Blog

One need only see the headlines from France to see how volatile the issue of social safety net reform can be. Many citizens throughout France are in up in arms over the proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64.

Not unlike songs played on a golden oldies radio station, we believe certain retirement fundamental hits are worth repeating. In our case, as we approach the end of tax season we will repeat a mantra with increased importance: Appreciate your accountant.

The Sedoric Group Outlook is sent to all our clients to provide them with a summary of important financial events and policy changes from the past year. This includes a discussion of the themes we see developing in the years ahead and actionable items to consider.

Thank you to all who attended our recent semi-annual conference call. Below you’ll find the recording of our conversation to listen to on-demand.

A recent posting in Axios notes: “A self-inflicted fiscal crisis could come at a terrible time amid a fragile U.S. economy and undermine a Treasury market that underpins the world financial system.” To what are they referring? Look at our nation’s finances today.

Thank you to all who attended our thematic update outlining significant market-related events of 2022 and the possible silver linings lurking beneath the surface.

We talk a lot about what an investor should look for in an advisor. Terms such as transparency (how does your advisor make their money) or whether they are a fiduciary or a sophisticated salesperson come up in our discussions.

There is no doubt that economic uncertainty can unleash a pandora’s box of emotions and potential reactions to events and trends out of our control. Folks had justifiable concerns about portfolios losing value and overall wealth loss from 1973 to 1975 when inflation was raging; similarly in 2002 and 2009 when markets took a significant drop. Wealth loss was, and still is, no laughing matter.

We have discovered over the years that one of the more interesting aspects of our profession is how folks, often unintentionally, project their feelings, fears, and anxieties onto us. Whether it’s on vacation or at community gatherings, we take our emotional magnet status in stride. During times of economic turmoil such as today, we are on the receiving end of variations on a theme of “Aren’t these very stressful times for you and your clients?” Implicit in this query is...

Thank you to all who attended our recent semi-annual conference call where we discussed important themes for 2022 and how they may inform financial investments in the years ahead. Below you’ll find the recording of our conversation to listen to on-demand.

The Sedoric Group's 2022 Annual Outlook Mid-Year Report includes a discussion of the themes we see developing in the years ahead and actionable items to consider as we navigate the second half of 2022.

No matter how hard one tries, there is no denying that the current behavior of markets is a gut check for markets, investors, and the public. For more than two years, we have been sailing through one storm after another of collective events due to synthetically low-interest rates and easy money.

In times of conflicting economic news – such as rising inflation and interest rates, and the seismic impact of the largest ground war in Europe since 1945, just for starters – it’s not unwarranted to wonder if the global economy is being stirred to serious turmoil like the three witches (or weird sisters) in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” foretold.

Partner and Executive Managing Director Tom Sedoric, who has been providing advice to successful families and individuals since 1984, is passionate about what he does. You can often find him in his home office surrounded by inspirational artifacts from his career.

A good fiduciary should be transparent on how they are compensated, how their fee structure is established, their specific roles and responsibilities, and should follow guidelines to avoid, minimize, and disclose conflicts of interest at all costs.

When it comes to retirement, knowing ahead of time how to set yourself up to live comfortably is important. There’s no one-size-fits-most plan when it comes to future financial success. Here at the Sedoric Group, our team of experts will take into account your unique circumstances and help set you up for success.

In our inaugural episode of “Beyond Your Balance Sheet,” a podcast delving into the parts of life beyond the balance sheet that contributes to overall wellness, our host Laura Knoy sits down in conversation with John Broderick to discuss mental health care and stigma in the United States.

The Sedoric Group Outlook is sent to all our clients to summarize important financial events and policy changes from the past year. This includes a discussion of the themes we see developing in the years ahead and actionable items to consider.

What’s an NFT? Should I invest in Bitcoin? Which of these trends are passing fads, and which are here to stay? There’s a lot of information swirling around, and it’s difficult to make sense of it all. Let’s break off a small piece to start and dive into the metaverse (figuratively, not literally).

Please listen to our semi-annual conference call with Tom Sedoric and Casey Snyder as they discuss important themes from 2021 and actionable items for the years ahead.

Your goals, objectives, and financial situation are never stagnant from year to year. They’re constantly shifting and evolving as you age and life circumstances change. That’s why your distribution strategy should be reviewed in the context of the previous year and the years ahead.

Among the many lessons in his remarkable 2020 book “The Psychology of Money,” Morgan Housel nails the one about our relationship with money. It is a lesson that should be shared far and wide.“People want to become wealthier to make them happier. Happiness is a complicated subject because everyone’s different. But if there’s a common denominator in happiness – a universal fuel of joy – it’s that people want control of...

 On one spring day in 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph message to a train depot in Baltimore via the alphabet code he had invented. The same return message to Washington, D.C. – the biblical phrase “What hath God wrought? – was witnessed by Morse and a delegation of dignitaries and Congressmen. At that moment the timely sharing of information was transformed forever. We went from the Pony Express to the  internet in only a few decades.Similar evolution is h

This year we’d like to shine the light on you all and share how our clients have stepped up dramatically over the past few years by making investments of their own in the robust nonprofit sector that makes our collective communities special places. We’ve been impressed with the passion many of you have displayed in investing in your communities and The Sedoric Group is grateful for the opportunity to work with you, together with your legal and tax counsel, to become more efficient and strategic.

There’s no downside to having a plan for taking care of your hard-earned finances and assets after your death. With proper estate planning, your family will benefit greatly from not being left to figure out “what’s next,” and you can feel confident in knowing that probate court will not distribute assets contrary to your wishes.

