Monday, 08 July 2019
Rich LeBranti
“Change is the only constant in life” – Heraclitus
We all remember the Sphinx riddle – “What crawls on four legs in the morning, two legs in the daytime and three in the evening?” The answer—people --crawling as a baby, walking as an adult and needing a cane into old age. We’ve all, especially if you’ve ever had children, heard the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” These sayings are about the passage of time and how we, and everyone else, change. At home, I see my oldest daughter headed to middle school this coming September. The excitement is there, but a small “fear” of change exists and can be healthy to keep you on your toes! Life is an ever-changing series of sweet and sour moments. In this article we will discuss some healthy ways to approach and think about change; even find the beauty in it.
Transitions can be Difficult
Change, whether good or bad, can be challenging to adapt to. A promotion, a big move, a new baby, a retirement all can be wonderful, but any transition can still be difficult, emotional, or take some time to get used to. Often the best advice is to accept the change with grace. Find thankfulness and gratefulness and try to focus on the positive elements.
Humans are remarkably adaptable, but even so, we may need a little time to reorient ourselves even in the best scenarios.
There are some transitions that can be predicted and planned. If it is possible to improve your health by changing your lifestyle, then that is a proactive change that is improving your life. If you develop a succession plan or an exit plan for when your company closes its doors, then you will have confidence and security in what happens next. Taking control and making decisions can help you cope with a change and the feeling of losing control.
Wednesday, 12 June 2019
Rich LeBranti
As a business owner, you should be aware of some recent federal tax legislation changes. Many of the changes can affect the bottom line for the business as well as you as the business owner - some in a good way and some in a bad way.
- The taxable income of a C corporation is now taxed at a flat 21% rate. Previously, the tax rates generally ranged from 15% to 35% (but some income was taxed as high as 39%). There is no longer a corporate alternative minimum tax.
Wednesday, 01 May 2019
Rich LeBranti
We often take for granted the many opportunities over the years to be social. All of our school years provided a variety of chances to make friends. Most of our young lives we make friends through our community as well as shared interests to forced interaction. You had to deal with others and communicate, whether you wanted to or not. Careers offer social outlets for the same reason, you see the same faces, you have a common interest (work) and there is the potential to turn a co-worker into a friend or partner. Having children also opens the door to making friends with other parents.
Thursday, 28 March 2019
Rich LeBranti
Suddenly you’re paying for a house that is too big, or a lease on a pickup truck you don’t use or just a membership to that fancy gym that you haven’t had the time to take advantage of yet. If your regular expenses are being paid for by credit cards or you can’t seem to save money at the end of each month, you might look toward “lifestyle creep” as the culprit. While it is easy to understand what lifestyle creep is and how it happens, it is still dangerously common among young professionals and those midway through their careers.
Tuesday, 05 March 2019
Rich LeBranti
No doubt you’re familiar with the word stoic. Perhaps you yourself have been described as such at some point.
But are you familiar with the philosophy of
stoicism? The
Stoics got their start around 300 B.C.E. More than mere philosophy,
Stoicism is a way of life. In fact, the tenets of
stoicism have been utilized since the early 21
st century with the creation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
[i] The main objectives of
stoicism are clear judgment, inner calm and freedom from suffering as the ultimate goal.
[ii] Since being blessed with 2 daughters, I have realized the importance of inner calm and clear judgment will come in very handy as the teenage years start and “boys” enter the picture. Those who practice
stoicism live by four major principles: delaying gratification, controlling emotion, always thinking big picture, and only taking effective action. Looking at those tenets it probably isn’t hard to understand why
stoicism and wealth management go so well together.
Tuesday, 05 March 2019
Whether you’re looking to make a New Year’s resolution or you’re simply trying to implement some information security best practices, you would be well served to start using a password manager. Why?
Passwords: The weak link
According to a survey by Digital Guardian, “password overload” is a real problem. Worse, despite known risks, at least half of us admit to reusing passwords.
How many online accounts do you have? Probably more than you think. You’ve likely got at least one social media profile. Then, there’s your e-mail (which might include both personal and work accounts), your various banking accounts, streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, and your Amazon account (who doesn’t have one of those?!). That’s not to mention all those apps on your smartphone.
Your Life. Your Community. Your Plan.
It’s been a wild couple of months in the market. People are always guessing that “our phone must be ringing off the hook.” Well, not really. A large part of our job is devoted to behavior management. We try our best to
“educate rather than prognosticate.” Credit to you for listening, accepting our advice, and remaining calm and disciplined in these uncertain times. The reason not to invest has and will always exist. Until you accept that, it’s not worth being an investor.
Society thrives on bad news and the media gravitates towards it. 200 million websites, 9000 magazines, and 2500 TV channels are all telling you to stay on the sideline or ‘cash out.’ The most fearful articles are always the ones that generate the most attention. The more we read and study the markets, the more “buy and hold” continues to make sense. Relying on your ‘well-thought-out’ financial and investment plan is the best advice we can give.
We look forward to spending some time with you this Tax Season. Don’t forget to “wait to file” if you have taxable investment accounts. And remember, “lack of investor discipline can ruin the best portfolio ever built” (Warren Buffet).
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Dennis Doble
We get asked about company stock a lot. What’s the appropriate amount, for instance? I will tell you that anything above 20% raises our level of concern.
We all have heard about that janitor or secretary that has worked at a public company for 35 years, amassed a ton of company stock, and then retires a multi-millionaire. But for every story like that, I think there are two that go in the other direction. Enron, Lycos, Lehman Brothers, Polaroid…are just a few that I can think of. And I heard a lot of “janitor” stories from GE personnel back when Jack Welch was running the show, but have you looked at GE’s stock lately?
