Wealth Strategies

Philanthropy and Family Values

Melissa Donohue
October 15, 2015

  Family values: There is almost nothing more important to share across the generations. But, increasingly, busy families are finding that setting aside even a little time for that valuable kind of communication and connection is becoming more challenging across the generations.     For example, younger family members are facing mounting pressures with school work,...
Wealth Strategies

10 Financial Milestones You Should Start Preparing For In Your 20s

Mary Beth Storjohann
October 14, 2015

Being in your 20s and 30s means experiencing many life milestones—and watching your peers go through the same. With all the exciting, new and different things happening to you and your friends, it’s easy to get swept up and not consider the financial impacts of setting and achieving major goals. To prepare yourself and your budget, think about these top 10 financial goals for Gen Y and...
Uncategorized

Strategic Philanthropy: A Higher Quality of Giving

John Tennaro, CIMA®
October 07, 2015

    Philanthropy is a big melting pot with a wide diversity of resources, personalities, passions, causes and influences. And, philanthropic giving is on the rise in the U.S.: total giving in the U.S. now represents approximately 2% of gross domestic product and accounted for a staggering $358.38 billion— up 5.4% in inflation-adjusted dollars from 2013 according to the Giving...
Wealth Strategies

Lifetime Gift Planning: A New Way to Think About Wealth Transfer

Scott Thompson
September 30, 2015

  Most people recognize that an estate plan is about providing for those they love and doing so in a positive and empowering way. “I want to take care of the generations following me,” for instance, is a common sentiment. But if your estate plan was created, say, a decade ago, your plan might have called for using the estate exclusion amount as quickly as possible while also seeking to...
Wealth Strategies

The Autopoiesis of Preparation

Matt Wesley
September 23, 2015

  In this piece, we will be taking a deeper look at how families prepare for transition in a practical way. To a certain extent, this work is autopoietic (it is self-reinforcing and self-generating).     The word autopoiesis appeared for the first time in the international literature in 1972, in an article published by two groundbreaking Chilean biologists,...
Investments

How to Gain Confidence in Investing—in Any Market

Melissa Donohue
September 17, 2015

  The stock market has been frighteningly volatile in recent weeks. On August 24, the Dow fell 1000 points, and it has experienced 400-point swings in the days since then. Some call these “all or nothing” days, with volatility at levels not seen since 2009. Fears of an economic slowdown in China and that the Fed may finally be raising rates hit the market hard.     ...
Wealth Strategies

Supporting Education for the Next Generation

Art Graper, CFP®
September 16, 2015

  With school back in session, many parents are reminded of the considerable costs associated with securing a quality education for their children and grandchildren. As these parents look further into the future, they know projected college costs will be even higher for those yet-to-be-born children and grandchildren.     The good news is that there are many ways to...
Wealth Strategies

Estate Settlement: Setting the Process in Motion

Paulina Mejia
September 09, 2015

  Preparing for and saying goodbye to a family member can be emotionally wrenching. The process after death is equally fraught with its own challenges and complexities. Settling the estate is important—for you, if you’re the executor, and for your deceased family member. Doing everything the right way is not just important to the estate’s integrity, but is also a way to honor the loved...
Investments

Investing, When the Going Gets Tough

Melissa Donohue
September 02, 2015

  Last month, the S&P 500 fell over 5% which, according to Bloomberg.com, is the first time since 2011 that the broad market index has tumbled so low in one week. As typically happens when markets fall so precipitously, experts are struggling to explain what might be happening, and investors are scared.     At times like this, it may feel like investing comes at...
Investments

May You Live in Interesting Times

Dave Donabedian, CFA
August 25, 2015

  This somewhat ominous send-off phrase is often called—without any credible provenance—“the Chinese curse.” Whether it originated there or not, the words now apply to China itself. Given its status as the most populous country and second-largest economy, it figures that China’s interesting times would have more than a glancing impact on the rest of the world. Below we assess recent...
Uncategorized

Who's on Your Money Team?

Mary Beth Storjohann
August 12, 2015

  When it comes to building wealth, it pays to have a money team. As Thomas Stanley, author of The Millionaire Next Door , found in his research, the best wealth accumulators usually assemble a team of advisors when making important financial decisions.     If you want to build and preserve your wealth, you need a money team, too. When you’re talking about something...
Wealth Strategies

Living and Dying in a Digital World

Josh Miller, CFP®
August 05, 2015

In addition to our lives in the “real world,” many of us also maintain assets in the digital realm. But in keeping up with the constant barrage of password changes, the opening and closing of online accounts and the latest trends on social channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, probably few of us stop to think about how these assets fit into our overall estate plans. Given the...
Investments

Understanding Socially Responsible Investing

John Tennaro, CIMA®
July 29, 2015

  Our everyday lives consist of making decisions that are greatly influenced by our experiences and principles. These ideals help us determine what we want to be a part of and what we want to avoid. When this concept was applied to investing, it helped create what we now know as “socially responsible investing” (SRI).     SRI is a unique approach that often begins...
Wealth Strategies

Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage

Becky Milliman
July 22, 2015

  Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court again addressed the issue of same-sex marriage, this time in a series of cases collectively known as Obergefell v. Hodges . The Court also addressed this issue in 2013, in United States v. Windsor , where in that case, the Supreme Court held that a marriage between a same-sex couple shall be recognized for purposes of federal law if the marriage was...
Firm News

The Best Defense Against Unwanted Healthcare Surprises

Dianne Savastano
July 08, 2015

  My dad arrived home from Florida on May 15 in preparation for a June 1 surgery date for a total hip replacement. During that brief period, we attended two physician appointments, an educational class specifically on the topic of hip replacements and pre-admission testing. We also prepared for the remote possibility that following the surgery, he would need short-term rehabilitation...
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