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.
College graduates smiling happily
Planning Basics

Rooting for the (Mason) Patriots

This past weekend, we went with friends to a George Mason Patriots women’s basketball game—it was a very exciting game, with the Patriots winning with a last minute buzzer beater shot. Melanie and the boys really enjoyed being so close to the action, and after the game, the playe

Sarah YakelSarah YakelFeb 26, 2019
Retirement Planning

A President’s Retreat

A few weeks ago, my brother and two buddies took a short camping trip to the Shenandoah National Park. While it was very cold for the first night in our wood-stove-heated cabin, we were treated to some beautiful views of the Rapidan River and had the hiking trails to ourselves fo

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertFeb 19, 2019
ETF Conference 2019
Planning Basics

LIVE from Inside ETFs 2019

This week, Nathan and I are in Hollywood, Florida attending my favorite conference ever…Inside ETFs Once a niche conference designed to help advisors use newfangled ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds….as opposed to the mutual funds of yore), this conference has grown to over 2,300 atten

Sarah YakelSarah YakelFeb 12, 2019
Family & Life Events

Best January Ever

…or, at least the best in a long time! If you have school-aged children and live on the east coast, you (like me) have likely been scrambling to figure out child care and the litany of other school-cancellation issues. As a last resort, sometimes the only option is to bring the k

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertFeb 5, 2019
Family & Life Events

February Resolutions

Every year, New Year resolutions stories pop up everywhere—we resolve to lose weight, quit smoking, build a budget, join a gym, eat healthy….etc. By February, 80% of resolutions have failed according to a US News article….leading to a cold and gray February filled with guilt and

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJan 29, 2019
Old magazine featuring Bud Ross in 1991
Planning Basics

The Good Ole Days

Recently, a friend of mine passed along an article from a local news outlet (Fauquier Magazine) from March of 1991 that featured my grandfather on the cover. I had seen the magazine and the article before, but it was a nice reminder of my “G.P.” in his younger days. He was a succ

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertJan 22, 2019
Planning Basics

Power of Reset

“Reset” has been a big theme of 2019 so far—resetting involves setting back to an initial state—sometimes the baseline of zero, other times simply an adjustment after getting far away from normal. In basketball, we’ve been working on resetting—when the initial fast break doesn’t

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJan 15, 2019
A kid wearing a full gear covered in mud
Investing & Markets

Covered in Mud

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! I was waiting for the markets to have an uptick before posting our first blog of 2019 😊. Here’s hoping the markets stay that way this year (or till I finish writing this at least!). My family’s Christmas and New Year’s events were a lot

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertJan 8, 2019
Estate & Legacy

Storytime

At Christmas, we enjoy reading familiar stories and watching favorite movies as part of our annual family tradition. Watching Will Ferrell in ELF for the millionth time marks the official start of Christmas for the Yakel clan. As humans, our brains are wired to crave stories—good

Sarah YakelSarah YakelDec 18, 2018
Planning Basics

BREAKING: SHOCKING HEADLINE MAKES PEOPLE CLICK ON ARTICLE!

PARENTS FORCE 4-YEAR-OLD TO WEAR GAS MASK Molly and her “gas mask” Actually, little Molly is wearing a nebulizer to ease some stubborn congestion. But, you have to admit the initial headline is a little more intriguing (and misleading). It’s no secret that news outlets (no matter

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertDec 11, 2018
Tax Planning

Starting Lineup

Yesterday was my first official coaching role for my daughter’s middle school basketball team—we were playing the first game ever in the brand new gym, so it seemed like pretty high stakes (who wants to christen the gym with the first loss??). Assistant Coach Pell and Me Thankful

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertDec 4, 2018
Investing & Markets

A Slippery Slope

A actual slippery slope – November 15th – Mountain Rd. in Haymarket, VA Each time I write these posts, it’s tempting to talk about diversification every time. Especially in the current volatile market environment. While I won’t totally give into that temptation this time, I do th

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertNov 27, 2018