This past Friday, we celebrated Melanie’s last day playing basketball on our home court.  Seniors were celebrated as their high school basketball career came to a close…   I’ve coached Melanie’s basketball team since she was in 7th grade, and it’s been a real treat to have a front row seat, watching

Change is exceptionally difficult, and it seems the older we get, the harder it becomes. Some change is for good reasons, some for less than ideal reasons. As financial planners, we are here to help see our clients through life changes – be that retirement, a home purchase, starting families, marriages,

With a new year comes new resolutions and for savers, new retirement plan contributions.   For 2024, the employee contribution limits are as follows: IRA and Roth IRAs : $7,000 for those  <50 years old, $8,000 for those 50 and older. SIMPLE IRA: $16,000 for those <50 years old, $19,500 for those 50 and

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! While it often feels like the world is filled with nothing but bad news we have a lot to be thankful for here at Meridian.   Sarah Yakel is thankful for 5% treasury rates and all of the adventures she’s had with her family this year before Melanie […]

I point the finger at our own industry for training investors to think in the short term. Within our firm our custodian, Charles Schwab, sends out monthly statements. From a compliance perspective, this is a good thing, because it reassures clients that their money is where it’s supposed to be, and that Meridian is

Happy day after Labor Day weekend!  For the Yakel family, that means back to school!! While the dogs were sad to be left behind… …the kids were mostly excited to catch up with their friends after a long summer of just hanging around the house.  They missed the social aspect of school very much…the actual

Today the Yakel kids start SAT testing…only Ben is excited—he likes filling in all of the bubbles with his number two pencil.  The older kids dread it…probably because they are facing a day full of questions like this:   For all you math people, you can check your answer at the end of this post…for

Other than the Oscars, the failure of Silicon Valley Bank has been dominating the headlines. However, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve have moved swiftly to address potential risks to the financial system. We also believe the turmoil will relieve some pressure on the Federal Reserve, possibly leading to a

My daughter Melanie and I spent the weekend in Charlottesville, soaking in the atmosphere of the University of Virginia.  We went to a women’s basketball game, enjoyed a lovely dinner, and spent time on campus, touring and learning about the school… Melanie blending into the straw on the Lawn… UVA women’s