Mid-2021 Market Dynamics
Written by Mark Abdalla In 2020, large Mega Tech companies drove stock market returns. In fact, 70% of the S&P index’s 18% return last year were due to Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google (aka Alphabet). This year, returns for these big tech companies have been more volatile. In Q1, they lagged the market while […]
Vishing: What is it & How to Protect Yourself
What is vishing? Also known as ‘voice phishing’, vishing is the fraudulent practice of making phone calls or leaving voice messages purporting to be from reputable institutions in order to convince individuals to reveal personal information. Vishing attacks are on the rise Scammers continue to find new ways to trick individuals into sharing personal […]
The Latest Stimulus Payment: Reasons to Opt Out of Monthly Advanced Child Tax Credit Payments for 2021
Written by Don Huff, CPA The latest Stimulus Payment being offered to qualifying taxpayers is the prepayment of a portion of the Child Tax Credit for the 2021 tax year starting July 15. The new law temporarily raises the amount of the credit for a qualifying child. Children ages 5 and younger will receive […]
SUMMER SPENDING AND SAVING: TRUST ME, THIS IS NOT THE ADVICE YOU THINK IT WILL BE
Written by Jason D. Nickerson, CFP®, EA Ahhh, summer is coming. Warm weather, sunshine, the great smell of a freshly mowed lawn, the lap of the water on the shore of a lake or ocean, Beach Boys and Bob Marley music, I mean, what can be better than all of that? I am sure reading […]
April Showers Bring May flowers: Save Now to Enjoy Later
By Andrew Baron, CFP®, EA The classic saying speaks of the beautiful flowers and warmer weather that follow the dreadful rainy season of April. Cultivating these flowers take time, but are worth the wait as a symbol of sunny warmer weather soon to come. Many of us have a similar outlook on saving, we […]
Top Ten Things We Overpay For
Ladies, I was recently going through my monthly budget to see where my money is going. As I started adding up the costs, including the sneaky ones that don’t seem like they would have a major effect on my budget, I found that I was overspending in several areas! As I’m trying to rein in […]
Saving Now to Plan for Later
By Amanda L. Herrick Smith, CFP® Have the holidays ever snuck up on you and you realized your bank account just cannot sustain the impact of gift giving? Up goes the credit card balances and in comes the final squeeze of the cash flow! Year after year I continued to see this ongoing pattern […]
Post-Pandemic Financial Self-Care
Yes, I used the word “post-pandemic” even though the pandemic is not over yet. While about 30% of the United States population is fully vaccinated and mask mandates and social distancing seem to be disappearing, we are all still being cautious. What I wanted to talk about today is financial self-care now that there seems […]
Buying Your First Home
Written by: Amanda L. Herrick Smith, CFP® As we go into spring and the flowers begin to bloom and we have a bit more warmth and sunshine, the housing market begins to take hold in upstate New York. Being a homeowner was something that was very important to me at a young age. I grew […]
Pandemic Weddings: A Financial Revolution
Written by: Elizabeth K.B. DiPietrantonio, J.D. The pandemic has changed absolutely everything. Including the way we hold meetings, the way we work, live, communicate, travel, educate children and even for many the way we get married. A lot of people have cast aside the lavish celebrations for simple intimate gatherings, others wait -deposits on hold, […]