Healthcare. As a topic of discussion, it’s never really at the top of people’s list of interests – until it is. It’s something we all need to deal with throughout the entirety of our lives, but, outside of actually dealing with it, many of us would much prefer to leave it alone until it’s time to visit the doctor for our annual checkup (let’s pretend for a minute that said annual checkup is not a year overdue). It’s daunting. All of us just naturally want to be healthy.

Beyond mitigating risk, proper retirement planning increases your overall chances of success and provides the financial confidence you have worked for. Success, in the context of retirement, means very different things to different people. Part of the planning process involves identifying your unique wants, needs, and goals for retirement.

The looming threat of exorbitant medical expenses is a cloud over most all of us. As we know, the unexpected can—and does—happen, and it’s critically important that we’re prepared when it does so we don’t end up losing everything as a result. There’s very little we can do as individuals to influence change in the healthcare system itself, but we can take steps to mitigate the impact of medical expenses on our personal financial lives.

What do you want to get out of retirement? Perhaps you and your partner are excited to travel the world, or maybe you’re looking forward to a chance to relax and improve your golf game. You may also have plans to downsize or move closer to children and grandchildren.

Change may seem glacial until it isn’t. Change happens in cascades of opportunities across the world. For our future children, those yet to be born, this trajectory in ESG investing and conscious efforts in sustainability could potentially be the transformational roadmap that makes the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century seem quaint by comparison.

While saving for college may be a daunting task, it’s far from impossible. Armed with the knowledge that there are plenty of alternatives to private and public universities, and educating yourself on financial aid (including grants and scholarships) available to your child, can help make the college savings experience more manageable.

Preparing (well ahead of time) for a life event can simplify decision-making and give you confidence in your financial future. Many small, simple actions can add up to significant changes in your life and future financial outlook.

Investor expectations are outrageous. And, no, we’re not singling anybody out in particular. We’re not upset about it. We’re just trying to reset some sights here. The expected return on investment in today’s market is out of control, and it’s time to take a good hard look at what your own expectation really is, or rather, what it ought to be.

So how do you build an ESG portfolio? On the surface, it might seem simple. But it’s important that you have an in-depth conversation with your financial advisor and understand the risks at play when making a transition if you’re not already on the ESG track.

Like summer vacation, retirement requires thoughtful planning and preparation in order to reap the benefits of your years of hard work.

Today, let’s talk about one of the most widely known modes of saving: The trusty 401(k).

With so many notable headlines capturing our attention these days, it's easy to let some slip through the cracks without recognizing their significance. The recent budget passed by the New Hampshire legislature contained a $10 million measure to partially reimburse a few hundred clients who lost millions of dollars in the infamous Financial Resources Mortgage Ponzi scheme scandal of more than a decade ago.

Inflation hasn’t been a major issue in the United States since the dreary Stagflation days in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The formula was: high unemployment, double-digit inflation, and interest rates.

Renting can be a much more affordable option and may suit your needs better than you initially assume. If you have aspirations of a family vacation home, perhaps this blog post can guide you to the right solution for your needs.

Despite our best goals and plans, plans will, and do, change. Sometimes economic forces beyond our control challenge us as a downturn can put our portfolios and plans at varying degrees of risk. Closer-to-home, unexpected family needs can take center stage. At other times, we lose sight of our long-term goals and start spending money that threatens to undermine long-term goals and planning.

As we all age, it’s important to analyze whether our house is an asset, and—more critically—understand the costs of renovating that house to age up comfortably, safely, and within our means. Factors such as floor plan, accessibility, manageability, and location should all be considered in relation to aging in place at home. These renovations come at a cost that must be planned for accordingly before retirement age is reached.

In 2012, my wife Rhea and I were fortunate enough to purchase what we then considered our dream home in Eliot, Maine. It was perfect - it fulfilled all of our wants and needs at the time, and also provided room for us to expand in the future should life take that course. And for eight great years it lived up to our every expectation, providing all of this and more. But eventually, as we all know, wants and needs evolve.

Investors are placing their money in a sustainable investment strategy that aligns with their core beliefs. Compounding dollars solely to bolster bottom-line earnings is no longer good enough. There’s thought put into every dollar changing hands. Today we’ll suggest five reasons you should explore sustainable investing opportunities as a working piece of your investment strategy.

ESG investing—which is sometimes referred to as sustainable investing—empowers investors to support causes they care about and divest from industries that could potentially be harmful to our world. Investors may choose one or several causes to focus their efforts on depending on their passions and core values.

In the last year, many of us have been stuck at home, working remotely, paying bills, brokering deals, and purchasing goods to have them shipped directly to our house rather than risking the trip to the grocery store or any retail environment. So, to keep up with the “outside world,” we’ve gone digital. And with that, our personal information is flying around more than it ever has before.

Since 1913, the federal tax code has undergone dramatic changes. Rates have shifted significantly and will continue to evolve throughout the future, but one thing will remain the same—taxes have always been and will always be life’s biggest expense.

From the perspective of tax-efficient investing, March 2020 was an absolute gift for tuned-in investors and financial fiduciaries across the board. Here's why.

We will remember the Covid-19 pandemic as a life-altering event which has indelibly shaped our own unique experiences and adaptations. We witnessed at the same time the unimaginable failure by our federal government to deal with the pandemic and the remarkable resilience by tens of millions of Americans trying to map a cautious path to minimize the tragedy and chaos. As a society, we were forced to enter a steep learning curve on how to work, teach, and socialize differently. We mourned and cele