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Financial Planning

Financial Planning

Becoming a Homebody

If you stand by the proverbial water cooler at Meridian, you are bound to hear one of us lamenting about the never ending home projects / renovations (ahem, I am looking at myself), finishing a move into a new home, looking at buying a first home, planning weekend home projects,

Sarah IrvingSarah IrvingAug 18, 2020
Financial Planning

Adulting, deferred

When the world stopped in March with the arrival of COVID-19, we got a small reprieve from the endless string of ‘grown-up’ appointments…no routine doctor visits, hair cuts, teeth cleanings, vet visits, etc. It sort of felt like playing hooky from doing adult things…but now, sadl

Sarah YakelSarah YakelAug 11, 2020
Financial Planning

Taking it with a Grain of …. Sand

Last week my family and I had the opportunity to escape to the beach in North Carolina, close to where I grew up … pretty lucky timing on our part considering hurricane Isaias’s path! As any parent knows, vacations with small children aren’t exactly relaxing, but the making of li

Sarah IrvingSarah IrvingAug 4, 2020
A young girl and her mom hiking in the forest
Financial Planning

Headed Up the Mountain

This past weekend, my family and I headed into Shenandoah National Park for a camping weekend. It was very nice to get away to nature and have no choice but to be out of cell range. I think it was healthy for all of us to take a break from the plethora of devices we […]

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertJul 28, 2020
The Rest of the Story
Financial Planning

The Rest of the Story

My dad engrained many things in me from a young age…value of hard work, honesty, family values, etc. But also his love of the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers movies, Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Neil Diamond, Looney Tunes, Ray Stevens, lots of old movies, and Paul Harvey… I don’t r

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJul 21, 2020
A man planning his finances
Financial Planning

The FIRE is still burning

What Is the FIRE Movement? In the financial world, there has been a lot of recent attention on a movement among the younger generation which magnifies the advice of save early and save often. The FIRE movement – which stands for Financial Independence Retire Early – is built on t

Sarah IrvingSarah IrvingJul 14, 2020
Perspectives
Financial Planning

Perspectives

We just returned home from an epic road trip across Montana—we started in Glacier National Park in the north and worked our way to Yellowstone in the south. The trip was a feast for the eyes—and many times, it was hard to take it all in. The perspectives were so grand that it was

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJun 30, 2020
A man holds a child in a renovated room
Financial Planning

A Diversified Toolkit

If you know me and my husband, you know that we are serial renovators and DIYers. Yes, we are sick sick people. We are currently in the home stretch of our last … and I mean LAST… home renovation. While I’d like to think I am contributing as much as possible during the renovation

Sarah IrvingSarah IrvingJun 23, 2020
Financial Planning

Sleeping In

At my house, waking up early has become somewhat of a rarity. That’s not something I thought I would ever say with three young children, but it has in fact happened (rejoice!). Dear parents of very young children, sleep depravity eventually ends, but you might think it never will

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertJun 16, 2020
Topsy Turvy
Financial Planning

Topsy Turvy

Today, the Meridian team is attending a virtual JP Morgan Investment Forum. We usually head to Tysons to a nice hotel conference center and hear from the top economists at JP Morgan in person…but this year, we are all sitting at our desks, listening in. While virtual events are a

Sarah YakelSarah YakelJun 9, 2020
Financial Planning

The Situation with Student Loans

Summer certainly feels like it is here! Every pool with the exception of baby pools is sold out in Virginia (if you find one, let me know!), the local ice cream shop has re-opened, and high school and college graduations have come and gone. And while this year’s graduation scene

Sarah IrvingSarah IrvingJun 2, 2020
Financial Planning

Bonds Are Boring

Bonds Are Boring (but effective) For most of the five years that our firm has been in existence, many of our clients asked why they own any bonds at all. It is human nature to want to invest in things that are going up all of the time, and for the most part, that’s exactly […]

Nathan GilbertNathan GilbertMay 26, 2020