Juliano Financial Solutions

09/05/2026

🔥 Sometimes life throws you a curveball. And sometimes, apparently, your car catches on fire.

Yep. That really happened.

In March 2024, our car caught fire in our driveway. Just two months later, I found out my corporate job was ending with only two weeks’ notice. We had savings. We also had plans for that savings. Suddenly, those plans had to change.

Looking back, that period reinforced something I talk about with my financial coaching clients today: A budget isn’t set in stone.

Your income can change. Your priorities can change. Unexpected expenses happen. And sometimes money you saved for one goal needs to serve a completely different purpose.

My newest blog, Life Happens, is a little more personal. I’m sharing what happened to us in 2024, how we adjusted financially, and one of the biggest lessons I took away from it, sometimes your financial plan has to change when life does.

Read Life Happens here:
https://www.julianofinancialsolutions.com/blog/life-happens

Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Learn how unexpected events can change your financial priorities and why a flexible budget and savings matter.

09/04/2026

❓ FAQ Friday

What should I bring to a notary appointment?

A little preparation can help make your notary appointment quick and smooth!

At a minimum, you'll typically want to have:

📄 Your complete document — Make sure you have all of the pages, even if some don't require signatures.

🪪 An acceptable form of identification — Your notary will need to verify your identity before completing the notarization.

✍️ Any additional signers who need to sign — If the document requires multiple people to sign, make sure everyone who needs their signature notarized is available.

👥 Required witnesses, if applicable — Some documents require witnesses in addition to a notary. It's a good idea to confirm those requirements before your appointment.

And one important reminder: depending on the type of notarization, you may need to sign the document in front of the notary. If you're unsure, wait to sign.

Not sure what you'll need? Reach out before your appointment. I'd much rather answer a question ahead of time than have you discover something is missing when we meet.

A little preparation can make the entire process easier for everyone!

09/03/2026

💜 Organization Thursday

Don’t rely on your memory.

Appointments. Bills. School deadlines. Phone calls you need to make. Something you need to pick up at the store. A subscription you need to cancel. That one thing you need to remember to tell your spouse later...

It adds up.

One of the simplest ways to stay organized is to stop expecting yourself to remember everything.

If something is important, give it a place outside your head.

📝 Write it down.
📅 Put it on your calendar.
📱 Set a reminder.
✅ Add it to your task list.

It doesn't matter whether you use a paper planner, your phone, a calendar app, sticky notes, or some combination of all of them. What matters is having a system you will actually use.

Getting organized isn't about remembering everything.

It's about creating systems so you don't have to.

09/01/2026

🖋️ Notary Tip Tuesday

Why does a notary read an oath?

If you've ever had a document notarized and the notary suddenly asked you to swear or affirm that the information in it was true, you may have wondered why.

It's because some types of notarizations require an oath or affirmation.

For example, with a jurat, the signer must swear or affirm that the statements in the document are true before the notarization is completed.

You may even see wording on your document such as “subscribed and sworn to before me.” That's a clue that an oath or affirmation is part of the notarial act.

And while it might feel a little formal, it isn't just something the notary says for effect. It's an actual part of the notarization.

Not every notarization requires an oath—but when one does, don't be surprised when your notary asks you to raise your hand and swear or affirm.

08/31/2026

💰 Money Monday

Are you keeping track of your subscriptions?

Streaming services, apps, memberships, cloud storage, software, meal services...those smaller monthly charges can add up quickly.

And sometimes we're paying for things we've completely forgotten about.

Take a few minutes and look through the last 2–3 months of your bank and credit card statements. Make a list of every recurring charge you find.

Then ask yourself:

✔️ Do I actually use this?
✔️ Do I still want it?
✔️ Is there a less expensive option?
✔️ Am I paying for something similar somewhere else?

And if you use it, enjoy it, and it fits into your budget — keep it!

The goal isn't to cancel everything you enjoy just to save a few dollars.

The goal is to make sure you're choosing what gets your money each month.

08/31/2026

💙 Reflection Sunday

Sometimes quality time looks a little different.

It isn’t always vacations, family outings, or sitting down together with nothing else to do. Sometimes it’s working around the property, fixing something that broke, mowing grass, or everyone pitching in to get a job done.

