Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
New Year, New Financial You?
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,
Sarah YakelJan 4, 2022
RMDs Are Back in 2021
The passing of time during the pandemic has felt very weird at best. For me, it felt like 2020 moved at a snail’s pace and 2021 has been a bit of a blur. And, it’s caused me to forget exactly when certain events happened. Thank goodness for time stamps on the pictures on my phone
Nathan GilbertDec 21, 2021
Inflation hits Santa in 2021
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 c
Sarah YakelDec 14, 2021
What Does “Fee-Only” Mean?
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 wo
Sarah YakelDec 7, 2021
Have you Heard About How Much I bonds are Paying?
You may have seen or heard that I bonds (AKA inflation bonds or series I savings bonds) are currently paying 7.12%. That is true, but as with most headlines these days, it’s important to read into the situation and dig a little deeper. Shameless plug: if you’d prefer a shorter vi
Nathan GilbertNov 30, 2021
Gratitude
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
Sarah YakelNov 22, 2021
Time Keeps on Ticking, Ticking …
As a reminder every morning, my daughter announces the days until Christmas and New Years Eve…in case you’re wondering, there are 46 days left until Christmas and 53 days left in 2021). The television is playing Christmas commercials constantly, and all the stores are decked out
Sarah YakelNov 9, 2021End of Year Planning Checklist
Happy November! We are officially in the home stretch of the year. Including today there are only 60 more days left in 2021 of which there are approximately 40 work days! Here at Meridian, we are taking advantage of every one of those days and are continuing to work through end o
Sarah YakelNov 2, 2021Open Enrollment Season is “Falling” Upon Us
October officially kicks off one of the busiest times of years for most as holiday planning, fall breaks, and extracurricular activities fill our schedules. This also seems to be the time bucket lists are drawn and we feel we need to check off every seasonal and holiday themed ac
Sarah IrvingOct 26, 2021
Wait, My Bonds Went Down Too??
If you are an investor in the markets, you are probably aware that the stock market can go up and down (news flash!). September lived up to its reputation of being a historically bad month for stocks, but many bond investors may also have been disappointed when they opened their
Nathan GilbertOct 19, 2021
WILMA!!
My two boys have been fascinated with TV shows, music, and movies from decades past—or as they like to call it: “stuff from the 1900s.” ☹ To my heart’s delight, we’ve been binge watching the A-Team at night–with occasional diversions to Knight Rider and MacGyver. My husband educa
Sarah YakelOct 12, 2021
Happy Fall Y’all
Break out the calendars and flip the page to October – we’re officially ¾ of the way through 2021! Can you believe it?! Time to dig up those new years resolutions you made for the year and revisit your goals. Did you resolve to save money this year? Commit more to savings? Make s
Sarah YakelOct 6, 2021