Is Your Smartphone Making You a Not-So-Smart Investor?

In a recent WSJ article, they talk about the how smart phone “investment apps” are causing investors to react to short-term market swings and abandoning their long-term established financial plans. Behavioral economists call this tendency, “myopic loss aversion”- and it can be incredibly costly. Click on the link above to read the full article!

Changing Your Domicile from NYS

Would you stop being a fan of the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Bills or the Syracuse Orangemen and root for a team in Florida in order to save on your tax bill?  It might help! Many New York State residents planning for retirement expect to maintain a residence in New York, but claim another state […]

Portfolio Versus Benchmark Returns

Measuring investment performance without a benchmark is like judging the results of a football game when you only know one team’s score.  To get the real story, there must be a “measuring stick.”  Obviously, in football you also need to know the opponent’s score.  In the case of investment performance, results should be compared to […]

4 Steps to a Successful Retirement

Many investors nearing retirement are beginning to focus on life after work.  Questions arise that can be difficult to answer, such as: How much savings is enough to retire? What sources of income will I have after I stop working? How do I construct a portfolio to fund spending goals? What will I do with […]

Rockbridge Named a Top 100 Wealth Management Firm by CNBC!

“Rockbridge Investment Management Named a Top 100 Wealth Management Firm by CNBC” SYRACUSE, NY – Rockbridge Investment Management, an independent, fee-only investment management firm serving individuals and families, has recently been named as one of CNBC’s Top 100 Fee-Only Wealth Management Firms. Rockbridge is the only Central New York firm to join the elite list […]

Should You Manage Your Own Money?

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal writer Lindsay Gellman covered this important topic.   She did an excellent job articulating the values of both hiring an advisor and managing your own personal finances.  The sole point that I disagree with in the article is titled, “You won’t stick to a pro’s advice, anyway.”  At […]

Active or Passive?

In a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article, the debate over whether to use active or passive investments was addressed. The conclusion was just use both! Let’s take a look at the five reasons they give to defend this neutral stance and see if they hold up to scrutiny.  1. Use index funds for efficient […]

What is the Value of an Investment Advisor?

Does hiring an investment advisor improve your portfolio returns?  This question is often on the minds of our clients or prospective clients.  The value of an advisor is often easier to describe than define numerically.  Many clients find value in hiring an advisor to provide “peace of mind” and comfort that a professional is watching […]

Are 401(k) Fees Preventing Your Retirement?

The Atlantic published an article over the weekend on 401(k) fees that really resonated with me.   With employer retirement plans being one of the largest sources of savings, it is disheartening to continually see high fee 401(k) plans. Below is the article.   Let us know if your 401(k) fees are eating into your […]

SURPRISES AT TAX TIME

As a volunteer tax preparer for the AARP, I often review tax statements from many different brokers and investment companies. The Income Tax preparation process always seems to identify examples of the value of working with a trusted investment advisor.  Here are some examples from my experiences as a volunteer tax preparer for AARP from […]