Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
Financial Literacy Month!
I’m a big fan of holidays. I inherited this trait from my parents, particularly my mom who always went above and beyond to make even the smallest of celebrations feel special. With a bulk of the “big” holidays behind us, I was excited to hear that this April celebrates the 21st a
Sarah IrvingApr 17, 2024
Irrational Decisions (+ RIP Daniel Kahneman)
Daniel Kahneman’s work perfectly outlines what we as advisors and planners are often dealing with when speaking to clients, giving advice, and making recommendations. One of his main conclusions was that individuals do not always make rational decisions when faced with uncertaint
Nathan GilbertApr 9, 2024
It’s Been One Week
For Spring Break 2024, we decided to cruise the largest cruise ship in the world, The Icon of the Seas. We had a wonderful time exploring the new ship, seeing all of the shows, and eating ice cream all day (literally…I think Ethan counted 7 cones before lunch one day…gross!). Whi
Sarah YakelApr 3, 2024
Spring Clean Your Finances
Back in very early January, I wrote a blog about financial resolutions for the New Year, which notes that most people give up on those resolutions after about 3 months. With the days getting longer, the weather warming, and flowers starting to pop up, why not use the change in se
Kira TopekaMar 26, 2024
Luck vs. Skill
In the spirit of the recent St. Patrick’s Day holiday, luck has been on my mind as to how it affects our financial journey both through financial planning and investment management. Luck is defined as success or failure brought by chance rather than through one’s actions with a r
Sarah IrvingMar 20, 2024
Like a ROTH to a Flame
I apologize for the lame title to this post, but it seemed a little more attention grabbing than ‘help your kid open a ROTH IRA.’ If you have a child who is earning income, he is eligible to open a ROTH IRA (in Virginia, the minimum working age is 14), and you should probably hel
Nathan GilbertMar 12, 2024
New and Exciting!
Meridian Expands with a New Washington Office Even though we had an extra day in February, 2024 is already flying by! Meridian is thrilled to have our doors open at our new second office in Washington, Virginia. We are located on the lower level of the Miller Building at 211 Main
Kira TopekaMar 5, 2024
The “Cash Trap”
With the Federal Reserve’s campaign to tame inflation pushing short term interest rates higher, cash yields have become more and more enticing. Frankly, we’ve never bought more CDs and Treasury bonds for our clients than over the past year. It’s been a welcome sight to see Treasu
Sarah YakelFeb 27, 2024
Did You Miss It?
Woops, did you miss the deadline? If you are an organization in Virginia with 25 or more employees and have been in operations for 2 or more years, February 15th was the deadline to register for Virginia’s state sponsored plan, RetirePath or to certify an exemption if already off
Sarah IrvingFeb 20, 2024
Learning New Things @ Exchange
Gaining Industry Insights at the Exchange Conference Yes, finding an excuse to go to a conference in Miami in February is generally a good idea. As is the case with most events like these, we are still spending the lion’s share of our time inside conference rooms, but it’s still
Nathan GilbertFeb 13, 2024
Well…that happened fast…
This past Friday, we celebrated Melanie’s last day playing basketball on our home court. Seniors were celebrated as their high school basketball career came to a close… I’ve coached Melanie’s basketball team since she was in 7th grade, and it’s been a real treat to have a front r
Sarah YakelFeb 6, 2024
Change is Really, Really Hard
Change is exceptionally difficult, and it seems the older we get, the harder it becomes. Some change is for good reasons, some for less than ideal reasons. As financial planners, we are here to help see our clients through life changes – be that retirement, a home purchase, start
Kira TopekaJan 30, 2024