Financial Planning
Kids these days…
I write this post from Williamsburg as I deliver my three kids to my parents to stay this coming week—the annual parent-free visit with grandparents! My kids look forward to this week all summer…I am not sure my parents share the same enthusiasm… On the trip down, Melanie and I h
Sarah YakelAug 14, 2018
Your Social Security Statement is Not in the Mail
Set Up Your SSA Account As with many providers of statements for all things, the Social Security Administration wants you to “go green.” Many of us have learned by now that’s code for ‘we want to save the trees, but we also want to save money.’ Unless you are receiving benefits o
Nathan GilbertAug 7, 2018Are We There Yet?
As I write this, we are packing up to head out on a small road trip to visit friends and clients. Thankfully, with electronic devices, our kids are mostly self-entertained on the road, but invariably—about an hour into the trip–the littlest will pull out the age old question—”are
Sarah YakelJul 31, 2018Got $11,180,000?
Believe it or not, that’s how much you can die with before having to worry about federal estate taxes. And, if you’re married, you and your spouse can double that to $22,360,000. So, why would anyone worry about doing any estate planning or creating a trust if there is no tax ben
Nathan GilbertJul 24, 2018Independence Day
Happy 4th of July eve! Tomorrow we celebrate our nation’s fight for independence with BBQs, pool parties, and fireworks—and oddly enough lots of hot dogs. Apparently, Americans consume over 150 million hot dogs on July 4th. Pretty impressive.Our forefathers fought for independenc
Sarah YakelJul 3, 2018
The Starry Night
Weekend in NYC with the Kids My family and I recently spent a weekend in New York City, and we packed a lot into a very short period of time. A boat ride around the Statue of Liberty, the Museum of Modern Art, Frozen the Musical, a “bubble” show, Gulliver’s Gate, delicious lunche
Nathan GilbertJun 26, 2018Time to Get Active
Summer has officially begun, and our kids are super busy. Right after school let out, we went down to visit grandparents in Williamsburg. We went to Busch Gardens and stayed until the park closed, then got up early the next day to be at Water Country at park opening, then saw mov
Sarah YakelJun 19, 2018
Rock the Red
Yesterday, Washington D.C. hosted its first major pro-sports team championship parade in 26 years. Not since the Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1992 have Washington fans been able to celebrate their team reaching the pinnacle of their sport. As a lifelong fan of the Capitals (and
Nathan GilbertJun 13, 2018
Reunited and It Feels So Good (and so does saving for college)
Since Sarah called me out on song references in her last post, I thought I would stick with the theme. I could remember the name of the song “Reunited,” but I couldn’t remember the artists. In my defense, the song was released in 1978, and I was only one-year old. Google quickly
Nathan GilbertMay 29, 2018Let’s Get Digital…Digital…
Nathan always references cool songs in his blogs—the only one that came to mind for this blog was Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”. Not exactly a cool song, but I digress… Recently, I followed our usual Meridian advice to clients and started to review our own estate plan. I hadn’t
Sarah YakelMay 22, 2018
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
“Turn and face the strange. Ch-ch-changes.” It’s hard to say exactly to what David Bowie was referring in his song Changes. Not surprisingly, I am going to use some of this great song’s lyrics and try to tie it back to the markets. As I have said in a previous post, you’re welcom
Nathan GilbertMay 16, 2018A New Mom, a New Take on Mother’s Day
As a new mom, I am so looking forward to what I consider to be my first actual Mother’s Day. Even though Grace was born on April 22, and I experienced my first Mother’s Day shortly after she was born, we were all too exhausted to celebrate it. So, I can’t wait to see what […]
Nathan GilbertMay 7, 2018