Latest news with #Slabaugh
CNBC
19-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Americans say this net worth would make them 'financially comfortable'—but that metric is often 'misleading,' money expert says
What would it take for you to feel financially comfortable? For most of the people who work with Joy Slabaugh, a certified financial planner, licensed therapist and founder of Wealth Alignment Institute, the answer is the same. "It's always a little bit more than what they have," she says. "Regardless of how much money they have, it's just a little bit more." On average, Americans say they'd need a net worth of $839,000 to feel financially comfortable, according to a recent survey from Charles Schwab. Members of Gen Z say they'd be comfortable with less — just $329,000, on average. You may be wondering what net worth could afford you a comfortable life — and what your current net worth actually is. If you're not sure the answer to either, don't worry. While financial experts say tracking net worth can be a useful tool in your money management arsenal, it presents an incomplete picture of your financial life. "It's just one metric — and often a misleading one. I've seen clients fixated on their net worth while completely disconnected from their financial reality," Slabaugh says. "Tracking net worth without tracking values or lifestyle intentions is like watching your pulse without knowing if your heart is healthy." Your net worth is the total value of everything you own, after accounting for money that you owe, and is a useful shorthand for overall wealth. To call yourself a millionaire, for example, you generally need a net worth of $1 million or more. To find yours, add up your assets, such as bank accounts, stock holdings, physical valuables and home equity, before subtracting your liabilities, which include credit card debt, student loans and mortgage balances. Theoretically, this number gives you a pretty decent overview of your actual wealth. Someone may appear to be wealthy if they have a $1 million house, for instance. Not so much if they also have $2 million in debt. It's not always a very practical yardstick, however. For one thing, two people with the same net worth could have wildly different financial situations. One person may have a big chunk of assets in liquid cash, giving them plenty of spending power, while the other has the bulk of their wealth tied up in retirement accounts. Rather than focusing on one number, you're better off examining how money flows in and out of your life, and whether or not you're making progress toward your goals, experts say. "[Net worth is] a 'snapshot' of one's financial position at a single point in time," says Randy Bruns, a CFP and principle at Model Wealth in Naperville, Illinois. "In contrast, their cash flow statement acts more like the 'video,' capturing the ongoing movement of money in and out that ultimately shapes their net worth." When it comes to feeling financially comfortable, it's smart to make sure you have a few critical bases covered, says Slabaugh. These include not only making ends meet, but having enough breathing room to pay down debt, build emergency savings and invest for the future. Beyond that, no number in particular is going to bring you comfort unless you get to the heart of what you want from your money, she says. For many of Slabaugh's clients, building wealth means having security. For others, money is a means to flexibility and freedom. "In nearly every case, the comfort isn't just financial — it's emotional," Slabaugh says. Financial comfort, she says, comes when your money management aligns with your core values. Someone who values freedom, for instance, could aim to beef up their travel savings while looking for misaligned areas in their budget to slash. "It could be, 'I'm spending hundreds of dollars a month on streaming services to escape the fact that I feel stuck. Let me divert that to a vacation fund, and now I can actually save to go to some of these places that I'm dreaming about while watching these shows,'" Slabaugh says. Instead of striving for a particular number in your bank account, ask yourself what about having that amount of money would do for you and what about your life would change if you already had it, Slabaugh says. "These questions are often more revealing — and more actionable — than a net worth target ever could be."
Boston Globe
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump voters cheer his move against Iran. MAGA leaders had warned the bombing could backfire.
