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The Meridian blog

Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More

Welcome to the official blog of Meridian Financial Partners. We'd love to hear your comments as well as your questions. Oh, and our attorneys want you to read these disclosures.
Estate & Legacy

“The Talk”

The Yakel household is very quiet this week, as I’ve just returned from visiting my parents in Williamsburg, and leaving my kids down there with my parents. That was on purpose and prearranged…God bless my folks…they are in for a busy week… It was good to visit my parents and to

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJul 16, 2019
Dog Days of Summer
Family & Life Events

Dog Days of Summer

Recently for our family, the dog days term is quite literal. After minimal consultation with yours truly, our family entered the world of dog ownership. We welcomed little Daisy to our world this past Saturday. She is a French Bulldog and has already created some unwanted stains

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertJul 9, 2019
Planning Basics

Independence Day

The 4th of July is upon us, and it reminds me of birthdays…my husband’s birthday, my best friend’s birthday…oh and also America’s birthday. It’s a big party day for sure! 😊 Besides birthdays, the 4th of July reminds us of independence and is a celebration of freedom—both importa

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJul 2, 2019
A young girl holding a garland
Investing & Markets

Home Bias

A quick disclaimer: I am on vacation this week, but we have committed to a weekly blog, and I want to stick with that schedule. However, we didn’t commit to a LONG weekly blog, so I am mailing this one in a bit. Doesn’t that encourage you to read on? 😊 Home Bias in Investing […]

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertJun 25, 2019
Investing & Markets

Halfway Point

It’s hard to believe but we are almost to the halfway point of 2019—to be exact, July 1st is the actual midpoint. And so far, it has been an interesting year in the market. Just a quick checkpoint/recap… Rebounding from fears of recession, the market shot up in January 2019, only

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJun 18, 2019
Retirement Planning

A ROTH for Molly?

My partner Sarah wrote a great blog last week that addressed the difficulties that parents face when trying to access medical information for their almost-grown children. In that same vein of graduate advice, I would like to touch on the somewhat more pleasant topic of retirement

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertJun 11, 2019
Planning Basics

Graduates

Congrats, Graduates!!! (….now please sign this….) This weekend, we went to one of several graduation parties we were invited to—several of the folks we talked to were graduation party hopping, trying to fit quick stops at multiple parties. It is definitely the season of emancipat

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJun 4, 2019
three kids smiling
Family & Life Events

National 529 Day

I have to admit, until my partner Sarah Yakel forwarded me an article on the topic, I had no idea that tomorrow (5/29!) is officially National 529 day. I suspect at this point, pretty much every date on the calendar represents ‘National Something Day,’ but it does give me some go

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertMay 28, 2019
Family & Life Events

Happy Maycember!

Thanks to the Holderness family—social media stars among parents for their funny parodies (Christmas Jammies, anyone?)—the craziness of May now has a name: Maycember…because it is just as busy (if not busier) than December but without all the holiday lights: Holderness family…#tr

Sarah YakelSarah YakelMay 21, 2019
Be a Gangster Baby: Invest Without Fear
Investing & Markets

Be a Gangster Baby: Invest Without Fear

Last week, I had the unfortunate role of taking our youngest child (Molly) to get her immunization shots prior to starting kindergarten next year. If you are a parent, you know that this is one of the worst doctor’s appointments, because the kids are usually old enough to underst

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertMay 14, 2019
Family & Life Events

Investing Lessons from Gold Cup

Photo by Tod Marks This weekend was the 94th running of the Virginia Gold Cup. Our Meridian family had a spot and enjoyed visiting with each other and friends. While Gold Cup is a little challenging when we bring our children (and it is unexpectedly a million degrees and full sun

Sarah YakelSarah YakelMay 7, 2019
Get What You Pay For
Retirement Planning

Get What You Pay For

As you might expect, many of our clients participate in their workplace retirement plans. As part of our services, we assist in advising them on what investments to select within each plan. The goal is to make sure the investments in their retirement plans are “playing nicely” wi

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertApr 30, 2019