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TRADITIONAL 401K OR ROTH 401K: IS IT TIME YOU REEVALUATED?

If your employer retirement plan gives you a choice to contribute to a traditional 401k plan or a Roth 401k plan, which do you choose? While contributing to any retirement plan is a big step in the right direction, there may be significant advantages in choosing one type of plan over another—or participating in both. That choice mainly comes down to your current financial circumstances as well as your outlook for the future. Here are some key considerations when deciding between a traditional 401k plan and a Roth 401k plan. Read the full article...

REDUCING FINANCIAL CONFIDENCE “ATROPHY” WITH YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Most people are familiar with physical atrophy, which is defined as a deterioration, wasting away, or reduction caused by non-use. But, this same concept of "atrophy" can be applied to your financial confidence, as well. Specifically, in the planning you have already done with your financial advisor. Read the full article...

COULD A SECURITIES-BACKED LINE OF CREDIT BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

Have you ever needed cash but didn’t want to sell any of your investments and have to pay taxes? A securities-backed line of credit (SBLOC) could be a good solution.

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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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