Real$martica, Inc.

05/28/2024

A balanced financial life doesn't require that you obsess - but you do have to show up.

As an advisor, I’m often in the position of helping clients temper their worst impulses. It’s a delicate balance to get investors to pay enough attention to be engaged without micromanaging or bein…

04/02/2024

A fear mindset won’t build wealth.

03/28/2024

Our survival instincts often conflict with how we need to respond to modern challenges. Resist the cognitive biases that lead you astray.

Investors need not waste time worrying about what they can’t control, like market volatility and its many causes, because there is a greater threat to their financial success and it comes f…

02/11/2024

How we relate to money affects our ability to attain our goals and impacts our overall happiness. Strengthening your relationship with money starts here...

Of all the emotions I see investors wrestle with, shame tops the list with fear riding shotgun. Both are toxic to your financial well-being because they keep you frozen in a death-spiral of inactio…

01/26/2024

It's not hard to right your financial wrongs.

For decades I’ve been entrusted with the confessions of people preoccupied by their inability to feel adept in handling their finances. These individuals come from all walks of life, possess …

09/05/2023

Sometimes I repeat myself. But it’s always for a good reason…

Hardwired to Help September 5, 2023 By Dina Isola Dear Reader: My posts tend to be timeless, as is the case with this oldie. I’m reposting because the urgency is ever-present. There is a cause that could use your support. I encourage you to find it… Sometimes you find a cause to support...

08/04/2023

You shouldn't be penalized for being a public servant, should you?

School Administrators and Unions Can Be the Real Heroes August 4, 2023 By Dina Isola As the adage goes, charity begins at home. And I hope that school district administrators and teacher unions will see this dire situation for what it is: an opportunity to take a stand for their colleagues. For too....

07/18/2022

Make this summer financially productive ...
http://www.realsmartica.com/mid-year-pump/

07/09/2022

It shouldn't be so hard to have a good retirement plan, should it?

 Want to learn the ins and outs of your 403(b) plan? Be sure to listen to this conversation that Yanely had with Dina and Tony Isola.  Featured in the The Bogle Effect, a book chronicling the life and legacy of Vanguard's founder Jack Bogle, Dina and Tony Isola are described as the "husban...

07/03/2022

Is it time to break up with your 403b investments?

Break Free June 30, 2022 By Dina Isola   One of the ways to assess how well an investment serves you, is to look at the fees. Yet many investors have no idea what they are paying. When teachers ask me to assess their current 403(b) plan investments, many are horrified to learn they are paying over ...

06/30/2022

Join me and Tony LIVE tonight at 7 pm as we answer your retirement planning questions. Register Here:

Free financial literacy curriculum and professional development for teachers. Never spend your nights and weekends searching for curriculum again.

06/24/2022

http://www.realsmartica.com/lazy-discipline/
Why the smart way is the easiest way ...

Lazy Discipline June 24, 2022 By Dina Isola Is it possible to achieve more, by working less? It seems too good to be true – like a diet pill that promises you can eat all the cake you want and still lose weight. But the truth is, sometimes we make it hard for ourselves to do the right thing. What ...