By Dan Aguanno, CFP ® Everyone knows the college monster is waiting after high school. As with all of our long term goals, the sooner you start, the easier it is to slay the tuition dragon. Use a college savings calculator or meet with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ Practitioner (or Professional) to come up with a monthly, annual, or lump contribution schedule to keep you on track with the rising cost of higher education. Once you are committed to your goal, use the following information to choose an appropriate savings vehicle: 529 College Savings Plans – 529 plans are the most popular savings vehicles. Each state offers their own state sponsored plan hosted by different mutual fund … [Read more...] about Education Planning–What are Suitable Vehicles to Get Your Child to His/Her Destination?
Bleakley Financial Group Comes Out in Force for Habitat of Greater Newark
Our tool belts may contain hammers, drills, and wrenches, but they also are chocked full of strong communities, togetherness, and affordable housing. Habitat of Greater Newark tweet, June 7, 2018 A group of 27 volunteers from the Bleakley Financial Services team put their muscle and heart into homebuilding for Habitat for Newark. On May 11, 2018, the Bleakley staff and advisors split into two groups: the external group that demolished and replaced a new sidewalk and the internal group that worked on sheetrock, painting and trim. In addition, the firm contributed a $10,000 cash donation to Habitat for Humanity-Greater Newark. Community service has long been a hallmark of Bleakley. … [Read more...] about Bleakley Financial Group Comes Out in Force for Habitat of Greater Newark
Active vs. Passive Management: Battle Royale
We all grew up with the tale of Paul Bunyan vs the steam powered saw. Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe, battled the new piece of lumberjacking technology in a contest of logging efficiency. Man ending up persevering over the robot but is that the case in the investment world? As cost becomes a more relevant theme to your net investment return, is investing in an index-tracking investment or trusting an experienced manager better for your bottom line? A portfolio can benefit from both active and passive management strategies. Passive management primarily uses exchange traded funds and index mutual funds to track a particular index. Indexes can be as common and broad as the S&P 500 and … [Read more...] about Active vs. Passive Management: Battle Royale
The Importance of an Emergency/Opportunity Fund
Cash is King! Why does the king have so much cash, you ask? So he always has enough liquid $$$ in case of an emergency or opportunity. When implementing a properly designed financial plan, one of the first steps is to ensure you have an emergency fund. This liquid account can be accessed without penalty and should have little or no volatility. The account should be held separately from your main checking account and only be accessed when an unanticipated event forces us to stretch beyond our normal budget. Traditionally, financial planners call this short term bucket an “Emergency Fund.” However I like to label it as an “Emergency/Opportunity Fund” since it is not only for the “uh oh” … [Read more...] about The Importance of an Emergency/Opportunity Fund
The Value of Working With a Certified Financial Planner™
Is a Mercedes that much better than a Honda to justify the higher price tag? Is it worth paying more for organic produce than regular produce? Every day we are faced with decisions as to how we spend our money and when to pay a premium. Deciding to work with a financial planner is among the more important financial decisions we face. I truly believe that every person I engage with is better off after they meet with me than before we sat across from one another. It can be as simple as a confirmation of their current strategy that adds value or as drastic as suggesting they sell their home. In the end, when a person chooses to meet with a competent, knowledgeable, and Certified Financial … [Read more...] about The Value of Working With a Certified Financial Planner™
Forbes Includes Two Bleakley Financial Group Advisors Among “Best-In-State”
Andy Schwartz and Michael Axelrod included in Top 25 Ranking for New Jersey Fairfield, New Jersey (February 28, 2018) – Forbes has recognized two Bleakley Financial Group advisors among the top 25 advisors in its annual Best-In-State Wealth Advisor list for New Jersey. Andy Schwartz and Mike Axelrod have been recognized by Forbes as elite advisors based on several key factors including their practice size, compliance record, industry experience and approach to working with clients. According to SHOOK Research*, which conducts the research and rankings for Forbes, the list consists of advisors they consider “role models – advisors that are leading the way in offering best practices … [Read more...] about Forbes Includes Two Bleakley Financial Group Advisors Among “Best-In-State”
