Now that winter is behind us, it’s the perfect time to give your finances a “spring clean.” Here are a few simple ways to get started: Review and refresh your budget - Take a close look at your current budget. Have there been any changes in your income or expenses since your last review? Adjust your budget to reflect these changes and identify areas where you can save more. Declutter your expenses - Examine your...
If you’re like so many of our clients, saving for your children’s or grandchildren’s education is a top priority. You may also be wondering the best way to begin. To help, we thought we’d share some insights on 529 accounts and why they’re a great option. A 529 account is a special kind of investment account that you can use to pay for a wide range of education expenses. Your savings in the plan will...
After the shock and joy immediately following the baby’s birth then all the other emotions set in as you mentally fast forward through the sudden expenses to be expected in the future...one of the biggest being the cost of education. Now, more than ever, a bachelor’s or a trade degree is essential for a future. As your baby grows and makes its way past Kindergarten graduation, to the awkward middle school years, high school sports...
It's now a secret that the typical American works long hours. But despite this long work week, Americans are terrible at taking vacation.
The figures out last year show that the average amount of student loan debt a student graduates with is $18,625. Most graduates are carrying multiple student loans from multiple sources, and the cost and complexity of managing them can become overwhelming, especially if they are unable to secure steady employment with sufficient cash flow to make the payments. One option that has always been available to indebted graduates is a college student loan consolidation which...
Many investors, especially those still reeling from the 2008 – 2011 stock market roller coaster ride, have developed a low tolerance for volatility. As a result they have moved a significant portion of their investments into bonds or other fixed yield vehicles. What many investors may not realize is that wholesale switches from one asset class to another in order to avoid volatility can actually increase it. Secondly, for investors with a long-term perspective on...
Without fail as Tax Day approaches every year, the mind whirls while you check boxes and fill in numbers about everything you could have, should have, would have done to save more money on taxes. Could you have saved more? Invested better? Been smarter at charitable giving? Probably. It’s too late for some money-saving measures in the last minute lead up to the deadline for filing your taxes, but one you can take on simple...
If you’ve been listening to the financial media of late you have no doubt heard some of the so-called experts prognosticating on the prospect of the next big bear market. Unquestionably, the stock market is at another crossroads, and its 7 percent increase year-to-date belies the concerns that most people have over the global economy. So, gloom and doom forecasts by a media anxious to sell papers or air time, should not be at all...
Summer’s finally here. The sun is out, it’s warm, the days are longer, and your worries seem just a little bit further away. But, folks, I’m sorry to say, sometimes storms roll in on the sunniest of days. And if I’m honest, the world is a bit of a scary place at the moment, with politics impacting the economic climate , and warmer temperatures affecting agriculture all around the world, the future is perhaps not...
Your student is planning on following in your footsteps and will be receiving that admissions letter of acceptance sooner than you think.
If you’re a fan of political dramas on televisions, you’ll know that the turbulent world of politics has an affect on the global financial markets. But what about in real life? How much does art - if you can call shows like Scandal, Veep, and House of Cards art - imitate life, and vice versa? The truth of the matter is that 2017 is turning out to be a bit of an unpredictable political year...
Without fail as Tax Day approaches every year, the mind whirls while you check boxes and fill in numbers about everything you could have, should have, would have done to save more money on taxes. Could you have saved more? Invested better? Been smarter at charitable giving? Probably. It’s too late for some money-saving measures in the last minute lead up to the deadline for filing your taxes, but one you can take on simple...
