Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
When Should You Claim Social Security Benefits?
Of all the questions our clients face, this is certainly one of the most perplexing. Timing when to claim social security benefits has a significant and permanent impact on your retirement cash flow. In weighing your decision, consider your health outlook and longevity expectatio
Nathan GilbertJan 24, 2017Pick a Color
Click on image above to enlarge. You don’t have to be an investment management expert to see from the chart above that there is no investment type that consistently outperforms the others over time. If there were, we would all hold only that investment all of the time! Diversific
Nathan GilbertJan 17, 2017Resolutions from the Uber-Wealthy
Ten days into the new year, and many of us are still trying to make time to put our grand resolutions for 2017 in place. Either many of us have resolved to eat better, exercise more, start a budget, be patient with our children…or some of us are still figuring out what our goals
Nathan GilbertJan 10, 20172016 is Not Over (For Some Types of Retirement Plan Contributions)
As the year turns over to 2017, it seems that the “internet” is happy to be saying goodbye to 2016. I am not completely sure the exact reason or reasons why, but the popular sentiment seems to be that 2016 was a “bad year.” I am certain many good things happened to many people, b
Nathan GilbertJan 3, 2017Santa’s Last Stop
Every year, after Santa delivers presents to the good little boys and girls around the world, he swings by Wall Street and gives one last gift to investors. Typically, the stock market strongly rallies between December 25th and January 1st every year. PNC Financial Services’ chie
Nathan GilbertDec 27, 2016This Holiday Season, Think of Yourself First
No, I am not advocating behavior that is the opposite of the spirit of the season. But, I am suggesting that you think of yourself first when it comes to planning for your retirement. As a parent of three children, the urge to do whatever I can for their future is very powerful.
Nathan GilbertDec 20, 2016A Great Value
Shopping season is here—unless you are one of those super organized people who shop all year for Christmas and store up gifts in your hall closet, most of us spend December running around, looking for that special gift for those on our list, and hopefully finding a good deal as w
Nathan GilbertDec 13, 2016The Tortoise and the Hare
I am a saver at heart and like to have all my buckets “funded”; I make a special effort throughout the year to slowly build up my gift account. I have a separate bank account that I transfer money into every week, albeit, just a microscopic amount based on the amount of money I t
Nathan GilbertDec 6, 2016Be Still My Heart
For me, this past week filled with all sorts of major shock. I don’t think I have to explain the shocking election of reality TV star turned president. But we were shocked to watch the stock market fall 5% in overnight trading, only to rally during the day following the election…
Nathan GilbertNov 15, 2016Begin with the End in Mind
Hello everyone, this is Cindy Legg and I am excited to be part of Meridian Financial Partners! I look forward to sharing some thoughts with all of you for Meridian’s blog this week. Have you ever planned a large party or better yet, your own wedding? If you have, you probably sta
Nathan GilbertNov 8, 2016Halloween Candy
We live in a very large neighborhood that is packed with kids. So, as you can imagine, Halloween is a very big deal. We were warned in advance to stock up on way more candy than we thought we would need, because we would almost certainly run out. I did actually overestimate on th
Nathan GilbertNov 1, 2016Free Lunch
This past week, the fact that I pay in advance for the kids to be able to order lunch at school was discussed in our car one morning. Ben, my youngest son, said “You pay for those lunches? I thought they were free.” To which my sassy ten year old daughter replied, “Seriously? Nob
Nathan GilbertOct 25, 2016