Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
Watch D.O.G.S.
First, I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekends. I will steer clear of Memorial Day as a topic this year, as I am fairly sure that’s what I wrote about last year at this time! This past Friday, I took my second turn volunteering at my kids’ school via the Watch D.O.G.S.
Sarah YakelMay 30, 2017Sell in May and Go Away
Like all catchy adages, the annual stock market advice to “Sell in May and Go Away” does have a kernel of truth to it. A 2015 white paper studied the returns of the stock market over various years from May – October versus November – April and found that on average, the November
Sarah YakelMay 23, 2017The Mom Trifecta
As you all know (or better know!), this past Sunday was Mother’s Day. As always, it served as a reminder how important moms are in all of our lives. As a parent myself, there is an extra level of appreciation for what our parents do for us as children. One of the first things I [
Sarah YakelMay 16, 2017Feelin’ Good
In the investment world, much has been made lately of the divergence between hard data about the U.S. economy and so-called “soft data”, which deals more with how people feel about the economy. In this chart from Morgan Stanley, you can see the large gap between how consumers and
Sarah YakelMay 9, 2017March for Babies
This past Sunday, I was fortunate enough to chair and participate in the Prince William March for Babies. Obviously, supporting at-risk moms, premature births, and prenatal and postpartum care are incredible and worthy causes. March of Dimes helps to fund research on all of these
Nathan GilbertMay 2, 2017Giving Giving a Second Thought
Our community’s biggest day of giving is rapidly approaching—Give Local Piedmont is one week from today on May 2, 2017. Last year, this 24 hour giving contest raised over $879,000 for over 60 local charities. At Meridian, we love this day as the generous spirit of our community i
Nathan GilbertApr 25, 2017Project Lifesaver
As a proud member of the 2017 Class of Leadership Fauquier, I have been afforded the opportunity to learn about many aspects of our wonderful community. One day each month for about one year, we spend a day out in the community hearing from different members/experts in various ar
Nathan GilbertApr 18, 2017Last Minute Tax Ideas
Procrastinators rejoice! Even though April 18—due date of taxes this year—is next week, it is not too late for a few smart moves to save on taxes for 2016. Make an IRA contribution. Contributions to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) are deductible and can be made all the way
Nathan GilbertApr 11, 2017Is now the time to take my gains “off the table?”
In a market environment like the one we are in right now, most investors have experienced some very nice gains in the US stock portion (and other areas) of their portfolios. For many, human nature causes us to ask the somewhat obvious question of “should I sell now?” It’s an easy
Nathan GilbertApr 4, 2017
How to Track and Plan Your Expenses
I’ve been having a lot of conversations recently about budgeting—not because our clients are awful at it, but because it is helpful to get a handle on how much things cost every month when we are working on planning. For those starting out, it is helpful to know how much those ne
Nathan GilbertMar 28, 2017Friendly Reminder: The markets do go down
As we enter the 8th (!) year of a bull market for the S&P 500, it is days like today (Tuesday, March 21st) that remind us that markets can still go down. While I will not claim to know exactly when the current bull market will end, I do know that it will end at […]
Nathan GilbertMar 22, 2017Snow Day
We hope everyone is enjoying the snow—our kids are all delighted to have their first real snow of the season. Those who are shoveling (me and my husband) are not enjoying it as much. As with every winter storm, it has been funny to hear the hysteria in the forecasts—originally, t
Nathan GilbertMar 14, 2017