Building a “smart money” pattern for our kids starts when they are young. According to a Cambridge University study, most children’s money habits are formed by age 7. So, from the earliest time that they have money of their own, whether from a weekly allowance,...
By 2030, the average four-year degree will cost $205,000 according to the US Department of Education. Have you started talking to your kids yet about the cost of college? It’s a conversation you should be having with them from the day they start school. Initially...
Giving back to our community is an important part of our lives. As busy adults, we sometimes substitute writing a check for direct involvement in a cause that is important to us. When kids are young, though, simply handing over money – or worse, money...
Your child’s first bank account is your opportunity to teach her vital financial skills. The first thing to make sure your child understands is that money gives her power. With money comes the power to make the decision as to what to do with that...
Helping more than one generation in a family is rewarding in many ways. Each member of the family brings his or her own experiences and history to the family dynamic, and understanding these interactions strengthens our relationships with our clients. When the family enters a...
After years of involvement with nonprofits, Carolyn Meakem, the founder of The Meakem Group, realized her dream of helping to found Leadership Montgomery. A nonprofit organization devoted to creating leaders in Montgomery County who will work for the betterment of the community, Leadership Montgomery came...
Every month you can count on needing to sit down to pay household bills. In our household it seemed to be my daughter Madelyn who would hang around looking interested. So, I started inviting her to come in, sit down, and pull up a chair...
With the house lights down and music pounding from the stage, students one-by-one lifted cell phones into the air. Just like lighters of days gone by, this cell phone tribute seemed to draw an invisible bond between the rockers on stage and the audience of...
Grocery shopping with your child does not need to be an exercise in finding all kinds of ways to say “no” or stealthily navigating around the candy and sweets aisles. Instead, involving your child in the grocery shopping for the family can create solid financial...