The Meakem Group | The Blog

06 May New Honor for the Meakem Group’s Co-founder, Traci Richmond

Posted at 16:43h in The Latest

On April 18, 2019, Traci Richmond, CFP®, CDFA™ was named to the 2019 list of the Financial Times 400 Top Financial Advisors. Produced annually, the FT400 is based on data gathered from advisors, broker-dealer home offices, regulatory disclosures and Financial Times research. The honor reflects each recipient’s “grade” in...

24 Apr Parenting isn’t just a job.

Posted at 00:08h in Smart About Money

It’s an adventure – as Traci recently discovered when her 13-year-old son went on an Amazon shopping spree: Tommy wanted to upgrade his Xbox gaming console, and give his old one to his little brother as a birthday present. To help Tommy finance this purchase, I...

21 Mar Habits for Building Wealth #4

Posted at 08:00h in Smart About Money

So you’ve adopted the first 3 wealth-building habits: You Pay Attention. You Avoid Bad Debt. You Live Beneath Your Means. Now it’s time to get serious about saving. ...

15 Feb Habits for Building Wealth #3

Posted at 15:58h in Smart About Money

Keeping up with the Joneses costs a fortune. You’ll need more money coming in than going out. Otherwise, you’re not building wealth. You’re building a mountain of debt....

08 Feb Spelling Bee Challenge

Posted at 20:06h in The Latest

Thanks to Siri and autocorrect, it’s pretty easy to breeze past hard to spell words without giving them much thought. That’s why we’re so glad you took a moment to accept our challenge. Each year, The Meakem Group sponsors the Montgomery County Regional Spelling Bee...

29 Jan Habits for Building Wealth #2

Posted at 15:08h in Smart About Money

Imagine buying a house without asking the price. That’s essentially what you’re doing if you take out a loan or rack up credit card bills without fully understanding what you’ll actually pay to pay off that debt....

06 Dec Habits for Building Wealth #1

Posted at 21:58h in Smart About Money

You’re driving down the highway when smoke starts billowing from under the hood. Do you keep going, hoping the engine fire will magically put itself out? Of course not. You pull over and face the reality of your situation....

08 Nov Should You Spend 529 Funds on K-12 Private School?

Posted at 04:00h in Smart About Money

According to the College Board,15 years from now (that’s 2033!), a private four-year college degree will cost $323,900. Gulp. Some families have been saving in 529 accounts that can be used for qualified educational expenses like higher education tuition, room and board, books, and computers....

11 Oct Estate Planning 101: Don’t Forget these Steps!

Posted at 07:45h in Smart About Money, The Latest

Congratulations! You’ve finished your estate planning. You have a will or trust, you’ve designated a financial power of attorney, and you’ve picked your health care power of attorney. At this point many people think they are finished. That’s a mistake. Watch this video to find...

13 Sep Estate Planning 101: Getting Started

Posted at 15:00h in Smart About Money, The Latest

Everyone who has anyone who depends on them financially or in any other way needs to make estate planning a priority. It’s just 3 documents but it’s hard actually to get the paperwork in order. What’s the hold up? Frankly, it’s hard for people to...