Author: Sarah Yakel

When thinking about the blog topic for the day, the only thing that seemed appropriate to write about is the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the economic fallout seen in the market over the past few weeks.  Heavy topics to take on in a short blog post, so please excuse the length of this one. […]

Most people have plans to retire and even have a fairly good idea of how they’ll use that new-found free time, but few actually know how much money they’ll need to save in order to afford retirement. There’s an old age golden rule of having $1 million set aside for you to retire, but everyone […]

In all the market drama of January, Google’s announcement of a stock split went unnoticed by many investors who were distracted by all the other crazy market moves. On February 1, Google parent company Alphabet said it would split its stock 20–1. That means that for every 1 share of Google an investor owns, after

No matter who you are, it is important to have certain measures in place to protect yourself (and your family) financially. Why? Because life has a way of throwing curve balls at us when we least expect them and certainly when they’re not wanted. To make sure you’re able to make lemonade out of the […]

Every winter, the Yakel household gets complicated with the start of basketball season. Melanie and Ethan play basketball and I coach the varsity girls at their school. Lots of long nights at the school gym!   This year, the varsity girls team kicked off our season by winning the preseason tip-off tournament and

It’s all fun and games while the eggnog is flowing and the tinsel is still hung, but the post-holiday spending hangover can mean bad news for your financial situation if you don’t make adjustments in the new year. If the holidays left you and your budget feeling a little bloated, then it may be time […]

A big headline in 2021 has been the unusually high annual inflation figures, as compared to 2020.  As of November 30, 2021, the Consumer Price Index increase from November 2020 was 6.8% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Much debate has occurred over the causes (supply chain? Used cars?) and whether it is

You’ve hired a professional to provide services for you. Hopefully, you have some idea of what these services will cost. Most contractors, it’s said, will finish their work in twice the time and at twice the cost that’s quoted. But, hey, if you factor that in at the start, you won’t be disappointed! What’s

With Thanksgiving upon us, we are struck by how much we have to be thankful for at Meridian.  From the wonderful team that supports us, to our families’ gracious encouragement, we have many blessings to count. But without our wonderful clients, Meridian would not exist, and so we would like to express our deepest