Marathons & Money: Thoughts from a Financial Planner on a Cold Marathon Morning

By: Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST On November 20th 2022, I completed the Philadelphia Marathon for the 4th time, and while my finishing time was nowhere near prior year races, the slower pace left me with extra time in the blustery Philadelphia streets to think…and when I get time to think…well don’t ask. On this […]

Finding your Starting Line

Net Worth Statements and Ending the endless failure of new year’s resolutions! New Year’s Resolutions…..great in theory, hard in practice. Just check gyms across the country the week after January 1st, and then about 3 weeks later. Emptied out a bit, huh? As well intentioned as resolutions can be, intentions alone aren’t always enough.  As […]

Saving for College Education

University graduates at graduation ceremony

A September 2021 article in US News & World Report noted that over the last 20 years, average tuition and fees at in-state tuition at public universities increased by 211%.  Contrast that to a 54% increase in the total consumer price index over the same period, and the high stress and anxiety that families feel […]

Stocks, Twitter Polls, and Market Games

Elliot Pepper, CPA, CFP®, MST  On Saturday November 6th, 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk released a Twitter poll asking if he should sell 10% of his Tesla holdings. Out of 3.5 million responses, 58% of them supported selling the shares. Since then, Musk has sold over $10 billion worth of stock, but still has more […]

Year-end Money Moves

As 2021 draws to a close, now is a good time to consider smart money moves. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” may be an overused phrase, but behind every overused cliche there is some element of truth. The majority of financial outcomes are a function of consistent actions and behaviors as opposed to stellar […]

Inflation Got You Down? I Bonds to the Rescue!

Inflation: What is it and why are we freaked out by it?  Inflation is a decline in the purchasing power of a given currency, and is measured by the rate of change in the average price level of goods and services over some period of time. In simple English – inflation means the things we […]