Jenn Incoming and Outgoing!
As you may already know, our beloved Jenn Kovalski is having her second child in November. She, John and her almost 2-year-old daughter Tessa eagerly await the arrival of #2. There is a possibility that this new child will be born on the birthday of her older sister, Tessa. Only time will tell. Effective the…
Making Cents: How Close Should You Watch Your Plans?
A financial plan is just that, a plan to help attain the financial freedoms you want while taking precautions so that the unthinkable doesn’t sink your ship. This requires diligent coordination of many moving parts. Those parts are, but not limited to, cash flow, inflation, earnings, investment performance, tax laws, estate plans, insurance plans, family…
Dante Coppola, CFP®!!
I did it! I have climbed the mountain and achieved the pinnacle of my profession. I’m referring to me acquiring the Certified Financial Planner™ designation, of course. My CFP® path took almost four months of intense studying, two whole years of educational courses, course exams, and a comprehensive project, but I finally passed the CFP…
Making Cents: Beneficiary Choices Need to be Reviewed
With certain assets, it doesn’t matter what your will says. Upon your passing, these assets will flow to whomever you elect as the beneficiary of each individual account. Beneficiary elections are made for retirement accounts and insurance contracts. Typically, these beneficiary elections are made when you establish the account. For certain retirement accounts, these elections may be…
And Then There Were 7
A little over 5 years ago, I wrote to you with excitement about expecting our first grandchild. Everything about that has been exciting including today’s first day of kindergarten. And while she was growing, she had the pleasure of witnessing the birth of two brothers and four cousins. For those good at math, yes, that…
Making Cents: Downsizing Doesn’t Always Mean Down Costing
If you are amongst the millions who have an extra bedroom or two, the thought of downsizing the home seems to be “the” topic at backyard barbeques. Now that the kids are grown and gone, or almost gone, you may be asking why you should continue to pay the property taxes, heat and other costs…
Making Cents: Do Your Homeworking When Picking A Financial Advisor
If part of your plan for the New Year is to hire or change financial advisors, it is never too early to start that process. Many people do not ask enough questions when vetting out a new advisor, and simply hope for the best. Ask is what the prospective planner feels is his or her…
Welcome Michele!
Welcome Michele! Without further ado … drum roll please … Say hello to the newest member of the team, Michele Schulz! Most of you know by now that Jenn is expecting her second child soon and her plan is to take maternity leave until Spring 2024. In order to continue our high level of service…
Making Cents: Price Inflation May Be Higher Than You Think It Is
Calculating the rate of inflation seems rather simple. If you pay $10 for something today and one year later that item costs $11, you would think that the item has inflated by $1 or 10% over the past year. But when it comes to the rate of inflation, there is yet another variable to factor…
Best Meal Out
Ashley and I had the joy of being able to go on a date without our two kids this past Wednesday. We have been trying to get to a specific restaurant for over two years, but reservations were hard to come by and our time was limited to be able to sneak out. Alas –…
Middle School Sports Hero
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! A common daydream of the not-so developed mind of a teenage boy is that of being the hero of a game. Walk-off home run, buzzer-beating 3-pointer, overtime goal – the list goes on and on. The play is made, the referee confirms the glorious moment, and you are hoisted on the backs…
Making Cents: How To Pick A Trustee
A trustee is generally a person or a company who oversees the governance and maintenance of a trust. For some trusts, you may be your own trustee while for others, you may need or want an independent trustee. For simplicity sake, realize that if you are your own trustee and have the power to reach…
Making Cents: One Thing About The Internet, You Can’t Take It With You
Sometimes things that are designed to make life simpler seem to complicate matters further. Take the ever growing presence of the internet. How many websites, user IDs, and passwords can any one person endure? Especially in this world of changing passwords and identity protection. Mainly due to security reasons, the internet, which was supposed to…
The Birthday Dash
It feels like most families have this – you have a stretch of birthdays/celebrations within a few weeks time that feels like a marathon of food, cake, and gatherings. On my side of the family, that is the month of October. But on my wife’s side, that is the end of July into early August,…
