October officially kicks off one of the busiest times of years for most as holiday planning, fall breaks, and extracurricular activities fill our schedules.  This also seems to be the time bucket lists are drawn and we feel we need to check off every seasonal and holiday themed activity (pumpkin patch/ apple orchard

If you are an investor in the markets, you are probably aware that the stock market can go up and down (news flash!). September lived up to its reputation of being a historically bad month for stocks, but many bond investors may also have been disappointed when they opened their recent statements. In most cases,

My two boys have been fascinated with TV shows, music, and movies from decades past—or as they like to call it: “stuff from the 1900s.” ☹ To my heart’s delight, we’ve been binge watching the A-Team at night–with occasional diversions to Knight Rider and MacGyver.  My husband educates them on key

Break out the calendars and flip the page to October – we’re officially ¾ of the way through 2021! Can you believe it?! Time to dig up those new years resolutions you made for the year and revisit your goals. Did you resolve to save money this year? Commit more to savings? Make significant progress […]

Recently I had my first experience playing Blackjack at a casino.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t tend to gamble, mostly for the reason that winning requires skills, which I have not had the experience to acquire, and in my opinion a hefty dash of luck (although some research out there may […]

We recently helped a business owner who is nearing retirement unwind his company’s work plan. This can happen for several reasons, but it is usually because the business is closing or the plan itself is ending. Either way, it’s important for the participants to know their options and avoid some common pitfalls.

Schools are back in session, and for parents, the tradeoff of having kids at school all day is the added chore of helping kids do their homework at night. When the Yakel kids were in elementary school, it was sort of fun to feel smart helping with 3rd grade spelling or 2nd grade math. But […]

Imagine for a second that you had a little financial fairy godmother sitting on your shoulder, promising to save you money on your healthcare expenses and help lower your taxes all while helping you invest for retirement. It would seem too good to be true, right? Well, here is the best part: that “fairy godmother”

Is there such a thing as overdoing it when it comes to contributing to your 401k / employer sponsored plan?  If you are in the position to be questioning this, then congratulations, that is an excellent place to be financially! Obviously yes, there are limitations as to how much you can put into your 401k […]