NorthStar Wealth Management Inc

On this day in history, one of the world’s most famous theme parks opened in Anaheim, California 💡 That’s right, on July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened to the public!

While the parks run pretty smoothly now, you may be surprised to learn that the opening day was a disaster. Thousands of fake invitations were sent out, and Disneyland wasn’t ready for the massive crowds that showed up.

But this early snafu didn’t stop Disneyland from achieving worldwide success. Over the years, Disney parks have made their home in Florida, Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong – and there are plenty of loyal fans who will gladly tell you it’s the happiest place on earth.

Are you a fan of Disney parks? Drop a ✨or one of your favorite Disney pics in the comments if so!

🎉🌎 🤗 📆 … or Happy World Emoji Day! We don’t know about you, but our team loves a good emoji or two. That’s why we wanted to celebrate this day by sharing a few fun facts about emojis:

✔️ Emojis are older than some people in the workforce. (Yes, really!) Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurit created the first emojis in 1999, though they weren’t widely used until 2011.

✔️ In 2015, the 😂 emoji became Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year, but today, many younger generations give it a big 👎.

✔️ Emoji Day takes place on July 17 because Apple’s calendar emoji shows — you guessed it – July 17.

Now for the important question: What’s your favorite emoji? Drop it in the comments ⬇️ We’d love to get an unofficial vote going!

It’s National Ice Cream Day, and while we wanted to do a poll to see which ice cream is the best, there are just too many flavors to make one 🤣

So instead, we’ll just ask you: what’s your favorite ice cream flavor and why? Tell us in the comments – and make sure you get a scoop to treat yourself today 🍨 😋

Grab your popcorn and get ready for sea adventures – Shark Week has arrived 🦈 We’re not sure if they’ll finally find Megalodon this year, but we’re sure going to watch every show to find out!

Out of curiosity, where do you stand:

😍 Shark Week is my special summer indulgence.

😰 Nope, I don’t want to relive Jaws, thank you very much!

Tell us your feelings on Shark Week in the comments below 💬

As we get through July, our team has been talking about how we’ve been enjoying the heat – but of course, there are two schools of thought on this. Which one describes you:

☀️ I’d rather be hot than cold, no questions asked!

❄️ Take me back to winter or fall, I hate being hot.

Tell us your vote by commenting a ☀️ or ❄️ below!

Fill in the blank: “I love summer because _____.”

For us, it’s those long sunny days out by any kind of water ☀️🌊 What about you? Tell us your answer in the comments 💬

This July 4th, we want to take a moment to recognize the heroes who have fought and died for the freedoms we so often take for granted in our nation ❤️🤍💙

It is because of them that we have the privilege to live and work in a country that values honor, freedom, hard work, innovation, and entrepreneurship. We hope that everyone has a fun and safe day, and don’t forget to thank a service member if you see one.

Keep in mind our team is out of office Tuesday, July 4. Should you have needs or questions, feel free to reach out, and we’ll get back to you upon our return!

A man and his best shark friend of 20 years reuniting? 🦈 Now that’s a feel-good story worth sharing with you all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr_T4Aim6Fw

According to self-proclaimed “shark defender” Jim, Emma the shark loves affection. They’ve known each other since 2001, and over the years, Nick has taken four fishing hooks out of Emma.

It all came to a halt with the pandemic – but after a year of not seeing each other, the long-time friends were reunited. It’s a sweet story, and definitely a great one to watch if you’re a shark enthusiast.

Have any good news to share yourself? Spread the positivity and tell us about it down in the comments!

At the peak of summer, we’re all enjoying the long days and sunshine. Because of that, we thought we’d share this quote from The Great Gatsby about that amazing summertime feeling ☀️

What’s been your favorite part of this summer so far? Share in the comments below!

Did you know that July 1st is International Joke Day? We did! Here’s a favorite of ours:

How much does a chimney cost? Nothing, it’s on the house! 🏠 😂

What’s your best joke? Tell us it in the comments 💬

It’s time to celebrate freedom … financial freedom, that is! Today is National Financial Freedom Day 💰

And while total financial freedom (savings of at least 25x your annual expenses) may be a lofty goal, having healthier personal finances is something we can all work to achieve.

These budgeting tips are a great place to start:

📈 Know where your money is going. If you aren’t already tracking your monthly spending, take a look at where you’ve spent money over the last few months.

📝 If you’re spending more than you’re earning or are looking to save/pay off debt, identify where you can cut expenses and set a realistic budget.

📊 Regularly track your spending each month. Some apps, like Mint or HoneyDue (for couples), do this for you automatically and allow you to see spending in real time.

That said, what are your financial goals for the second half of 2023? Add them in the comments, and share this post to spread the personal finance knowledge ↩️