Advertisement Ken Slabaugh, a retired Air Force veteran from Warrensburg, Missouri, said he was '100% supportive' of the strikes. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Speaking Sunday near Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 bombers used in the attack, Slabaugh said it was clear to him that negotiations and attempts to strike deals with Iran were futile, and Trump had to act. The Iranians, he said, 'can't be trusted and they certainly can't have a nuke.' The response was exactly what he expected from the president. 'What he said was he's not gonna start new wars. He doesn't start wars. He finishes them,' Slabaugh said. 'It's pretty obvious that when the situation requires it, he don't monkey around with it. He gets in it and gets it done.' MAGA's enthusiastic response More than 1,000 miles away, at an American Legion post in Brunswick, Maryland, Denny Bayer said the attacks were 'awesome.' Advertisement 'He wants global peace,' the Army National Guard veteran said Tuesday. 'He gave them 60 days' to make a nuclear deal. Bayer, 72, is not concerned about possible retribution because he said Trump had made clear what would follow: 'If you hurt one hair on an American's head I'll rain hellfire down on you.' In Front Royal, Virginia, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from the nation's capital, retired drywaller Stacey Roles said Trump's decision was 'the right one.' Roles, 77, described himself as part of Trump's 'MAGA' movement. 'Trump's got my support,' Roles said Tuesday. Targeting 'a bully' Pam Pollard, 65, a longtime GOP leader in Oklahoma, said her first thought upon hearing the U.S. had dropped bombs was that the action would be supported by 'the entire world, save a very small few.' Presidents going back multiple administrations have talked about Iran's nuclear buildup, Pollard said, calling Iran a bully in the region. 'President Trump isn't someone to be bullied,' she said. Pollard was not worried about a military escalation. She does worry about the possible activation of 'terrorist cells.' 'I am very fearful of that all over the world, not just in America,' she said. In La Grange, Kentucky, on the outskirts of Louisville, Donna Williamson, a Republican from nearby Carrollton, said she worries about the U.S. being drawn into a protracted war in the Mideast. 'I hope and I pray that Trump is doing the right thing, but I will reserve judgment,' she said Monday. What early polling shows Early polls suggest Republicans are far more supportive of the military action than are Democrats. A Quinnipiac University poll Wednesday found that about 80% of registered voters who are Republicans back the U.S. joining Israel in striking Iran's nuclear sites. Advertisement Overall, however, about half of those polled say they disapprove of the strikes, and 75% of Democratic voters were opposed. The poll found that 80% of Republicans believe the strikes will make Americans safer, while nearly as many Democrats believe the strikes will make Americans less safe. Meanwhile, nearly 8 in 10 voters are either very concerned or somewhat concerned about the possibility the U.S. will get drawn into war with Iran. A Fox News poll conducted immediately after Israel attacked Iran, but before the U.S. became involved, found that about 8 in 10 registered voters were 'extremely' or 'very' concerned about Iran getting a nuclear bomb. Trump has a history of foreign intervention Trump won the presidency in 2016 in part due to anger over the 'forever wars' in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he has never been opposed to foreign intervention. In 2019, U.S. special forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group, during a raid in Syria, as part of a campaign that involved U.S. troops on the ground. A year later, Trump ordered the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, and some worried that strike would lead to full-blown war. In March, Trump ordered airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen. He promised to use 'overwhelming lethal force' until the Iran-backed rebels ceased their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. Trump has brushed has off the suggestion that his base would be put off by the attacks on Iran, telling reporters, 'My supporters are more in love with me today.' 'He should finish the job' Bill Cantle, a Republican from Clearwater, Florida, said he thinks Trump is 'doing the right thing' on Iran. Advertisement 'I just think he should finish the job. Not leave it half-done,' Cantle said while he and his wife explored downtown La Grange, Kentucky, during a visit. Republican Peter Espinosa, a retired Army sergeant who was born in Cuba and lives in the Miami suburb of Doral, said he sees Iranian officials as 'the bad guys' and views Trump as 'disciplined.' 'I truly believe he's a peacekeeper,' he said. 'We just need to fight the hostility that's going on in the Middle East right now and take care of it, because if we don't, our country is going to be jeopardized.' At a GOP fundraiser Tuesday in Lima, Ohio, headlined by Vice President JD Vance, Clark Spieles said he has faith in the administration's actions. 'Nobody likes war, everybody wants peace,' said Spieles, a Shawnee Township, Ohio, trustee, adding 'I have confidence that they're doing the right thing.' Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Schreiner from La Grange, Kentucky and Colvin from New York. Associated Press polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington, and AP Writers Nicholas Ingram in Knob Noster, Missouri and Julie Smyth in Lima, Ohio, contributed to this report.