These moments may seem ordinary, but they’re also time spent together. They’re opportunities to strengthen our family bond, laugh together, solve problems together, and teach our son that taking care of what you have takes work.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how quickly time goes. We have only four more years before he graduates high school, and I know those years are going to go by faster than I want them to.

So I’m trying to appreciate these moments too—the fun ones, the frustrating ones, and even the ones that involve broken equipment.

Because quality time doesn’t always have to be something we schedule.

Sometimes it’s simply doing life together. 💙

08/28/2026

❓ FAQ Friday

Can financial coaching help if I make good money but still feel broke?

Absolutely.

Making a good income doesn't automatically mean you'll feel financially comfortable or in control of your money.

You may have a solid paycheck coming in every month but still find yourself wondering:

💸 Where did all of our money go?
💳 Why are we still carrying credit card debt?
🏦 Why aren't we saving more?
😩 Why does it feel like we're always waiting for the next paycheck?

Sometimes the issue isn't necessarily how much money you're making. It's figuring out what's happening with the money once it comes in.

Maybe your lifestyle has gradually gotten more expensive as your income increased. Maybe debt payments are eating up more of your cash flow than you realized. Maybe irregular expenses keep catching you off guard. Or maybe you simply don't have a system for deciding where your money should go.

That's where financial coaching can help.

We can look at the whole picture—income, spending, debt, savings, goals and priorities—and figure out what's working, what's not, and what changes could help you feel more in control.

And that doesn't automatically mean cutting out everything you enjoy.

The goal is to make the money you're already earning work more intentionally for the life you actually want.

You don't have to be in a financial crisis to benefit from financial coaching. Sometimes you just need help figuring out why a good income still doesn't feel like one.

08/26/2026

💻 Behind the Business: Where the Work Happens

Not every behind-the-business photo needs to be perfectly staged.

This is my actual workspace — and where a LOT of the behind-the-scenes work for Juliano Financial Solutions happens.

It’s where I answer emails, prepare for coaching sessions, work on financial tools and resources, write blog posts, create social media content, update my website, plan out my week, and handle all the little administrative things that come with running a business.

And yes, apparently all of that requires three screens...and multiple beverages.

You’ll also find plenty of Bruins gear, yarn within reach, sticky notes, notebooks, and usually about five things I’m working on at once.

It may not look like a perfectly staged office, but it’s organized in a way that works for me — and that’s kind of the point.

Organization doesn’t have to look perfect. It just has to help you get things done.

08/24/2026

💰 Money Monday: What is a Sinking Fund?

A sinking fund is money you set aside a little at a time for an expense you know is coming.

Think about things like:

🚗 Car repairs or maintenance
🎄 Holidays and Christmas gifts
🏠 Home repairs
✈️ Vacations
💵 Annual bills or memberships
🎂 Birthdays and special occasions

Instead of waiting until the expense arrives and trying to squeeze it into that month's budget—or putting it on a credit card—you save toward it ahead of time.

For example, if you want to have $600 available for Christmas and you start saving in January, setting aside $50 a month gets you there.

And this is where a sinking fund and an emergency fund are different.

An emergency fund is for expenses you didn't see coming.

A sinking fund is for expenses you know are coming, even if you don't know exactly when or how much they'll cost.

After all, Christmas is December 25th every year. It's not an emergency. 😂🎄

A few dollars set aside each month can make those bigger expenses a whole lot less stressful when they arrive.

08/24/2026

❤️ Reflection Sunday

A few days ago, we took the obligatory first-day-of-school picture before sending our son off for his freshman year.

And looking at this picture got me thinking about why I started Juliano Financial Solutions in the first place.

Yes, I love budgeting, organization, spreadsheets, and helping people figure things out. 😂 But building JFS has also been about creating something that fits into the life I've worked hard to build.

I have a full-time career. I'm a wife and a mom. I have a teenager with school activities and everything else that comes along with raising a family. And somewhere in there, I'm building a business that I genuinely love.

I don't want success in one area of my life to mean missing everything happening in the others.

That's one of the reasons I'm so passionate about being intentional — with money, with time, and with the things we say are important to us.

As I look at the week ahead, I'm reminding myself that the goal isn't to do everything. It's to make time for the things that matter.

And right now, I'm pretty grateful for all of it. ❤️