Insights

By Marques Ogden    Athletes don’t take to the field, to the pool or to the court without a trusted coach to help them train for optimal performance.  

It’s almost impossible not to feel anxious at the dips and dives the stock market has been taking recently, compounded by relentless inflation-focused headlines. That’s why you might be surprised to learn there’s a lot of positive news to be had, despite the market uncertainty. 

By Craig Lemoine, Director of Consumer Investment Research   I often find college savings at the top of my pile of financial stressors. Unless I find a money tree in my backyard, my oldest child is going to turn 18 well before I retire. We all have different values surrounding the educ …

Craig Lemoine, Director of Consumer Investment Research      Ask kids what they think money is, and you get some interesting responses.  Over the last month, I asked my friends, family and neighbors if I could pose a question to their children about money. Their answers covered it all …

Tom Fridrich, JD, CLU, ChFC®, Senior Wealth Planner    Whether perpetrated over the phone, via text, by email or online, financial fraud is a crime that unfortunately just keeps growing. Earlier this year, the FTC reported that it received 2.8 million reports of fraud from consumers in …

When market volatility occurs, it’s completely natural to feel anxious about your finances. This is an uncomfortable time for all investors – seasoned and new. 

By Craig Lemoine, Ph.D., CFP®, Director of Consumer Investment Research   Suppose last year you went grocery shopping and filled your cart with $100 worth of items. This year, you went to the same store and bought the same items – this time, the bill rang up at $107.50.   The differenc …

Beth Schanou, Senior Wealth Planner Finances can be difficult to talk about – especially with your parents when they need your financial help.

Kevin Oleszewski, Senior Wealth Planner For many parents, childcare can be their biggest monthly expense, and rising inflation hasn’t helped matters. Add in the cost of caring for aging parents? You’re likely spending a fortune on care.

All planning – but especially tax planning – should line up with your goals. You should never do anything solely because you’re going to get a tax benefit. Rather, you should always do things that tie back to your goals, with tax benefits being an added bonus.

During the pandemic, my family moved into a new house. We weren’t planning on moving, but that didn’t stop us from participating in the pandemic housing boom. But we did so at a time where the kids weren’t yet out of school, so for about three weeks, we owned two homes. Instead of having to …