Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
Tax Now or Tax Later?
There is a lot of buzz on the streets about Roth IRAs / 401ks and whether that is the right investment vehicle. Well maybe not a LOT of “buzz”, but certainly enough to warrant some questions from our clients over the years. So is a Roth IRA or Roth 401k / 403b always the best […]
Sarah IrvingSep 6, 2022
What Did You Expect?
Once again, the market hung on every word that came out of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s mouth, and while his comments were exactly what most expected, the market reacted as though continued Fed funds rate increases were a shock. Powell’s comments came during a speech at the Kansas C
Nathan GilbertAug 30, 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
Back to School: Financial Literacy for Kids
Many of us are in the back to school swing. With education on our minds, let’s talk about why teaching kids financial literacy is important, and how to do it effectively! Speaking of good money habits, here are 6 impactful ways to teach financial literacy for kids. It will in tur
Sarah IrvingAug 17, 2022
The Strengthening Dollar and What It Means
Put aside inflation, the price of oil over the last year, and interest rates – something else has been on the rise… the strength of the U.S. dollar. I’m sure most of you have seen a headline referring to the strength of the dollar at least once over the last few months, particula
Sarah IrvingAug 9, 2022
What’s in an Index?
As much as I try to avoid the noise and focus on what matters to our clients and the investments we hold, I still find myself getting frustrated when I see the financial (and many other) news outlets reporting on the levels of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (aka The Dow or DJIA
Nathan GilbertAug 3, 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
Yield Curve Inversion
Recently the yield curve inverted for the first time since August 2019 and today that curve steepened ever further (which means that interest rates on 10 year treasury bonds have dropped below rates for 2 year treasury bonds). So why does this matter and why do we pay attention t
Sarah IrvingJul 12, 2022
What’s a Recession Anyway?
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of talk about a looming recession sometime in 2022, and the market has certainly priced some (if not all) of that in so far this year. A recent Wall Street Journal survey of economists says there’s a 44% chance of a recession. But, what exactly
Nathan GilbertJul 5, 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