Holidays and special occasions often bring with them the joy of celebration, the warmth of shared moments, and the comfort of togetherness. Yet, for many, they also highlight the quiet ache of loss. Whether it's the empty chair at the dinner table, the sting of a recent job loss, or the ongoing battle with a serious illness, these moments can magnify pain that is otherwise neatly tucked away in the everyday busyness of life.

Have you ever noticed how similar financial wellness is to physical health? Just as we visit doctors for regular check-ups, perhaps it's time for a different kind of examination - one that focuses on your financial health! Let's step into this unique doctor's office together. Patient History

Have you ever noticed how a conversation with people who share your views can make you feel more strongly about what you already believe? Legal scholar Cass Sunstein captured this phenomenon perfectly when he observed, "What we know is if you get groups of like-minded people together, they tend to end up thinking a more extreme version of what they thought before they started to talk." This observation isn't just about politics or social issues – it's particularly relevant to how we think about and plan our finances.

You may not know this, but there is a joke in the investment world that October is the worst month in which to invest. It's easy to get swept up in the seasonal chatter about how this month is supposedly more dangerous for the markets than others. But before diving into these claims, here are some wise and witty words from Mark Twain: "October: This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August and February."

Wherever people are involved… it’s not uncommon for conflict to arise—whether with loved ones, colleagues, or even within ourselves. At the heart of many of these conflicts lies a common thread: a worldview shaped by scarcity. We may think that conflicts are purely situational, stemming from disagreements or unmet expectations, but more often than not, they go deeper. They reveal a story of feeling like we don’t have enough, aren’t enough, or aren’t receiving enough.

When was the last time you worried about being bitten by a shark? Probably not recently, unless you're an avid surfer. Here's a fascinating statistic that might make you smile: sharks bite around 70 people annually, while New Yorkers bite approximately 1,600 people each year. Surprising, isn't it?? This quirky comparison teaches us something profound about how we perceive risk – especially when it comes to our finances. Often, we're so focused on the dramatic "sharks" in our financial waters that we miss the real dangers swimming right beneath our feet.