Ever since 2020, short-term rates have been rather favorable for investors in comparison to history (remember when money market funds paid over 5% – the good old days!) As the effects on the pandemic have subsided on many fronts, the fed funds rate has steadily declined and has taken the market rates on cash savings […]

There are certain terms we all hear in the financial press each day that we may not fully understand. A client was wise enough to ask for clarification on one such term – index funds. Let’s take a look (one word at a time) What is an index? An index is a collection of specific […]

Tax time – it comes around so quickly doesn’t it? While it may feel like you just finished 2024 taxes, it’s already time to start getting things together to finalize 2025’s edition. While the deadline isn’t until April, the earlier you get all your information together (for your own preparation or that by your tax […]

What would a new year be without some resolutions? I talked with two clients this week about a common resolution – budgeting! Specifically, they were trying to get a handle on their spending so they could set a savings plan/approach for the upcoming year and beyond. Let’s be honest – tracking expenses can be a […]

Welcome to December! The last month of the year always feels a bit overwhelming doesn’t it? The combination of a sharp turn in the weather, holiday to-do’s, and the looming change of the calendar does something to our nervous systems! One way I help soothe my overwhelm is to make lists (there are quite a […]

It’s never too early to formulate your savings plan for 2026 so I was happy to talk with clients this week about the recently announced retirement contribution limits for next year. Let’s look at the updated limits and a some new rules (from the Secure Act 2.0) that will take finally take effect in 2026. […]

Several years ago, when I was leasing my first car, a good friend (who had considerable knowledge of the car industry) gave me considerable advice to help me negotiate with the dealership. His first piece of advice – “they will try to sell you on payment. That is just math. What you care about is […]

The concept of leverage has been in the news as of late (in a few different capacities) and a client asked what exactly it means. Let’s take a look at what it is, why extreme caution is advised, and why its proliferation is a risk to markets. Leverage has multiple definitions but in the financial […]

It may seem far too soon to worry about 2026 taxes (many just filed 2024 taxes after all!) That may be what prompted a client to ask if there really was news last week regarding 2026 taxes. Turns out there were in fact some announcements made that are good to know – never too early […]

I reviewed a key investing concept with a client this week and thought it was worth highlighting it here as well. The concept? The inverse relationship between interest rates and bond prices. Bonds (also known as fixed income securities) are a type of investment held in most portfolios. Bonds are a contractual promise made by […]