Blog

How to Have Fun with your Investment Portfolio

As our clients are well-aware, we take a long-term view with our investment philosophy, focusing on crafting diversified portfolios and believing in the power of compounding returns to build and preserve wealth... As prudent and wise as this approach may be, this kind of investing can be seen as boring to some investors. This feeling can be exasperated during periods when technology, trading apps, crypto, and other speculative investment options are garnering so much excitement. Investors can’t help but wonder, am I missing out?

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Why Most Americans Believe They are Happy Underspending in Retirement

What are your retirement goals? That’s a tough question that can be answered in any number of ways. You could begin by explaining how much you want to save before you retire, what you plan to do in retirement, or even how long you hope to live.

But what we’re actually getting at here is: what are your retirement goals for your money?

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Inflation and your Portfolio

Published in the Baltimore Business Journal on May 27, 2020

If you have turned on CNBC, read the Wall Street Journal, or consumed any financial news as of late, you have no doubt heard about inflation. Inflation is a general rise in the level of prices and is measured by the Consumer Price Index or CPI. Let's review a few big factors driving inflation and how it could affect your portfolio. 

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3 Financially Savvy Ways to Reduce Your Mortgage Interest

Published in the Baltimore Business Journal on April 2, 2021

With interest rates still hovering around historically low levels, extra cash in our pockets from several stimulus payments, and reduced spending as a result of the economic lockdown, here are three strategies you could utilize to help lower the amount of your mortgage interest paid over time.

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How do I Know When It’s Time to Hire a Financial Advisor?

When it comes to your financial future, there is no doubt that the decisions you make today can drastically impact the course of your life.  From choosing the right investment strategy to minimizing tax liability, choosing appropriate insurance policies and limits, and retirement planning, all of the actions you take (or don’t take) in the present could have long-lasting repercussions.

But, when is the right time to stop doing things on your own and enlist the help of a professional financial advisor?

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Venture Capital: Investing for the Long Term

Over the past decade, there has been an interesting shift in the way venture-backed companies are approaching their Initial Public Offering (IPO). Historically, once a business had reached a certain valuation and earned enough public clout, the decision to ‘go public’ would be made without hesitation. This was a crowning achievement, as going public, or being acquired, was always the end goal. But, much has changed over the past couple of decades.

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Should 2020 alter your retirement plans? Not necessarily.

Published in the Baltimore Business Journal on December 4, 2020

Back in January, before the Covid-19 pandemic swept the globe and altered our way of life, our team of financial advisers met with two of our clients, a married couple on the brink of retirement. Our conversation ranged from the financial costs to a much more heartwarming discussion about their dreams becoming a reality. Like so many others, Covid-19 caused our clients' retirement plans to change right out of the gate. 

But did it fundamentally alter their retirement plan as a whole? In other words, have the events of 2020 redefined how we plan for retirement?

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Volatility, Emotions, and the Transition to Retirement

Retirement is arguably one of the largest life transitions you will ever experience, and the changes that accompany this major life achievement can make many, if not all pre-retirees, emotional. From no longer seeing your colleagues on a daily basis, to wondering what you will do to fill up your free time, the list can go on and on. Change is scary, and graduating to this new chapter of your life will bring up a host of financial and personal concerns.

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Top 5 Ways to Spend Leftover 529 Funds

The original purpose of a 529 plan is to pay for a college education, but what should you do if your child or grandchild graduates and you have money left over? If you are one of the individuals fortunate enough to be in this position, you are not without options. Let's review 5 options for you to choose from.

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How Could COVID-19 and ESG Affect Executive Compensation?

Published in the Baltimore Business Journal on September 17, 2020

To say that we are in unprecedented times would be an understatement. In the context of business, what has happened in the last six months as a result of the pandemic, social unrest and ensuing global social issues related to labor, the supply chain and employee safety has highlighted discrepancies between executive and average employee compensation, putting imbalances front and center.

The result? Economic consequences will cause investors to scrutinize the existing structure of executive pay and how to incentivize corporate bosses to put greater focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

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