Jeff Nowell Answers Your Questions About Trusts Trusts are part of a complete estate plan, helping control how assets are managed and deployed at a specific point in time, usually in the event of illness or death. We asked Jeff Nowell, Senior Portfolio Manager, for his insights.
Inflation in the United States reached 7% at the end of 2021, the highest since 1982. We asked Matthew Dattilio, Chief Investment Officer, for his insights.
One of the cornerstones of investing is diversification. We asked Mike Hemingway, Assistant Portfolio Manager, for his insights.
Mike Hemingway, Portfolio Manager, Provides Us With “ETFs 101”.
We recently sat down to speak with Matt Dattilio about ESG investing and what it means for you as an investor.
As we enter into 2021, we asked Matt Dattilio, Senior Portfolio Manager, what he is telling clients about the year ahead and the overall investment landscape.
Mascoma Bank sat down with Mike Hemingway, Portfolio Manager, to share his thoughts on the current investment landscape.
Putting the 2Q GDP decline and stock market performance in perspective Remember back in late May when the Commerce Department reported that our U.S. economy shrank by 5% in the first quarter of 2020? And since that time economists were predicting that the second quarter of 2020 would be even worse?
New guidelines for retirement loans and distributions due to COVID-19 On June 19, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service announced new guidelines to help those affected by COVID-19 gain more access to retirement plan distributions and loans. The IRS expanded the categories of those eligible, called qualified individuals, and increased the dollar limit on loans to
Learn what history suggests, but with one big difference today: Fed policy. Key takeaways Historically, what we see in the S&P 500 today—big price gains combined with a large retracement after a decline, and strong market breadth—has nearly always indicated the beginning of a bull market. 1929 and 1937 are the big exceptions. Despite the
Saving in an IRA comes with tax benefits that can help you grow your money. Key takeaways Give your money a chance to grow. Get tax benefits. The earlier you start contributing, the more opportunity you have to build wealth. It can pay to save in an IRA when you’re trying to accumulate enough money
Financial planning can help you decide when to claim Social Security benefits. An article from Fidelity Investments. Key takeaways Social Security is an important part of retirement income for many people, but it can be hard to know when to claim your benefits. Monthly benefits change based on the age when you claim. If you
Five reasons why this comparison is designed “to sell newspapers” In mid-February, Google reported that the number of searches for the term “Great Depression” was on the rise. For the rest of the month and through the middle of March, the search term trended higher, peaking at the end of March before slowly retreating.
Success is achieved by time in the market, not in trying to time the market For the past two months, the market declines and market rallies have been historic, as COVID-19 introduced a level of uncertainty that was difficult to quantify, let alone predict. And if the stock markets hate one thing, it’s uncertainty.
Boeing and the risk of your retirement being concentrated in a single stock It was January 2000 and Joseph Boeing just landed his dream job at his dream company, headquartered in his hometown of Seattle. Joe just turned 40 and as a mechanical engineer, married to Jill, with three kids, the Boeings were looking forward
Coronavirus quickly turned the market Bull to Bear. Take stock of what that means. A “bear market” occurs when stock prices in general are falling, and then widespread pessimism sustains the continued drop in prices.
Use this social-distancing time to establish healthy financial habits No one can escape the fact that COVID-19 has presented everyone both in United States and around the world with incredible new challenges.
Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful Almost without fail, when the calendar turns there is widespread optimism about future stock market gains. When you hear that, be wary. When markets move to extreme levels, smart investors often make their largest portfolio gains – by doing the opposite of
There are few options for investment available that are quite as well-loved as the Roth IRA. This is true for both young people and those who are approaching retirement, as Roth IRAs come along with numerous advantages when compared to traditional individual retirement accounts. Many people have been told at point or another they should
Ah, the retirement nest egg. A mere mention of the term brings to mind feelings of comfort and security—that is, if yours is actually growing at a healthy rate. Whether you’ve just started your career or are coming into the home-stretch of your professional life, there are things that you can do now to help
I get asked this question almost every week. Roth IRAs come along with a number of unquestionable benefits, many of which have caused financial experts to consider the account one of the most effective vehicles for retirement planning in the modern age.
There’s no getting around the fact that the landscape of retirement plans has changed dramatically during the past decade or so. 401(k)s are no exception, and many of these have undergone subtle changes that could go unnoticed by the holder, such as smarter mixing of stock/bond options, automatic contribution percentage boosts, and more. It’s all
The idea of planning one’s estate can be overwhelming to say the very least. Most people can attest to not wanting to focus on the end of their own lives, which may play a role in why over half of Americans today do not have a will in place. Nevertheless, ignoring the estate planning process
Looking ahead toward retirement, many people find themselves envisioning smooth sailing and a leisurely lifestyle. This is the ideal, of course, but it often comes along with a certain amount of financial responsibility. After all, those who are no longer actively working must be realistic about their shift in income, and this often means changing
Emergencies that require an urgent boost in cash flow can pop up at any time. Perhaps your car breaks down or maybe you need a new HVAC system. When scenarios such as these enter into our lives, it can be tempting to reach into our retirement accounts as a way of solving the problem.
Many people have anxiety about reaching retirement age, and understandably so. Much of the concern comes down to a fear of not accurately estimating retirement income needs. The notion of “running out of money” when one has only reached the halfway point in their retirement is indeed frightening, but it doesn’t have to be a
You’ve finally hit your retirement milestone. The big party was last weekend, and now that the dust has started to settle, reality sets in. Is the money you’ve set aside for retirement enough to actually last? Are you going to have to reenter the workforce out of necessity because of improper planning? Is it all
The idea of retirement means many different things to many different people. For some, it can be boiled down to a goal of saving enough to live modestly throughout the rest of their lives, while others picture lavish vacations and endless days on the golf course. The largest degree of mystery surrounding retirement can be
As one works to build and establish a career, it’s not uncommon to end up banking with a number of different institutions. Perhaps it’s an attractive offer that comes down the pike, or maybe a piece of sage advice from a financially sound friend or colleague—new accounts can establish themselves in plenty of different ways
While you may not sleep in a gated mansion at the top of a hill, you might be surprised to find out that you most likely own an estate—at least when it comes to inheritance. It could be in the form of a home or it could be as simple as your car or furniture
There are countless reasons why it’s worth saving money in a Roth 401(k). Benefits such as tax diversification, employee matching, and no Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) make this type of account very attractive to smart investors, and the option typically presents itself as being superior to the traditional 401(k). For those who are nearing or