Financial Planning
8 Helpful Financial Planning Tips for a Great End of Year Review
Decisions are best made with a little time for reflection, good information, and advice from experienced professionals. These final weeks of the year are a perfect time to take stock of your financial plan and make adjustments as necessary before the rush of the holidays and tax-filing deadlines next year. Here are some year-end financial…
Read MoreOctober 2025 Market Update
In this October market update, Chief Investment Officer Brian Andrew, CFA®, discusses how U.S. equities extended their advance last month, with the S&P 500 up roughly 3% amid renewed investor confidence and resilient corporate earnings. Market breadth continued to improve, as gains broadened beyond mega-cap leaders to include industrials, utilities, and consumer sectors. While volatility…
Read MoreProtecting Your Retirement: Understanding the Cybersecurity Risks to Your Financial Future
Retirement should be a time of peace and enjoyment, a period to reap the rewards of decades of hard work. However, today’s digital age has introduced new challenges that can threaten individuals’ financial security. Cyber threats, particularly those targeting individuals close to or in retirement, are on the rise, with investment scams, phishing schemes aimed…
Read MoreWhy 2025 Is the Year to Review Your Estate Plan: Key Tax Law Changes You Need to Know
By Emily Boothroyd, JD, CFP, CPWA, Wealth Manager and Partner October is National Estate Planning Awareness Month, making it a great time to learn about how to set yourself and your family up for long-term financial wellness. While estate planning is often mistakenly perceived as something for only high-net-worth individuals need, its utility is broader…
Read MoreWhy Valuation Matters: Understanding the True Value of Your Advisory Firm
As a financial advisor, you spend your career helping clients prepare for the future. Yet too often, advisors put their own future on hold, overlooking one of the most critical pieces of long-term success: understanding the value of their business. Whether you are planning for succession, considering a merger or acquisition, exploring equity opportunities, or…
Read MoreSeptember 2025 Market Update
In this September market update, Chief Investment Officer Brian Andrew, CFA®, looks at how markets extended their strength last month, with the S&P 500 and Dow reaching new highs as corporate earnings held firm and small- to mid-sized companies began to outpace mega-cap leaders. Inflation ticked slightly higher to 2.9% amid rising energy costs and…
Read MoreThe Succession Wake-Up Call: Protect Your Firm Before It’s Too Late
At Future Proof, industry leaders came together to address one of the most urgent issues in wealth management: succession planning. Or as Brad Bueermann from FP Transitions reframed it, “It’s not succession planning, it’s sustainability planning.” Moderated by Suzanne Siracuse of Suzanne Siracuse Consulting, the session sparked a candid discussion about what advisors must do…
Read More401(k) Day Spotlight: Are Alternatives Like Crypto and Private Equity Right for You?
David Elder, CFP®, CEPA, Wealth Manager, Merit Financial Advisors In case you haven’t heard, 401(k) plans recently got a facelift. President Trump’s executive order last month could provide employees with the ability to invest in private equity and cryptocurrency through their 401(k). This is a notable departure from the traditional menu of target date funds.…
Read MoreGrowth Through Partnership: How Merit Helps Financial Advisors Scale and Serve Clients BetterÂ
At Merit Financial Advisors, growth means more than numbers on a page; it is about empowering clients with solutions that truly fit their needs. During our ENRICH conference, Robyn Jameson, CFP®, CLTC, in Berwyn, PA who joined Merit through an RIA partnership, shared how Merit’s unique resources allow her to provide clients with advanced strategies,…
Read MoreAugust 2025 Market Update
In this August market update, Chief Investment Officer Brian Andrew, CFA®, looks at how markets continue to present opportunities and challenges for investors. The S&P 500 climbed another 3% in July, bringing year-to-date gains above 16%, with much of that strength concentrated in a handful of mega-cap technology stocks, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Nvidia, and Meta,…
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