Any client of mine knows I am a proponent of delaying Social Security until age 70. There are times where it doesn't make sense, such as poor health or a family history of shorter than average life expectancy. But, by and large I encourage my...
Major stock indexes hit all-time highs over the last week, following a calendar year in 2023 where the S&P 500 was up nearly 25%. Bonds will take a bit longer to recover as rates continue to "normalize." A decade-plus run-up in bond prices (while rates...
One of my favorite features of photo applications is the prompt to view pictures taken 4 years, 6 years, 10 years ago, or when the app shows you random featured pictures of the day with no rhyme or reason to the collection. Just this week,...
Lately, I've been thinking, and writing, a lot about the possibility of making alternative investments in our "retirement portfolios." Not the kind of alternative investments that the Yale Endowment or ultra-high net worth family offices often make. Rather, investments in our health and our relationships,...
As the new year begins, many people quickly write down a few goals they want to achieve for the year. While this is a fun thing to do, this Brief isn’t strictly another of the many goals blogs you have likely been inundated with over...
Christmas is just a few short days away! Unless you're a child, of course. In that case, each of the days leading up to Santa's arrival feels like its own separate eternity. For many reasons, the holidays are a magical time of year. There's the decorating...
My maternal grandfather was born in south Alabama in May of 1924, and I remember him telling a story from his childhood of a Christmas morning during the Great Depression when he woke up to find an orange in his stocking. Such was the extent of the...
No, this is not a brief about how much you pile on your plate at Thanksgiving, although I do love hearing about favorite family recipes! Many people describe December as a time of being stretched too thin – even if each separate thing vying for...
It's hard to believe but the Holidays are here and 2023 will soon draw to a close. The end of the year and the Holiday season is a time when many people do the majority of their charitable giving. Here at Beacon, we have the...
By now you have likely heard the news that Mint, the well-known budgeting app, is discontinuing at the end of the year. Part of it will be rolled into Credit Karma (owned by Intuit), but most of the budgeting features will cease to exist. It...
