Financial Planning
How to Create a Budget
Not everyone has a budget and you certainly might have worked very well without one prior to now, but being aware and making a cash flow plan is a fantastic tool for helping you chart a path forward! Step one: Lay it all out there If you haven’t had any conversations about money
Sarah YakelOct 11, 2022QCD – What’s It Mean?
Not only do we start to see the leaves falling away in October, giving way to a new season, a new chance to restart, but the days in the last three months of the year seem to fall off the calendar as well. At Meridian, October is when we charge full steam ahead with end […]
Sarah IrvingOct 5, 2022
The Queen is Dead, Long Live the King
This week, the world watched Queen Elizabeth, one of the longest reining monarchs in history, be buried surrounded by family, friends, world leaders, and her beloved corgis. The amount of national and world history that she saw from her front row seat is stunning…this chart from
Sarah YakelSep 21, 2022
Tax Now or Tax Later?
There is a lot of buzz on the streets about Roth IRAs / 401ks and whether that is the right investment vehicle. Well maybe not a LOT of “buzz”, but certainly enough to warrant some questions from our clients over the years. So is a Roth IRA or Roth 401k / 403b always the best […]
Sarah IrvingSep 6, 2022
What Did You Expect?
Once again, the market hung on every word that came out of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s mouth, and while his comments were exactly what most expected, the market reacted as though continued Fed funds rate increases were a shock. Powell’s comments came during a speech at the Kansas C
Nathan GilbertAug 30, 2022
Three Important Questions
This summer has been a challenging one, with quite a few family members, friends, and clients of ours all struggling with care challenges for aging parents, spouses, or friends. We’ve watched the struggle of figuring out how to let someone age in place with dignity, and it is a h
Sarah YakelAug 23, 2022
Back to School: Financial Literacy for Kids
Many of us are in the back to school swing. With education on our minds, let’s talk about why teaching kids financial literacy is important, and how to do it effectively! Speaking of good money habits, here are 6 impactful ways to teach financial literacy for kids. It will in tur
Sarah IrvingAug 17, 2022
The Strengthening Dollar and What It Means
Put aside inflation, the price of oil over the last year, and interest rates – something else has been on the rise… the strength of the U.S. dollar. I’m sure most of you have seen a headline referring to the strength of the dollar at least once over the last few months, particula
Sarah IrvingAug 9, 2022What does it mean to be vested?
Vesting… you’ve heard the term, but do you know what it means? No, not that kind of vest This term typically applies to employer-sponsored retirement plans (such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, etc.). While all of the money you personally contribute to these accounts is yours to invest, kee
Sarah YakelJul 19, 2022
You Are My Sunshine – My Only Sunshine
Happy Summer Solstice! I just returned from a wonderful week at Lake Michigan with my family. I love them dearly and a great way to look after them is to make sure I have beneficiaries named on my accounts. Beneficiary designations are the way that certain types of assets are pas
Sarah YakelJun 21, 2022
Chart(s) Worth a Thousand Words
As we addressed in our market volatility update yesterday, sometimes taking a break from all the news is good for our mental health and can be enough to give some perspective. There is a lot of information being thrown out at us and that can be stressful and overwhelming – either
Sarah IrvingJun 14, 2022
Following Up
Lucy and Tyler’s blog last week on the financial implications of installing solar panels triggered quite a few follow up questions from our loyal readers! (Thank you to all of you who take the time to read our posts—we appreciate your feedback and questions!!!) So, we wanted to t
Sarah YakelMay 31, 2022