Why I write, what I write, and what to read first.
Navigating the Chisholm Journal
It took me many twists and turns to build my life in a place I love, and without strong financial foundations, none of it would have happened. So I write to share my thoughts and lessons as a Certified Financial Planner®, ruralist, heritage farmer, and business owner traveling the road to financial freedom, self-sufficiency, and a life of purpose and meaning.
Landing & Building My Life In the Most Unexpected Place
In mid-2020, with the world feverish with COVID and all the panic that came with it—I sold my condo in Coronado, California, left a wonderful life I had built over almost 15 years to settle in a sleepy village on Lake Ontario—a village in which I had never set foot.
My first night in Sackets Harbor was spent with my dog Lucy on a blow-up bed Andrew (my boyfriend at the time) had lent me. There was a thunder and lightening storm howling outside—something very unfamiliar and a little eerie to a former Southern California resident. I remember falling asleep and wondering what I had bitten off this time. Having nothing but what filled my suitcase and my Little Boo Lucy, that next morning we got up and wandered into the village…
Five years later, the hinterlands of North Country New York feels more like home than any other place I’ve lived. But more than that—something about this place changed me—and continues to work on my soul in ways I still don’t understand.
Along the way, I started writing. I wrote to understand the world, my life, and to communicate these thoughts to others. I found the more I experienced the solitude of this forgotten place and wrote, the more my life’s direction was clarified.
I embraced where I was, not planning to become rooted in a place I viewed as temporary. But, while I was here I wanted to understand this region and its people. I threw myself into the local community, began gardening, met local farmers, started raising some chickens, and realized that the rural life was my calling. In November, 2024, my husband and I bought a farm we’ve named Goshen Grove Farms—a beautiful piece of land that we will rehab and begin running as a heritage farm in the coming years.
I say all this because it turns out, finding your path, living the life that makes you the best version of yourself can only be done if you arrange your finances in a way that supports you. I could never have moved here if I didn’t have a sustainable income—we could never plan to restore our land and make it productive without the financial assets and resources we acquired and grew through time and hard work.
So that is why I write. I write to share the joys, sorrows, and challenges of my life but in the context of building a financial foundation that will allow you to direct your finances towards your higher aim. While many of you may not move to the country, get some goats (and bees, and ducks, and..), or buy a farm—you have equally ambitious desires that I hope my writing can fuel and inspire.
What I Write
My content varies, but generally covers
Real-life financial planning advice focusing on actionable, straightforward strategies anyone can implement—even with a busy life.
Candid advice on investing. As a proponent of long-term, buy-and-hold investing, I give guidance on navigating stock market fluctuations no matter what phase of life you are in.
Stories from my life as a business owner, wife, heritage farmer, and active community member of rural North Country that offer a more thoughtful view of why you must cultivate your finances in a way that allows the rest of your life to flourish.
Every once in a while, photos, videos, and stories from Goshen Grove Farms, of our pets, our projects, and all the beauty that surrounds us.
Where To Start
I have not catalogued all the content on my Stack, but here is a short guide to some of the key pieces for those new to the Stack or thinking about subscribing:
Investing: Portfolio Construction
Lately, I’ve been sharing with readers the cash reserve strategy I use with clients to help them understand how to build a portfolio without relying on bonds (and why you would consider this).
Investing: Volatile & Down Markets
Having started my business right after 2008 and having managed clients’ portfolios since then, I’ve experienced both the highs and lows of markets. People rely on their portfolio managers during the most important time—down markets. Here are some thoughts about what to do when you don’t know what to do.
Managing Your Finances for Your Purpose
Managing your finances and investments well is not an end in itself. Your higher aim is to build a life of meaning and purpose—becoming the best version of yourself. Healthy finances will enable you to do this. So here are a few stacks I wrote that are aligned with this reality.
Financial Simplicity
All things in life should be as simple as possible, and that includes your finances. You’d be surprised how many people think that, because they have complex systems for their money management, they are moving the needle—most often they are not. Keeping things simple is the first step to managing your money, time, and life effectively.
Guides
Over the last year or so, I created a few guides related to various financial planning topics. All are available to download, and I hope they might help you.
Should You Subscribe?
Chisholm Journal is a growing publication and my Subscribers are from many walks of life. If you are already a subscriber—thank you! If you are not a Subscriber but want to understand why your finances matter and how to manage them effectively, then this is a publication for you. And, if you enjoy stories about country life, building businesses, and how community and hard work drive long-term success then this Stack is also for you.
Subscriber or not, I wish you many happy market returns.