Winnipeg Free Press
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump voters cheer his move against Iran. MAGA leaders had warned the bombing could backfire
FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — As President Donald Trump prepared to order the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, many prominent leaders of his 'Make America Great Again' movement warned he was making a grave mistake. Tucker Carlson accused Trump of abandoning his pledge to keep the United States out of new wars. Charlie Kirk said an escalation would be too divisive. Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, said intervention would thwart the Republican's most important priority, mass deportations. But interviews with Trump voters across the country this week and early polling suggest Trump's decision has been welcomed by his political base. While some said they were weary of the U.S. becoming embroiled in a protracted war, most cheered the move and said they did not see it as running counter to Trump's 'America First' approach. Ken Slabaugh, a retired Air Force veteran from Warrensburg, Missouri, said he was '100% supportive' of the strikes. Speaking Sunday near Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 bombers used in the attack, Slabaugh said it was clear to him that negotiations and attempts to strike deals with Iran were futile, and Trump had to act. The Iranians, he said, 'can't be trusted and they certainly can't have a nuke.' The response was exactly what he expected from the president. 'What he said was he's not gonna start new wars. He doesn't start wars. He finishes them,' Slabaugh said. 'It's pretty obvious that when the situation requires it, he don't monkey around with it. He gets in it and gets it done.' MAGA's enthusiastic response More than 1,000 miles away, at an American Legion post in Brunswick, Maryland, Denny Bayer said the attacks were 'awesome.' 'He wants global peace,' the Army National Guard veteran said Tuesday. 'He gave them 60 days' to make a nuclear deal. Bayer, 72, is not concerned about possible retribution because he said Trump had made clear what would follow: 'If you hurt one hair on an American's head I'll rain hellfire down on you.' In Front Royal, Virginia, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from the nation's capital, retired drywaller Stacey Roles said Trump's decision was 'the right one.' Roles, 77, described himself as part of Trump's 'MAGA' movement. 'Trump's got my support,' Roles said Tuesday. Targeting 'a bully' Pam Pollard, 65, a longtime GOP leader in Oklahoma, said her first thought upon hearing the U.S. had dropped bombs was that the action would be supported by 'the entire world, save a very small few.' Presidents going back multiple administrations have talked about Iran's nuclear buildup, Pollard said, calling Iran a bully in the region. 'President Trump isn't someone to be bullied,' she said. Pollard was not worried about a military escalation. She does worry about the possible activation of 'terrorist cells.' 'I am very fearful of that all over the world, not just in America,' she said. In La Grange, Kentucky, on the outskirts of Louisville, Donna Williamson, a Republican from nearby Carrollton, said she worries about the U.S. being drawn into a protracted war in the Mideast. 'I hope and I pray that Trump is doing the right thing, but I will reserve judgment,' she said Monday. What early polling shows Early polls suggest Republicans are far more supportive of the military action than are Democrats. A Quinnipiac University poll Wednesday found that about 80% of registered voters who are Republicans back the U.S. joining Israel in striking Iran's nuclear sites. Overall, however, about half of those polled say they disapprove of the strikes, and 75% of Democratic voters were opposed. The poll found that 80% of Republicans believe the strikes will make Americans safer, while nearly as many Democrats believe the strikes will make Americans less safe. Meanwhile, nearly 8 in 10 voters are either very concerned or somewhat concerned about the possibility the U.S. will get drawn into war with Iran. A Fox News poll conducted immediately after Israel attacked Iran, but before the U.S. became involved, found that about 8 in 10 registered voters were 'extremely' or 'very' concerned about Iran getting a nuclear bomb. Trump has a history of foreign intervention Trump won the presidency in 2016 in part due to anger over the 'forever wars' in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he has never been opposed to foreign intervention. In 2019, U.S. special forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group, during a raid in Syria, as part of a campaign that involved U.S. troops on the ground. A year later, Trump ordered the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, and some worried that strike would lead to full-blown war. In March, Trump ordered airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen. He promised to use 'overwhelming lethal force' until the Iran-backed rebels ceased their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. Trump has brushed has off the suggestion that his base would be put off by the attacks on Iran, telling reporters, 'My supporters are more in love with me today.' 'He should finish the job' Bill Cantle, a Republican from Clearwater, Florida, said he thinks Trump is 'doing the right thing' on Iran. 'I just think he should finish the job. Not leave it half-done,' Cantle said while he and his wife explored downtown La Grange, Kentucky, during a visit. Republican Peter Espinosa, a retired Army sergeant who was born in Cuba and lives in the Miami suburb of Doral, said he sees Iranian officials as 'the bad guys' and views Trump as 'disciplined.' 'I truly believe he's a peacekeeper,' he said. 'We just need to fight the hostility that's going on in the Middle East right now and take care of it, because if we don't, our country is going to be jeopardized.' At a GOP fundraiser Tuesday in Lima, Ohio, headlined by Vice President JD Vance, Clark Spieles said he has faith in the administration's actions. 'Nobody likes war, everybody wants peace,' said Spieles, a Shawnee Township, Ohio, trustee, adding 'I have confidence that they're doing the right thing.' ___ Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Schreiner from La Grange, Kentucky and Colvin from New York. Associated Press polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington, and AP Writers Nicholas Ingram in Knob Noster, Missouri and Julie Smyth in Lima, Ohio, contributed to this report.
