This year we’ve been working through an unusually high number of lump sum investing scenarios with clients. No one has won the lottery or discovered a long-lost rich uncle who left them an inheritance. Rather, what we’ve encountered falls into two categories: a) an influx of cash (sale of a business, receipt of deferred compensation,
It’s More Than Money
When Does Buying A Home Not Make Sense?
For most, owning a home is one of the next big steps after college. A few years pass and you’re either earning more money or starting a family and you roll your equity into a bigger house. However, after the real estate market took a hit in ’08/’09 people have started questioning this age-old wisdom
What’s A Little Money Between Family?
We often ask clients about their best and worst money choices. It is probably not surprising to learn that “lending money to family” can show up in either column. Below, we’ll touch on the essential aspects of loaning money to family so that if you decide to go down that route (either as borrower or
2019 Habitat Women Build
One of my privileges in 2019 is to serve as President of the Women’s Professional Forum (WPF). Last fall one of the members of WPF asked me if I thought WPF would like to be part of the 2019 Habitat For Humanity Women Build. I offered her idea to our board of directors who quickly
5 Measures of “Wealth”
Most of us, including myself, get hung up on allowing a dollar figure to determine how “wealthy” we are. When in fact, wealth can be made up of things that are worth far more than money but are harder to quantify. Because of this difficulty in measuring, we often default to overlook these alternative measures.
Abigail Disney and Money Conversations
I recently ran across an interview with Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, co-founder of The Walt Disney Company (posted here at New York’s The Cut What It’s Like to Grow Up With More Money Than You’ll Ever Spend.) It is a surprisingly vulnerable and honest insight into the real-life impact (both good and
The Quarter in Charts – Q1 2019
If there was ever a quarter that demonstrated the changing nature of investment markets, it was the first quarter of 2019. Below, we’ll walk through the critical themes of the quarter touching specifically on the yield curve and the possibility of a recession. Asset Class Returns So far in 2019, investors have experienced double-digit returns
Forever Stamps & The Forever Tax
In 2007, the U.S. Postal Service introduced the first Forever Stamp for 41 cents. It was a great way for the postal service to increase their cash flow, but it was also beneficial for individuals, who knew they would be sending letters in the future, to “prepay” for stamps in hopes of sidestepping future postage
Understanding the New Tax Law…with Ice Cream
You can learn a lot from ice cream if you pay attention. A few years ago, a brother-sister team launched the Simply Scrumptious Ice Cream Pontoon Boat on Lake Tillery. Its bright yellow bimini top matches the paneling which displays a rotating list of homemade ice creams, custards, and cookies. It really hits the spot
Buying vs. Leasing a Car
I often overhear conversations of someone discussing how leasing a car is the most intelligent approach to having transportation. However, seconds later, I hear the audible scoff of the car buying group, as if buying a car is the best financial decision since Seward’s Folly. Luckily, we don’t like to pick sides. Instead, we let