It has been a rough start to 2022, and as quarter numbers are finalized, they are just confirming how rough it has felt for all investors:   Source: Bloomberg, FactSet, FTSE Russell, MSCI, NAREIT, Standard and Poor’s, JP Morgan Asset Management.   The only thing that is positive in 2022 so far is energy

Just because you are eligible for Social Security benefits doesn’t mean you should start taking them right away. We often hear our clients ask about taking social security as soon as they are able, using reasoning such as:   “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around.” – none of us do! Although,

When thinking about the blog topic for the day, the only thing that seemed appropriate to write about is the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the economic fallout seen in the market over the past few weeks.  Heavy topics to take on in a short blog post, so please excuse the length of this one. […]

Most people have plans to retire and even have a fairly good idea of how they’ll use that new-found free time, but few actually know how much money they’ll need to save in order to afford retirement. There’s an old age golden rule of having $1 million set aside for you to retire, but everyone […]

In all the market drama of January, Google’s announcement of a stock split went unnoticed by many investors who were distracted by all the other crazy market moves. On February 1, Google parent company Alphabet said it would split its stock 20–1. That means that for every 1 share of Google an investor owns, after

As the calendar turns to 2022, many people immediately start to think about filing taxes. While it’s generally a good thing to avoid procrastination (which I try to tell myself all the time!), you must wait for a) the IRS to actually accept your return and b) your tax forms to get prepared. Believe it […]

Every winter, the Yakel household gets complicated with the start of basketball season. Melanie and Ethan play basketball and I coach the varsity girls at their school. Lots of long nights at the school gym!   This year, the varsity girls team kicked off our season by winning the preseason tip-off tournament and

It’s all fun and games while the eggnog is flowing and the tinsel is still hung, but the post-holiday spending hangover can mean bad news for your financial situation if you don’t make adjustments in the new year. If the holidays left you and your budget feeling a little bloated, then it may be time […]

You’ve hired a professional to provide services for you. Hopefully, you have some idea of what these services will cost. Most contractors, it’s said, will finish their work in twice the time and at twice the cost that’s quoted. But, hey, if you factor that in at the start, you won’t be disappointed! What’s