San Francisco Chronicle
25-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump voters cheer his move against Iran. MAGA leaders had warned the bombing could backfire
FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — As President Donald Trump prepared to order the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, many prominent leaders of his 'Make America Great Again' movement warned he was making a grave mistake. Tucker Carlson accused Trump of abandoning his pledge to keep the United States out of new wars. Charlie Kirk said an escalation would be too divisive. Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, said intervention would thwart the Republican's most important priority, mass deportations. But interviews with Trump voters across the country this week and early polling suggest Trump's decision has been welcomed by his political base. While some said they were weary of the U.S. becoming embroiled in a protracted war, most cheered the move and said they did not see it as running counter to Trump's 'America First' approach. Ken Slabaugh, a retired Air Force veteran from Warrensburg, Missouri, said he was '100% supportive' of the strikes. Speaking Sunday near Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 bombers used in the attack, Slabaugh said it was clear to him that negotiations and attempts to strike deals with Iran were futile, and Trump had to act. The Iranians, he said, 'can't be trusted and they certainly can't have a nuke.' The response was exactly what he expected from the president. 'What he said was he's not gonna start new wars. He doesn't start wars. He finishes them,' Slabaugh said. 'It's pretty obvious that when the situation requires it, he don't monkey around with it. He gets in it and gets it done." MAGA's enthusiastic response More than 1,000 miles away, at an American Legion post in Brunswick, Maryland, Denny Bayer said the attacks were 'awesome.' 'He wants global peace," the Army National Guard veteran said Tuesday. 'He gave them 60 days' to make a nuclear deal. Bayer, 72, is not concerned about possible retribution because he said Trump had made clear what would follow: 'If you hurt one hair on an American's head I'll rain hellfire down on you." In Front Royal, Virginia, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from the nation's capital, retired drywaller Stacey Roles said Trump's decision was 'the right one." Roles, 77, described himself as part of Trump's 'MAGA" movement. 'Trump's got my support,' Roles said Tuesday. Targeting 'a bully' Pam Pollard, 65, a longtime GOP leader in Oklahoma, said her first thought upon hearing the U.S. had dropped bombs was that the action would be supported by 'the entire world, save a very small few.' Presidents going back multiple administrations have talked about Iran's nuclear buildup, Pollard said, calling Iran a bully in the region. 'President Trump isn't someone to be bullied,' she said. Pollard was not worried about a military escalation. She does worry about the possible activation of 'terrorist cells.' 'I am very fearful of that all over the world, not just in America,' she said. In La Grange, Kentucky, on the outskirts of Louisville, Donna Williamson, a Republican from nearby Carrollton, said she worries about the U.S. being drawn into a protracted war in the Mideast. 'I hope and I pray that Trump is doing the right thing, but I will reserve judgment,' she said Monday. What early polling shows Early polls suggest Republicans are far more supportive of the military action than are Democrats. A Quinnipiac University poll Wednesday found that about 80% of registered voters who are Republicans back the U.S. joining Israel in striking Iran's nuclear sites. Overall, however, about half of those polled say they disapprove of the strikes, and 75% of Democratic voters were opposed. The poll found that 80% of Republicans believe the strikes will make Americans safer, while nearly as many Democrats believe the strikes will make Americans less safe. Meanwhile, nearly 8 in 10 voters are either very concerned or somewhat concerned about the possibility the U.S. will get drawn into war with Iran. A Fox News poll conducted immediately after Israel attacked Iran, but before the U.S. became involved, found that about 8 in 10 registered voters were 'extremely' or 'very' concerned about Iran getting a nuclear bomb. Trump has a history of foreign intervention Trump won the presidency in 2016 in part due to anger over the 'forever wars' in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he has never been opposed to foreign intervention. In 2019, U.S. special forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group, during a raid in Syria, as part of a campaign that involved U.S. troops on the ground. A year later, Trump ordered the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, and some worried that strike would lead to full-blown war. In March, Trump ordered airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen. He promised to use 'overwhelming lethal force' until the Iran-backed rebels ceased their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. Trump has brushed has off the suggestion that his base would be put off by the attacks on Iran, telling reporters, 'My supporters are more in love with me today.' 'He should finish the job' Bill Cantle, a Republican from Clearwater, Florida, said he thinks Trump is 'doing the right thing" on Iran. 'I just think he should finish the job. Not leave it half-done," Cantle said while he and his wife explored downtown La Grange, Kentucky, during a visit. Republican Peter Espinosa, a retired Army sergeant who was born in Cuba and lives in the Miami suburb of Doral, said he sees Iranian officials as 'the bad guys" and views Trump as 'disciplined.' 'I truly believe he's a peacekeeper," he said. "We just need to fight the hostility that's going on in the Middle East right now and take care of it, because if we don't, our country is going to be jeopardized.' At a GOP fundraiser Tuesday in Lima, Ohio, headlined by Vice President JD Vance, Clark Spieles said he has faith in the administration's actions. 'Nobody likes war, everybody wants peace,' said Spieles, a Shawnee Township, Ohio, trustee, adding "I have confidence that they're doing the right thing.' Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Schreiner from La Grange, Kentucky and Colvin from New York. Associated Press polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington, and AP Writers Nicholas Ingram in Knob Noster, Missouri and Julie Smyth in Lima, Ohio, contributed to this report.
