Blog
How is my Credit Score Calculated?
Blog“How is my Credit Score Calculated?" Many people live and die by their credit score and do everything humanly possible to improve it. Others take a more passive approach by ensuring they pay off their credit card every month and trust they will be viewed...
Don’t Live with Election Fear
Blog“Don't Live with Election Fear" It seems to be all we hear about anymore. What will November 3rd, 2020 produce for the next president of the United States? Truthfully, with the amount of mail in ballots expected in this election, we may not know on November 3rd,...
Thinking of Success
Blog“Thinking of Success" One of the leaders in our RIA firm (Cambridge) posted on the idea of Success. I wanted to share these thoughts with you this week. Success is not a miracle. Nor is it a matter of luck. Everything happens for a reason, good or...
A Simple Budgeting Alternative
Blog “A Simple Budgeting Alternative" I’m not sure I’ve ever met a client who genuinely got excited about the idea of creating and following a budget. I think for so many people, a budget feels restricting and cumbersome to keep up with. But, have you ever wondered...
Themes for the Next Decade
Blog “Investment Themes for the Next Decade" Let’s face it, 2020 has been a difficult year for so many. Whether it was the Australian wildfires, the killer hornets, the California fires, or the COVID pandemic, we have had our fair share of tumultuous events. From...
Geographic Arbitrage – A Trend with Momentum
Blog “Geographic Arbitrage - A Trend with Momentum" Geographic Arbitrage (AKA geo-arbitrage) in its simplest format is when someone takes advantage of differences in cost of living between two geographic locations. The concept is not something new or...
Financially Preparing for a Child
Blog “Financially Preparing for a Child" Having a baby is one of the most exciting times in a couple’s life. Leading up to the birth, you read books, listen to podcasts, and put up with all of your friends and relatives giving you their random pieces of advice...
4 Exercises for Better Money Habits
Blog “4 Exercises for Better Money Habits" Do you ever find yourself wishing you had better money habits, but you just can’t seem to change your day-to-day actions? Here’s the good news: It is absolutely within your control to transform your habits and become...
Setting Your Children up for Retirement
Blog “Setting Your Children up for Retirement" For many people, setting their child up for success in the future is one of their responsibilities as a parent or guardian. Setting them up for success comes in many different facets (think life skills, hard-work,...
The Coronavirus Housing Boom
Blog “The Coronavirus Housing Boom" If one thing is certain, we have all been spending more time in our homes over the past 6 months compared to the months and years prior. While many sectors of the economy have been negatively impacted from the pandemic,...
Why the Dow Jones is not a Great Benchmark
Blog “Why the Dow Jones is not a Great Benchmark" It’s nearly impossible to tune into mainstream media outlets like CNBC without the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) being the focal point amongst stock indices. I, myself, am guilty of quoting the Dow’s price...
Gifting Responsibly and Avoiding Taxes
Blog “Gifting Responsibly and Avoiding Taxes" Each year, the IRS sets a limit called the annual gift tax exclusion which determines how much you can “gift” to someone else and avoid paying any taxes. For 2020, that annual exclusion amount is $15,000 (this can change...
The Importance of a Health Savings Account
Blog “The Importance of a Health Savings Account" If the last few months are any indication, we can see that healthcare needs and associated expenses are truly an unknown quantity. Healthcare costs can be a major stumbling block for both the young and elderly and...
Trends in a Post-COVID World
Blog “Trends in a Post-COVID World" Where is the stock market going from here? Why has the market recovered so quickly? If we don’t find a vaccine for the virus soon, will we see a huge drop in the market? These are all common questions we are getting from clients...
Money Lessons to Teach in High School
Blog “4 Money Lessons They Should Teach in High School" Growing up in America we are taught many valuable things in high school, but an area that has historically been ignored is personal finance. While Chemistry is almost always on the curriculum (I haven’t had to...
Stock Markets and Presidential Elections
Blog “Stock Markets and Presidential Elections" While our post this week might not directly assist you in your quest towards financial independence, but it’s also fun to see how finances can play into so many aspects of our world. If 2020 hasn’t already been eventful...
When Should I Refinance My Mortgage?
Blog “When Should I Refinance My Mortgage?" This week’s post is a revamped version of a post from 2019. With mortgage rates now at historic lows, we feel it is valuable to revisit this idea. Everybody loves to save money, and since we are in a period of...
ETFs vs. Mutual Funds
Blog “ETFs vs. Mutual Funds" Exchange Traded Funds or ETF’s are fairly new on the investing scene, at least in relative terms. ETF’s first came on the scene in 1993 while Mutual Funds have been around since the 1920’s. Since ETF’s began, there is an ongoing debate...
Tips for Lowering Taxes in Retirement
Blog “Tips for Lowering Taxes in Retirement" So many financial articles talk about the importance of saving for retirement and how much money you should have saved to retire comfortably. While that is certainly an important topic, considering how these savings will...
FOMO with the Stock Market
Blog “FOMO with the Stock Market" “Fear of Missing Out” (AKA FOMO), has become very apparent as individuals try to make sense of the meteoric rise in the stock market over the past 60 days. We dive into why the stock market has been going up in a recent post which...
Paying with Cash vs. Affording Payments
Blog “Paying with Cash vs. Affording Payments" America has an all-consuming culture. Earning an income of $32,400 in the United States puts you in the top 1% of global earners, however, to earn in the top 1% in the United States you would need to pull in over...
Robo Advisor vs. Financial Advisor
Blog“Robo Advisor vs. Financial Advisor" There has been a lot of debate, especially over the last 10 years, about the “value” that a real-life financial advisor brings to a client. During this time, the massive growth of rob-advisors such as Betterment, Ally,...
A Checklist a Decade Away from Retirement
Blog“A Checklist a Decade Away from Retirement" For many individuals, saving for retirement is not high on their priority list until those years begin to come into focus. As you begin the count down to retirement, the pressure can mount, and nerves can start to set...
Why Is the Stock Market Going Up?
Blog“Why is the Stock Market Going Up?" Despite record unemployment levels and economic uncertainty that we haven’t seen since 2008, the stock market continues to rally from it’s lows in late March. From January 1st, 2020 to March 23rd, 2020 the S&P 500 index was...
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