Insights, Advice & a Whole Lot More
Spring Break, Part 2
Our family just returned from a long road trip through North Carolina—we explored from Asheville to Wilmington with many stops in between. I echo Nathan’s post last week—spring break with kids is not much of a “break!” But, we had a great time exploring our neighbor state… The Bi
Nathan GilbertApr 5, 2016Spring Break & The Markets
Spring Break ain’t what it used to be—at this point in my life at least. While spending time with my family is great, there isn’t much of a “break” with three kids under 7 no matter where you are. In fact, I have used the need to write this blog post as an excuse to […]
Nathan GilbertMar 29, 2016First Quarter 2016 Market Notes
Meridian Financial Partners First Quarter Report 2016
Nathan GilbertMar 22, 2016Serenity Now
I love reading. I like knowing things, so I read all sorts of books, magazines, trade journals, etc. Actually (sadly?), for my birthday and mother’s day, my kids have my husband take them to the grocery store, and they buy random magazines as my gifts. (And I love it.) And, as mo
Nathan GilbertMar 15, 2016Making Beer Myself
A friend of mine recently gave me a home beer brewing kit, and while I don’t have any frame of reference, I can tell it’s probably a nice one. 15 years ago, I would have viewed this kit and its potential reward very differently. Meaning, now that I have three children and a busin
Nathan GilbertMar 8, 2016Brain Hijack
This year it has been hard not to notice the stock market volatility—one day it is wildly up, the next day it is wildly down. In a recent market recap, JP Morgan notes that, so far in 2016, there have been 23 days with movements in the S&P 500 of over 1% (up or down)—which […]
Nathan GilbertMar 1, 2016Where Are My Tax Forms?
It’s a question that we get asked every year right around this time, if not earlier. I once had a client ask about his tax forms for the prior year on January 2nd! While I admire people who want to get tax filing over with as soon as possible, is not realistic to expect your […]
Nathan GilbertFeb 23, 2016“Are Your Legs Tired…”
…is the start of just one of many cheesy pick-up lines to start a conversation and hopefully find a love connection. If such a connection should spark, then the conversation typically gravitates towards family and friends, career and hobbies, etc. Interestingly, recent research p
Nathan GilbertFeb 17, 2016Defense is Important
If any of you watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday, you saw what I would call a boring game. However, it was this “boring” strategy that Denver needed to employ in order win. Many (including me) thought that Carolina’s offense would be too much, and the game would be a blowout
Nathan GilbertFeb 9, 2016Florida and Freakonomics
Entirely missing all of the Snowzilla fun; I just returned late last week from the Inside ETFs conference in Hollywood, Florida. This conference is one of my favorite events all year—and not only because going to Florida in January should be a requirement for all of us in the DC
Nathan GilbertFeb 2, 2016Patience and Planning
Over the past few weeks, I have been reminded of the importance of both patience and planning in three key parts of my life. The first was traveling with my 6-year-old son. Normally, I would look forward to the opportunity for just he and I to travel without the rest of the famil
Nathan GilbertJan 27, 2016Odds Are…
Some people made a lot of money during the historically awful stock market last week. Eighty-four people made over $1,000,000 on their $2 investment in this past Wednesday’s Powerball lottery drawing, with total winnings of over $1 billion. The national fascination with the huge
Nathan GilbertJan 19, 2016