A client reached out this week to discuss ways she could best help a family member financially. She was curious what the implications were if she gifted the funds versus setting up a loan. I thought it was a great topic to share more broadly, so let’s dive in. Start with your intentions Before you […]

We all know the fairy tale of the wandering girl who stumbles into the home of three bears and tastes the bowls of porridge trying to find one that is the perfect temperature. This “too hot, too cold, just right” parable has been told to countless children over the generations and has also served as […]

Activist investors have been in the business news in recent months, as they have staked claims in household names such as Disney and Salesforce. A client recently asked what exactly makes an investor an activist investor and what I thought about their role and resulting impact on the companies they target. Let’s dive in! What […]

A research service I subscribe to recently shared an article about decision making. If you are an investor like me than you know all too well the level of decisions you are required to make to stay sane (and invested!). A fresh perspective on decision making is always welcomed. The article discussed a recent book […]

It was not all that long ago that Federal Reserve meetings would barely be covered by the media. Now they are truly the monthly headline event and Wednesday’s announcement was no exception (February 1, 2023 meeting) US Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell took the stage and announced a widely anticipated 25 basis point rate increase, […]

I’ve talked with a few clients in recent weeks about various aspects of 529 plans. These can serve as powerful savings vehicles for an important expense, so I thought a refresher may be helpfu. What is a 529 plan? A 529 plan is a state-sponsored program that allows parents, relatives and friends to invest in […]

I’ve been meeting with clients to review 2022 reports this week. During some of those discussions, I’ve been referencing a chart from a renowned investor that really captures the powerful shift in markets over the past year. The chart is from Howard Mark’s most recent quarterly memo. (Howard Marks is a legendary investor and his […]

When working on financial plan illustrations for clients, I request quite a bit of information. If they are not yet claiming social security, I will include a Social Security Statement in that request list. Often times, I’m asked what that is and how they can retrieve it, so let’s cover that question today. What is […]

I’m in the midst of year-end reporting right now, and needless to say, reports from 2022 will not make the best seller list! It was a challenging year across virtually all asset classes. Even supposed “safe” assets such as bonds declined double-digits. After a down year, it is easy to get concerned about the investment […]

Last week, I featured a question from a client about accessing and reviewing your credit report. I thought a helpful follow-up to that could be reviewing credit scores. Here we go! What’s the purpose of a credit score? When a borrower loans you money, their main concern is whether or not you will ultimately pay […]