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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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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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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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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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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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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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Gold has been a valuable and highly coveted commodity for centuries. Unlike other common investment asset classes, you can touch gold, see gold, and keep it in your physical possession. And since gold values tend to move inversely to the stock market, it is often sought after when the markets tank or the value of the US dollar weakens as it is now in the summer of 2020. Gold is also touted as a good way to hedge against inflation. But despite its historical popularity and namesake as being a “safer” investment option in a financial crisis, investing in gold is not without its own risks.

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Herding refers to the instinctive habit of people to imitate the financial behavior of a majority. Herding is based on the idea that people feel most comfortable following the crowd and tend to assume that the consensus view is the correct one. In financial markets, this takes place when investors believe others to be better informed than themselves and follow them almost blindly, disregarding their own information and market fundamentals.

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Since hitting record lows in March, the stock market has made quite a rebound, with the S&P 500 up more than 36% through the end of May. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic catalyze one of the quickest bear market drops in history, but also one of the fastest rebounds! How can stocks be soaring if the economy isn’t getting any better? How can we account for this timely bounce back without any key performance indicators to signal a recovery?

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Has your college canceled its in-person and online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Unfortunately, this has become the norm this spring. Social isolation has rendered continuing education for the 2019-2020 school year impassable. A plethora of students are unable to complete their courses prompting many colleges to offer refunds for tuition and fees. But what is the best way to repurpose your college refund for the future?

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