Why am I writing this blog?

Update December 3, 2023: Three years have passed since I planned to get this blog off the ground. I’m going to make another attempt. One reason I will be motivated to keep posting this time is that I want to point people to more in-depth information on certain than I can deliver in my workshops. In the past, I provide linked to blog posts that I wrote for University of Illinois Extension in the earlier part of my career. But those posts are no longer available. And some were becoming dated anyway. The University has graciously given me permission to repost and adapt those posts. So here on this blog, you’ll be seeing a combination of brand new posts and updates of posts that were previously published on U of I’s Plan Well, Retire Well blog. Thanks for joining me on this adventure.

Financial education is what I am passionate about. I have devoted my professional life to that cause. I thrive on delivering workshops about the financial decisions we face, but I wanted another way to share my take on personal finance. I missed blogging, and I made the decision in early 2020 that I would start blogging again. I blogged for University of Illinois Extension’s Plan Well, Retire Well blog for over ten years, and I missed writing! Writing and talking about personal finance makes me happy.

But of course, I procrastinated. Then the coronavirus hit. The COVID-19 pandemic closed libraries as well as almost everything else. Money Smart Week 2020 was cancelled (update: The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago retired the Money Smart Week effort as of 2024) and along with it, all of my workshops. I needed another way to reach out. So here we are, with the first post for this blog.

If you want to learn more about me and my background, check the About Karen page. If you’d like to know where I’m presenting, go to Upcoming Programs or sign up for a quarterly email listing those events.