There’s been a lot of buzz lately about I-Bonds after the Treasury announced in November that I-Bonds issued through April 2022 will earn an interest rate of 7.12%. So how do you get in on this historically high rate, and is it the right type of investment for you? As with most investment questions – […]
Will we ever one day become accustomed to stock market volatility? I often ask myself this question, especially following the prolonged rise in equity markets experienced over the past 18 months. The good news is that based on history, it will be only a matter of time before a market correction occurs. With that said, […]
When I began my career about 35 years ago, a contractor friend of mine gave me some very good advice that I instituted early on in my office, and it was this: If you want to develop trust, start by being trustworthy in the small things. He used the example of the use of postage […]
As I write this blog about raising financially responsible kids, I want to be completely transparent (dad joke). My wife and I have a 9-month-old daughter named Charlotte, and we are far from having it all figured out. However, through many conversations with more experienced parents, we’ve found that no one has it figured out. Every […]
Often I am asked why I use the example of the flight path of a plane when speaking about someone’s financial plan. My finance professor in college would often say, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” That statement has stayed with me throughout my career advising our […]
A few weeks ago, my fiancĂ© received an email from the custodian of his 401(k) reminding him to review his beneficiary designations. While the reminder surprised him, he was also grateful for it. As it turned out, he had never named a beneficiary when he initially set up the account. Like many people, it simply […]
So, what do the pandemic of 2020 and 9/11 have in common? Both were periods of time that I served as Chairman of Chesapeake Hospital Authority and President of The Rotary Club of Chesapeake, respectively. The video of two passenger planes flying into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center resulted in enormous fear […]
How do you think about money? Does it provide a sense of security that was molded by a parent or guardian who instilled a savings-mindset during your childhood? Is it mainly a means to new experiences and travel created by a relatively affluent upbringing? Or does it cause anxiety, centered around years of living paycheck […]
We want our clients to have healthy family relationships and financial wisdom. Many of us grew up with the notion that talking about money was taboo – even inside your own family. And while the status of your 401(k) or the monetary value of your trust might not be polite conversation at a dinner party, […]
For most people, when they enter the workforce, they begin putting away a percentage of their salary toward retirement which is a part of their financial planning. Some stay disciplined early by putting away a solid 15 – 20% of their income. Most others start anywhere from 1 – 5% and apply an automatic escalation […]