Kansas City Fee Only Financial Planner - Chladek Wealth Management

College Costs How Much? Why School Is So Expensive and Tips To Save Better

John Chladek2021-07-31T01:08:55+00:00July 15, 2021|529 Savings Plan, Blog, College Planning, Family Financial Information|

As many of you probably already know, the average cost of college in the United States has skyrocketed over the last couple of decades. In a 20-year time frame (according to educationdata.org), the average price per year has tripled and is now roughly $35,720. That is $142,880 for a 4-year degree! Why have college costs ballooned so much? What can parents and students do to prepare for this financial burden? College Tuition Is On The [...]

How much do you need to retire?

John Chladek2014-11-03T01:22:06+00:00November 3, 2014|Blog, Retirement|

Retirement Planning – Have you taken the steps to plan for retirement (and I don’t mean just contributing to your 401k)? In other words, are you on-track to retire when you want? And will you have enough money to make it through retirement? You’d be surprised at how many people don’t really know the answers to those questions. You may have an idea, but do you really feel confident about your answer? For starters, a [...]

Black Friday Deal Sites 2013

John Chladek2013-11-28T12:46:04+00:00November 28, 2013|Blog, General Financial Planning|

I like to post Black Friday Deals because we ourselves are looking to see if the gifts we've picked for our kiddos are on sale. Check out the search feature on this site-- type the item you want and voila! http://www.pennypinchinmom.com/black-friday-apparel-deals-database/ Penny Pinchin' mom is a local Kansas City blogger who we feel is trustworthy and a place where you won't be bombarded with pop-ups or unknowingly download a virus. Websites like fatwallet.com/black-friday, theblackfriday.com, and [...]

A Thanksgiving Toast

John Chladek2013-11-28T12:19:31+00:00November 28, 2013|Blog, General Financial Planning|

If I could fit all of you in my dining room today, here's what I would say: Living the American Dream was not something my wife and I ever imagined in those first harrowing days of our firm; shortly after the bottom dropped out of the financial markets. Four years ago this month, Chladek Wealth Management was born with zero clients on a major leap of faith. The markets had failed everyone, and we wanted [...]

Don’t Overspend This Holiday Season! Here’s How…

John Chladek2013-11-21T19:17:15+00:00November 21, 2013|Blog|

I took my two-year old daughter, Lexi, to Trader Joe's yesterday to buy two turkeys. Over the past couple years I’ve picked up the hobby of smoking meat, so I’m going to try smoking a turkey for the first time, and just in case something goes wrong, I'm going to fry the other one. If you've never gone to buy a turkey at Trader Joe's – do it, and take a child with you. Lexi [...]

Yikes: Private College Tuition for 2013 Babies

John Chladek2013-11-19T20:00:48+00:00November 19, 2013|Blog, Family Financial Information|

Did you have a baby this year? We did! Check out these staggering numbers: A child born in 2013 that begins kindergarten in the fall of 2018 would attend college between the years of 2031 and 2035. If that child attended an average private 4-year college and if the annual price increases for private colleges experienced over the last 30 years (+5.7% per year) continued into the future, the aggregate 4-year cost of the child’s [...]

Who Needs Disability Insurance?

John Chladek2013-07-18T01:26:09+00:00July 18, 2013|Insurance|

When meeting with prospective clients about putting together a comprehensive financial plan, one of the biggest items missing is disability insurance. Did you know that 1 in 3 people between the ages of 35-65 will face a disability and be unable to work for 90 days or longer? And the average length of a disability is 4 years! With all the financial products and salesman in the world these days, it can seem overwhelming and [...]