The Shield Finance Blog

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Financial education, coaching insights, and real talk about money for first responders.

IU Open Enrollment: Don’t Let the Fidelity Switch Catch You Off Guard
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IU Open Enrollment: Don’t Let the Fidelity Switch Catch You Off Guard

It’s that time of year again. Open enrollment at IU runs from Monday, Nov. 2 through Friday, Nov. 13, and for a lot of us, it’s a two-minute…

Oct 27, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
The Debt Is Gone. Now What?
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The Debt Is Gone. Now What?

Last week, I wrote about paying down debt – building a cushion, ranking your debts, and picking a method you’ll actually stick with. If you’ve been working that…

Oct 10, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
Paying Down Debt: Giving Your Dollars a Job
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Paying Down Debt: Giving Your Dollars a Job

Debt is one of the most common things I see when I sit down with a new client. Credit cards, car loans, student loans, a personal loan from…

Oct 7, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
Cash Flow is King
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Cash Flow is King

In business and personal finance, cash flow is king. Managing cash flow is paramount to ensuring that you meet your goals and stick to the plan. “Budget” sometimes…

Sep 20, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
This Is Not Investment Advice
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This Is Not Investment Advice

This is not investment advice. Financial planning is so much more than investment management. Although advising on investment strategies should be part of all financial (and especially) retirement…

Sep 5, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
I’m Not a Salesman
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I’m Not a Salesman

I am not a salesman. I love helping people clearly see their own goals, then working together to get closer to them — every day, with every paycheck,…

Aug 8, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
The Reversal and the Recognition
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The Reversal and the Recognition

***Disclaimer*** This post is meant to tell my story from my perspective for how I got where I am today. It is not meant to reflect negatively on…

Jul 9, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
Why Officers Stress-Spend (And It’s Not a Discipline Problem)
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Why Officers Stress-Spend (And It’s Not a Discipline Problem)

Why Officers Stress-Spend (And It’s Not a Discipline Problem) After a particularly rough stretch — a bad call, a brutal week, a string of nights that took something…

Jul 7, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
The Document Your Family Needs Before Something Happens
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The Document Your Family Needs Before Something Happens

The Document Your Family Needs Before Something Happens I want to tell you about a scenario that isn’t dramatic. No line-of-duty shooting. No high-speed pursuit. Just a Tuesday.…

Jun 30, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
One Month In — Thank You
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One Month In — Thank You

Financial Survival for Law Enforcement has been out for one month. I want to say thank you — genuinely. To everyone who bought it, shared it, passed it…

Jun 11, 2026 · Ryan Skaggs
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