Banknotes

By: Adam Marshall, Vice President- Trust Officer & Portfolio Manager

You've identified your goals and done some basic research. You understand the difference between a stock and a bond. But how do you actually go about creating an investment portfolio? What specific investments are right for you? What resources are out there to help you with investment decisions? Do you need a financial professional to help you get started?

By: Dan Savage, Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer

An important gift to your family and yourself is to create thoughtful order in your financial life, and that includes providing for the proper care and administration of your estate…during your lifetime and upon your death.  The ultimate benefit is peace of mind.

By: Jeff Supple, Vice President and Trust Officer

Do all of these describe you?

• You are over the age of 70.5
• You have Traditional IRA assets
• You used to itemize your deductions but will not anymore because of tax reform
• You give to non-profit organizations on a regular basis

If you fit this profile you can take advantage of Qualified Charitable Distributions from your IRA.  Since the standard deduction nearly doubles ($24,000 for married individuals filing a joint return) for the tax year 2018 many individuals will not be able to deduct contributions that they made in the past.

By: Adam Marshall, Vice President- Trust Officer & Portfolio Manager

In times of crisis, you don't want to be shaking pennies out of a piggy bank. Having a financial safety net in place can ensure that you're protected when a financial emergency arises. One way to accomplish this is by setting up a cash reserve, a pool of readily available funds that can help you meet emergency or highly urgent short-term needs.

By: Jordon Geiger, Vice President and Trust Officer

Does it feel like yesterday that you launched your business? Like many entrepreneurs, you probably started with little more than energy, confidence, and a clever idea. Life has changed a lot since then. Your financial picture is considerably brighter, and you may be thinking about stepping away from your business, or perhaps you already have. In either case, you need to examine your financial life—and your investments, in particular—from a new perspective, to ensure the next stage is as rewarding as the last.

By: Mark Drachenberg, CFP®, Vice President and Trust Officer

Sometimes it seems like you are spinning your wheels and never getting anywhere or to put it another way you seem to be going in circles.  Seems appropriate since the markets continue to spin their wheels and essentially go nowhere.  While the heightened levels of volatility have receded a bit, investors have faced a barrage of newsworthy events so far in 2018 that left many bewildered and confused as to what to do.  That is where asset allocation and a long-term perspective come in as they can allow one to (relatively) calmly sail through these bewildering markets.  As unusual as it may sound, however, a prolonged sideways move can act as a kind of correction that is somewhat easier to take than the gut-wrenching drops that a faster correction typically delivers. 

By: Dan Savage, Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer

Many of your best clients do business with your competitors. You’d love to gain some of that business, so today we present an excellent strategy that will help.  It’s called “pull strategy.”

Pull strategy is based on a simple idea: in order to stand out and gain more business from existing customers, you need to be more proactive with them.

There are many unique challenges facing the current generation of retirees including higher medical costs and longevity. Perhaps the biggest challenge is the lack of a pension. Years ago most private sector employers made the shift to defined contribution plans (e.g. 401(k)) from defined benefit plans (e.g. pension). This put more of the savings onus on the employees plus the additional challenge of managing your income in retirement.

By: Mark Drachenberg, CFP®, Vice President and Trust Officer

Sometimes it seems like you are spinning your wheels and never get anywhere or to put it another way you seem to be going in circles. That kind of describes the markets this year. Yes, January and February saw big moves – first to the upside and then to the down. Since then, however, the moves have been somewhat similar but on a much smaller basis. The good news is that volatility has settled down a bit – not to last year’s levels by any means but less than February’s levels. Is this good news or bad or just a pause before some major moves later this year? First, the markets and then we’ll briefly try and tackle those questions.

By: Dan Savage, Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer

Assuming that you have decided to add bonds to your portfolio, you will face several important decisions.  Here are two key ones for your consideration.