Money IQ
Are You Biased?
With your investments, I mean. There is an interesting slide from JP Morgan with two charts showing investor allocations by region. There is quite a large disconnect between a US investor’s allocation to non-US investments and the actual make-up of the global markets. As you can
Nathan GilbertMay 1, 2018Wait…What?
As we’ve written about many times, Meridian has been compliant with the 2016 Department of Labor fiduciary rule, as we have been fiduciaries since Meridian was founded in 2015. To us, it just makes sense that your advisor should have your best interests in mind at all times! As f
Sarah YakelApr 24, 2018Happy (?) Tax Day
For most people, tax season officially comes to an end today, April 17th. All of us have the weekend and a Washington D.C. holiday to thank for the extra two days. Because the traditional April 15th fell on a Sunday this year, that would have pushed the tax filing deadline to Mon
Nathan GilbertApr 17, 2018An Old Door & Old Interest Rates
About 58 years ago, my grandparents (and my mom and her 4 siblings) moved from Pasadena, California to the Northern Virginia area. The new owner of the Pasadena house planned to have the house demoed in order to build a new, more modern home. According to my family, my grandfathe
Nathan GilbertApr 3, 2018It’s Baaaack…(Volatility that is!)
A Note from Sarah: “Our good friends down at Alpha Capital in Atlanta, GA penned this guest blog. It happened to be almost exactly what I wanted to say in Meridian’s blog this week, so I asked if we could use it. Happily, they obliged…enjoy!” What Happened The stock market last w
Sarah YakelFeb 13, 2018
A Field Guide to Common Tax Forms
The Tax Form Breakdown: Key Docs and Their Deadlines As Nathan pointed out in his last Meridian Market Minute, tax forms are beginning to arrive in mailboxes across the country right about now. We do get a lot of questions about what forms are coming and when, so here is a list o
Sarah YakelJan 30, 2018Lucky Break
While even the IRS is scrambling to figure out how to comply with the new tax act—one portion of the new bill does seem clear, and is a really nice gift for parents and grandparents of students. The new tax act allows 529 plan distributions for any eligible education expenses of
Sarah YakelJan 16, 2018Yankee Swap
The 2017 holiday season is in full swing, and as always, by this point in the year, I am getting tired. Our family has been to 6 Christmas concerts in 12 days…baked 20 dozen cookies…made (and decorated) 3 gingerbread houses…wrapped upteen gifts…and attended 8 holiday parties, eac
Sarah YakelDec 19, 2017
Purple and Gold…and Green
My alma mater’s football team is on a pretty impressive winning streak. The James Madison Duke Dogs won their 25th consecutive game in dramatic fashion this past Friday night. Clad in their signature purple and gold jerseys, they defeated Weber State in the quarterfinal round of
Nathan GilbertDec 12, 2017Cyber Thieves Don’t Take Holidays
Over this past weekend, I joined the masses of Americans out shopping for Christmas. I went to eight stores across three counties in under six hours. Afterward, I joined most of Fauquier County on Main Street to watch the Warrenton Christmas parade with my family. And, to end the
Sarah YakelDec 5, 2017News Flash: Traveling With Kids is Hard
This past Thanksgiving week, my wife and I made the somewhat suspect decision to travel to the Gulf Coast of Florida and back (with a layover in Dallas) with our three children, ages 8, 6, and 3. While our time in Florida with family friends was a lot of fun, the travel part was
Nathan GilbertNov 28, 2017Deep in the Heart of Taxes
Sarah Yakel So, every relationship seems to have the fun one—the cool parent, the fun loving spouse, the crazy sister…and, as you may have already guessed, Nathan is the fun partner here. He posts about cool beer toting burros or cult shows like Stranger Things. I post about tax
Nathan GilbertNov 7, 2017