Joel Greenberg - Prudential Advisors

09/24/2026

Four years ago, I made a video in this very spot. Today, it’s a Wegmans. Here are the before-and-after clips. I guess a lot can happen when someone has a plan.

09/23/2026

I had the honor of attending a Santana concert earlier this summer. Looking around at a crowd of people from so many different backgrounds, I remember thinking how nice it was to just enjoy the music together.

Santana said something along the lines of wishing everyone love, peace, and happiness. Then he let the music speak.

Watching what happened with some other artists last week made me appreciate that even more. I prefer speaking to what we share instead of what divides us.

Kudos to Santana for a great show—probably my favorite concert ever.

09/18/2026

Over the holiday, I read a simple suggestion: look at the obituary section and remember — they were all alive last year.

That stayed with me.

Living in the D.C. area, it also made me think about federal employees affected by DOGE-related workforce changes. For many people here, a federal job felt about as permanent as a job could feel. Then suddenly, for some, it didn’t.

I wrote about the illusion of certainty — in work, money, health and life — why preparation matters, and why uncertainty should also push us to stop waiting on the things that matter most.

A little deep for Yom Kippur week, but hopefully positive in the end.

The Illusion of Certainty:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-illusion-of-certainty/

G’mar chatimah tovah.

From the blog of Joel M. Greenberg at The Times of Israel

09/16/2026

Trying something new — I just published my first Substack post.

The idea is simple: short, practical financial planning articles in the spirit of GEMS — Greenberg Explains Money Simply.

First up:

Open Enrollment: The Most Expensive 15 Minutes of the Year

If your usual approach is:

Same as last year. Click. Click. Submit.

…this one is for you.

I cover 5 things worth checking before you hit submit, including medical coverage, HSA/FSA, life insurance, disability insurance and retirement contributions.
view it here:

Five benefits decisions worth reviewing before you click “same as last year.”

09/15/2026

If someone depends on you, one of the kindest things you can do is make sure they'll be financially okay if something happens to you.

September happens to be Life Insurance Awareness Month, so it’s a good excuse to check something most of us would rather not think about.

Here are 5 questions worth answering:

1. How much income would your family lose?
2. What debts or major expenses would remain?
3. Could your family comfortably stay in the home?
4. What future goals would still need to be funded — college, retirement, family support?
5. What life insurance do you currently have, and would it actually be enough?

There’s no need to rush into anything.

Start by understanding what you have and what your family would need. You may discover you’re in great shape. You may find a gap that’s easy to fix.

If you’re not sure how to answer those five questions, message me. I’m happy to help you work through them.

Either way, knowing where you stand is one of the kindest things you can do for the people who depend on you.

09/09/2026

I’m excited to share the first edition of GEMS—Greenberg Explains Money Simply.

I created GEMS to share clear, practical ideas about money, family, values and planning for the future.

In this Rosh Hashanah edition, I explain why I started GEMS, explore the spiritual side of financial planning, look at what our family history can teach us about money, break down a few common investment terms and include a practical New Year financial checklist.

I hope you find something useful—and I would love to hear what speaks to you most!

09/01/2026

I’m excited to share that my first article has been published in The Times of Israel—just in time for Rosh Hashanah!

I’ve been posting short thoughts about money, family, values, and personal growth. This article goes deeper by exploring the spiritual side of financial planning through the familiar Rosh Hashanah themes of teshuvah (repentance and return), tefillah (prayer), and tzedakah (charitable giving).

Although these ideas are especially meaningful at Rosh Hashanah, they can help us rethink our finances—and almost any part of our lives—at any time of the year.

What do we want our money, our work, and our success to make possible?

“The Spiritual Side of Financial Planning”

From the blog of Joel M. Greenberg at The Times of Israel

08/13/2026

Mazel tov to Social Security.

Tomorrow is its 91st birthday.

Pretty amazing when you think about it. It has helped support our parents, grandparents, widows, retirees, and millions of families over the years.

I know plenty of people say Social Security is going away.

I don’t think that is happening anytime soon.

But Social Security, we love you — and we really need you to get healthy fast.

This also fits perfectly with my Rosh Hashanah theme.

We are about one month away, so here is one simple financial thing to do before the new year:

Log in and download your Social Security statement.

Part of financial planning is simply gathering the right documents and knowing where you stand. This is an important one.

It can show your estimated retirement benefits, survivor benefits, earnings history, and help you understand how Social Security fits into your retirement plan.

You do not need to solve everything today.

Just take the first step.

Download the statement.

Happy 91st, Social Security. We are counting on you. 😂

07/31/2026

Yesterday, as part of my Rosh Hashanah—or midyear—reset, I posted about choosing one expense to reduce, one place to save more, and one mitzvah or meaningful habit to begin.

That made me think about a book I listened to before canceling Audible: Ed Mylett’s The Power of One More.

Oh my goodness—it is awesome.

I am keeping it downloaded because this is one of those books I want to listen to again and again. The ideas are great, but even more importantly, the actions in the book are practical and powerful.

The message is simple: there is real power in doing one more.

So let’s apply The Power of One More to yesterday’s list:

What is one more expense I can cut or reduce?

What is one more step I can take to save or invest more?

What is one more mitzvah—or good deed—I can add?

And what is one more skill I can develop? That might be the thing that leads to a raise, creates a new opportunity, or helps my business and finances really take off.

One more may not feel significant in the moment. But repeated over time, it can change our finances, our careers, our spiritual lives—and who we become.

This is how we begin the new year already becoming a better version of ourselves.

04/29/2026

Your portfolio should not be built for someone else’s nerves.

That may sound obvious, but it happens all the time.

Someone hears what a friend is doing.

Or sees what worked recently.

Or stays in an old investment mix that no longer fits their actual life.

Asset allocation is really about deciding how much belongs in stocks, bonds, cash, and other investments based on your goals, timeline, and comfort with risk.

The wrong mix can create two problems:

Too much risk when you cannot afford it.

Or too little risk when your goals need growth.

A good portfolio is not just one that performs.

It is one you can live with.

Question to think about:

Does your current investment mix match your real life, or just your last account statement?

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This post is part of a series on what full-service financial planning can look like — beyond investments, beyond products, and focused on helping people make clearer decisions about their financial lives.