Rule #1: Spend Less than You Earn

In order to save and invest for our financial goals, we must live within our means – it is really as simple as that – but often challenging for many people to accomplish. All financial goals require a savings plan, but if all cash flow is allocated elsewhere, these goals cannot be funded. The only way to really know if we are living within our means is to compare and analyze our income and expenses. This is where tracking spending Continue Reading →

Make Some, Save & Invest, Live on the Rest

For the initial blog post on Mark’s Money Mind, I thought it would best to give a quick introduction. My name is Mark Trautman and I live in Crested Butte, Colorado with my wife and daughter. I retired from full-time employment at the end of 2015 after a 28 year career in the financial services industry. During the latter 24 years, I was an equity mutual fund portfolio manager for a small closely held company. My passion has always been personal finance and I received Continue Reading →