Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More

Wishing You Happy Holidays
We hope you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. For this week’s blog, we wanted to share a couple of fun videos with you with our financial advisors team and our operations team.

Tis the (Pricey) Season
Each holiday season, PNC does something entirely practical — by pricing out the ridiculous. The PNC Christmas Price Index tallies up what it would cost today to buy the gifts from “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” In 2025, that cost has climbed to $51,476.12 — up 4.5% from last yea

Meet the Team: Sarah Yakel & Nathan Gilbert
Just a few years ago, Meridian’s year-end meeting was a lunch with four people. Now, founding partners Nathan Gilbert and Sarah Yakel are eternally grateful for all the clients who took a chance on them so many years ago, as they celebrate their December meeting with 9 employees

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency: Risk Behind the Rally
Back in 2015, I was at a 4th of July party, and a friend of a friend was discussing that he had purchased a quarter of a bitcoin for his two-year-old nephew’s birthday. His comment was, “who knows, maybe that could be his college tuition.” Fast forward to today, when that child i

Why the S&P 500 Is No Longer a Truly Diversified Index
For decades, the S&P 500 has been held up as the gold standard of diversification. It’s the index that financial advisors recommend for beginners, the benchmark professionals use to measure performance, and the foundation of countless retirement portfolios. The idea is simple: by

What Is a Stock Split?
With the recent Netflix stock split announcement, we thought it might be a good idea to address stock splits and the reasons companies decide to split their stock. If you aren’t already aware, Netflix (NFLX) announced a forward split at a rate of 10:1 last week. So, if you are a

Meet the Team: Hello, Sarah Irving
If you ask Meridian staff what the best part of working with Sarah Irving is, they will tell you it’s how she makes people feel. Coworkers and clients alike can count on Sarah for a warm smile and an authentic and caring conversation – and if you’re lucky she’ll make you laugh be

Mind The Gap
We have friends who have lived in London for the past few years, and we have enjoyed visiting them over the last few years. While there, we took the London Underground frequently, and our kids found the announcements to “mind the gap” entertaining. A very little Ethan and Ben at

10 Essential Cybersecurity Tips Every Consumer Should Know
We are in week 43 of this year, it finally feels like fall, and Halloween is coming at the end of the week. Let the universal pondering about “where did the year go?” begin. Halloween – the fan-favorite, kids hyped up on lots of sugar, pursuit of the best costumes, day-of-fun – u

Meridian Financial Partners’ Sarah Irving Named in InvestmentNews Rising Stars 2025
Meridian Financial Partners is proud to announce that Sarah Irving, Partner and Senior Financial Advisor, has been named to InvestmentNews’s Rising Stars 2025 list, which recognizes the nation’s top wealth management professionals and advisors under 40. The annual list highlights

The (Real) Cost of Buying a Home
Ah, living the American Dream: buying a home. After years of the debate between continuing to rent or buying, I felt it was time to make the largest purchase of my life, a house. Through the process, I learned that the real cost of buying a home is more than just the down payment

Sarah Yakel Acclaimed in 2025 IN $100M Club Top Female Advisors
Meridian Financial Partners is proud to announce that Sarah Yakel, Founding Partner, has been recognized by InvestmentNews as one of the 2025 $100M Club Top Female Advisors. This inaugural list celebrates female advisors nationwide who demonstrate excellence in wealth management,
