Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
The Rest of the Story
My dad engrained many things in me from a young age…value of hard work, honesty, family values, etc. But also his love of the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers movies, Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Neil Diamond, Looney Tunes, Ray Stevens, lots of old movies, and Paul Harvey… I don’t r
Sarah YakelJul 21, 2020
The FIRE is still burning
What Is the FIRE Movement? In the financial world, there has been a lot of recent attention on a movement among the younger generation which magnifies the advice of save early and save often. The FIRE movement – which stands for Financial Independence Retire Early – is built on t
Sarah IrvingJul 14, 2020
What the Heck is a Proxy?
If you own shares of a publicly traded company or fund, you have likely received a proxy statement and/or proxy card whether you know it or not. They are often mailed in the form of thick envelopes that look intimidating and can be quite confusing. I would suspect that most indiv
Nathan GilbertJul 7, 2020
Perspectives
We just returned home from an epic road trip across Montana—we started in Glacier National Park in the north and worked our way to Yellowstone in the south. The trip was a feast for the eyes—and many times, it was hard to take it all in. The perspectives were so grand that it was
Sarah YakelJun 30, 2020
A Diversified Toolkit
If you know me and my husband, you know that we are serial renovators and DIYers. Yes, we are sick sick people. We are currently in the home stretch of our last … and I mean LAST… home renovation. While I’d like to think I am contributing as much as possible during the renovation
Sarah IrvingJun 23, 2020Sleeping In
At my house, waking up early has become somewhat of a rarity. That’s not something I thought I would ever say with three young children, but it has in fact happened (rejoice!). Dear parents of very young children, sleep depravity eventually ends, but you might think it never will
Nathan GilbertJun 16, 2020
Topsy Turvy
Today, the Meridian team is attending a virtual JP Morgan Investment Forum. We usually head to Tysons to a nice hotel conference center and hear from the top economists at JP Morgan in person…but this year, we are all sitting at our desks, listening in. While virtual events are a
Sarah YakelJun 9, 2020The Situation with Student Loans
Summer certainly feels like it is here! Every pool with the exception of baby pools is sold out in Virginia (if you find one, let me know!), the local ice cream shop has re-opened, and high school and college graduations have come and gone. And while this year’s graduation scene
Sarah IrvingJun 2, 2020Bonds Are Boring
Bonds Are Boring (but effective) For most of the five years that our firm has been in existence, many of our clients asked why they own any bonds at all. It is human nature to want to invest in things that are going up all of the time, and for the most part, that’s exactly […]
Nathan GilbertMay 26, 2020For Better or Worse
With the beautiful weather this past weekend, Jonathan and I tackled our first major project in a very long time. We built a raised bed garden with deer netting and a hinged door—here is the finished product: We usually don’t do projects together—it’s not great for our marriage.
Sarah YakelMay 19, 2020Finding the Balance in Rebalance
More so now than ever do I believe the theme of “finding balance” is playing a key role in all of our lives. The economy, financial markets, and life itself seem anything but in balance. And while that might be true, we continue to seek some balance between our jobs, our families
Sarah IrvingMay 12, 2020
Recovery Will Come (+ Be Like Mike)
It’s difficult for us in the investment community to avoid the topic/question of market recovery and when it will occur. Regardless of how you view the current situation surrounding the pandemic, recovery will occur at some point. Those with a more pessimistic outlook believe tha
Nathan GilbertMay 5, 2020