Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
Safety and Return
In many initial client meetings (and sometimes beyond the initial meeting), clients are often in search of a unicorn, an investment that provides a high rate of return without any risk. Most people won’t explicitly say that, although we do often laugh about one particular prospec
Nathan GilbertFeb 15, 2022
The Splits
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
Sarah YakelFeb 8, 2022
5 Ways to Protect Yourself Financially
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
Sarah YakelFeb 1, 2022
Keep Calm and Carry On
If I didn’t address the elephant in the room, I feel as though I’d be doing our weekly blog a disservice . And for anyone who has turned on the television, radio, or news recently, I am almost 100% certain you know what I’m referring to …. we are 15 trading days into the year […]
Sarah IrvingJan 25, 2022
Tax Time?
As the calendar turns to 2022, many people immediately start to think about filing taxes. While it’s generally a good thing to avoid procrastination (which I try to tell myself all the time!), you must wait for a) the IRS to actually accept your return and b) your tax forms to ge
Nathan GilbertJan 18, 2022
Strategizing
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 p
Sarah YakelJan 11, 2022
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