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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.
When Can I Start Filing Taxes?
Tax Planning

When Can I Start Filing Taxes?

HOLD…HOLD… As the calendar turns to 2025, many people immediately start to think about filing taxes. While it’s generally a good thing to avoid procrastination (I tell myself…), your 2024 tax filing may be an exercise in patience for some… If you are one of those very organized p

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJan 14, 2025
Happy Family
Tax Planning

Tax Changes for 2025

Happy New Year! Let the new year resolutions begin! It’s always nice having a fresh start at the beginning of the year with new goals to work towards and a feeling of excitement around what’s ahead. To help set you up for the strongest start to contributing to your savings and in

Dan FortunatoDan FortunatoJan 6, 2025
guinea pigs wearing hats that read naughty or nice
Family & Life Events

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from our Meridian family to yours! We are taking a break from the blog next week, so have a happy and safe New Year’s celebration, and we look forward to seeing you in 2025! — Sarah Yakel Blog Disclosure

Sarah YakelSarah YakelDec 24, 2024
Company get together
Investing & Markets

Top Financial Headlines of 2024

In honor of all of the year-in-review lists that are coming our way as we near the end of the year, we wanted to go over some of the top financial headlines of 2024. While this is not an exhaustive list, it does highlight a lot of what was on investors’ minds. It might not […]

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertDec 20, 2024
woman hiking in narrow rock path
Retirement Planning

Financial Year-End To-Do List

Somehow, New Year’s Eve is only three weeks away! As the year comes to a close, we want to make sure those year-end to-dos are ticked off before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. Take Your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) If you’re required to take your IRS Required

Kira TopekaKira TopekaDec 10, 2024
two women at a conference smiling
Planning Basics

Fiduciary vs Financial Advisor: Know What You’re Getting

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind and I know that the remaining weeks of 2024 will be as well. Before Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to join two of my colleagues at the annual Charles Schwab IMPACT conference in San Francisco where some of the brightest minds in the

Sarah IrvingSarah IrvingDec 4, 2024
group of people standing for a photograph in fall
Family & Life Events

Giving Thanks in 2024

While this year seems to have flown by, we wanted to take a moment this Thanksgiving to reflect on what we’re thankful for. From our families to yours, wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving. Sarah Yakel: I’m always thankful for my family and friends, but this year, I’ve been real

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertNov 26, 2024
dog with christmas lights
Family & Life Events

NOT YET! Good Debt vs. Bad Debt and the Holiday Season

I’ve started grocery shopping with my air pods in…not to be anti-social but because—as a Christmas purist—I firmly believe that there should be NO Christmas music before Thanksgiving. If you start listening now, then you’ll hear “All I Want for Christmas” 2,954,359 times before D

Sarah YakelSarah YakelNov 19, 2024
woman on a brown horse
Planning Basics

What Happened to Your High-Yield Savings Account?

It’s never pleasant to get a notification from your bank informing you that the interest rate on your high-yield savings account is decreasing. But, it is becoming more common. According to the FDIC, the national average interest rate on a traditional savings account is 0.45%, wi

Kira TopekaKira TopekaNov 14, 2024
paper reading election day
Investing & Markets

What Elections Mean for the Markets

Did you hear there was an election coming up? I think I drew the short straw in the rotation of blog writing when I ended up with the investing-in-an-election-year topic. Nonetheless, it is probably the most common question we are getting from clients and prospects right now. Sho

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertOct 29, 2024
older person and child playing with a car on a couch
Retirement Planning

Estate Planning: Understanding Inherited IRAs and the SECURE Act

With October being Estate Planning Month, we wanted to address IRAs (individual retirement accounts). Until the SECURE Act, IRAs were relatively easy to incorporate into an estate plan. As long as beneficiaries are named after the IRA owner dies, the assets are automatically and

Sarah YakelSarah YakelOct 21, 2024
person handing documents to another person
Estate & Legacy

Estate Planning Essentials: Documents You Shouldn’t Overlook

As we reach the halfway point of National Estate Planning Awareness Month, it’s a great time to revisit the key documents that should be included in any comprehensive estate plan. While trusts are essential (as Nathan discusses in detail here), wills, powers of attorney, and heal

Kira TopekaKira TopekaOct 15, 2024