Sarah Yakel
Should I Pay Off My Debt?
Debt complicates not only our finances, but our emotions too. Much of the stress surrounding debt simply comes from not addressing it in the first place. It’s time to change that! Paying Down Debt Paying down debt can make you more financially secure and give you more flexibility
Sarah YakelNov 15, 2022
Best investment on Earth = earth?
With traditional investments struggling this year, we have been fielding many questions about buying real estate. The question is often “Is real estate a good investment?”—and for us, the answer is “maybe”. On the surface, it seems that investing in the stock market returns more
Sarah YakelOct 18, 2022
How to Create a Budget
Not everyone has a budget and you certainly might have worked very well without one prior to now, but being aware and making a cash flow plan is a fantastic tool for helping you chart a path forward! Step one: Lay it all out there If you haven’t had any conversations about money
Sarah YakelOct 11, 2022
The Queen is Dead, Long Live the King
This week, the world watched Queen Elizabeth, one of the longest reining monarchs in history, be buried surrounded by family, friends, world leaders, and her beloved corgis. The amount of national and world history that she saw from her front row seat is stunning…this chart from
Sarah YakelSep 21, 2022
Three Important Questions
This summer has been a challenging one, with quite a few family members, friends, and clients of ours all struggling with care challenges for aging parents, spouses, or friends. We’ve watched the struggle of figuring out how to let someone age in place with dignity, and it is a h
Sarah YakelAug 23, 2022
Words from the Wise
If you’ve turned on the TV, seen a newspaper, been on social media at all–or followed this blog–you are already aware that it has been a rough year so far in the markets. In fact, it has been historically awful. The challenge in times like these is to stay focused and clearheaded
Sarah YakelJul 26, 2022What does it mean to be vested?
Vesting… you’ve heard the term, but do you know what it means? No, not that kind of vest This term typically applies to employer-sponsored retirement plans (such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, etc.). While all of the money you personally contribute to these accounts is yours to invest, kee
Sarah YakelJul 19, 2022
The Value of Planning
Market news has continued to be painful to watch, with bonds, stocks, and now commodities falling this year. The Meridian team has written about opportunities that we see in previous blogs (like this one or this one), and we continue to talk to our clients about the unfolding eco
Sarah YakelJun 29, 2022
You Are My Sunshine – My Only Sunshine
Happy Summer Solstice! I just returned from a wonderful week at Lake Michigan with my family. I love them dearly and a great way to look after them is to make sure I have beneficiaries named on my accounts. Beneficiary designations are the way that certain types of assets are pas
Sarah YakelJun 21, 2022
Following Up
Lucy and Tyler’s blog last week on the financial implications of installing solar panels triggered quite a few follow up questions from our loyal readers! (Thank you to all of you who take the time to read our posts—we appreciate your feedback and questions!!!) So, we wanted to t
Sarah YakelMay 31, 2022
Bright Sunshine Day
Are solar panels worth it? This week’s blog features a client request on how to calculate if it’s a wise decision to have solar panels installed at your home. Yellow ribbon back home at the yellow barn after earning the last score for our USDF Bronze Medal! Most of us are aware o
Sarah YakelMay 25, 2022Are I Bonds a Good Idea?
Many of you have read Lucy’s blog about I Bonds, and we’ve been answering lots of questions about buying I Bonds and whether they are a good idea or not…so, we wanted to send a quick note to answer some of the questions we keep hearing… First of all, we scooped the Washington Pos
Sarah YakelMay 5, 2022