquidity: Your Business Runs on Liquidity (So Should You)
- 25x Rule of Thumb for retirement savings
- The Toujours Planning Quiz — are we a good fit for your financial planning needs?