Making Cents: Expanding Your Annual Financial Check Up
As the calendar marches toward the final quarter of the year, there are certain financial rituals that many astute investors embrace. They routinely scour their portfolios for gains or losses to harvest, see that their allocations align with their expectations and they plan for ways to reduce the income taxes that they’ll pay for the…
The Dog Days Of Summer
We’re halfway there… it surprises me every time, but August 1st has come and gone. My family has managed to pack a lot of fun in thus far – and there’s no slowdown in sight! I will admit, the weather has been a bit odd. Rain, or at least its forecast, has been a damper;…
Making Cents: Managing Risk
Many say that an analysis of risk should be the first step of the financial planning process after you’ve compiled your financial statements and enumerated your dreams, goals and objectives. The reason for starting with risk is because the occurrence of an unplanned risk may prevent your best laid plans from ever having a chance…
Quiet Summer
Where does the summer go!? This month of July seemingly has flown by, and get this folks, I have not been to the beach yet once! Sadly, my beloved days at the beach have been dictated by the constant (incorrectly predicted) rain in New England and Tessa’s stringent nap schedule. Beach days have been replaced…
Making Cents: Why Get Your Financial House In Order?
Perhaps the most common reason for the gaping holes in one’s financial plan is the lack of focus on what you are trying to accomplish. Why get your financial house in order? During the course of my week as a financial professional, we frequently see people with gaping holes in the financial plans. Some have no…
A Great Day For Sportsmanship
Last Sunday here on the Irish Riviera (one nickname for Scituate, MA) was not a great day for outdoor activities. The day was a complete washout reminiscent of South Florida style storms complete with thunder and lightning. Frequently on days like this, I have a saying that it is “a great day for indoor sports”….
Making Cents: When It Comes To Money, Treat Family Like Anyone Else
Most people seek out financial guidance to help protect wealth for their lifetime and to preserve it to the extent possible for future generations. But it seems that the more financial independence that you have, the more you begin to feel and look like a target by your friends and family to help them with…
Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving?
Taken from one of my favorite rom-coms, Jennifer Garner’s 13 Going on 30 – this title/mantra from a 13-year-old teenage girl has taken up far too much real estate in my head recently. Though I am not flirty nor unquestionably thriving, I am in fact thirty as of mid-June. And though my mom loves to…
Happy 4th 2023 From the Napier Team
We hope you had a great 4th of July, and enjoyed celebrating with family and friends! Here are a few photos from the day… Joan Napolitano driving a boat over the long weekend!
Making Cents: College Grads Face More Challenges Than Ever
This time of year, I always like to say something positive to the new entries into “the real world”. New college grads have always had challenges transitioning from the college world into a world of work, bills and responsibilities. In today’s economy these grads face as many challenges as ever. Many have large amounts of…
Making Cents: Precautions Can Mitigate Losses In The Next Storm
Stuff happens, and there are obvious natural disasters that no one can prevent. But getting your house in order to protect what is important to you is something that you can start to fix today. What would bother me, for example, are the drawers of old photos from my childhood and then of raising a…
From Financial Planning To Wedding Planning
I’m sure all of you are getting tired and bored of us constantly talking about our weddings by now. However, it is one of my biggest life events (so far) and has taken up a lot of my time and planning in the last nine months. So, here’s another, slightly different, article about planning for…
Making Cents: Myths About Financial Advice
When it comes to choosing a new financial advisor or evaluating your current advisor, there are some very basic elements that you need to consider. To get you in the right frame of mind, consider these myths and new realities. Myth number one is about competence and success. Believe it or not, the most successful…
A Busy Summer Ahead
This seems to be the year a lot of people are getting married! Just in our office alone, Mr. Tom Schulte is getting hitched in October and Mr. Dante Coppola ties the knot in December. Ashley and I seem to get invited to at least one wedding every other year given how large our families…
Father’s Day
Despite what I told my husband yesterday, Father’s Day is this weekend, not in two weeks. I am as unprepared for this holiday as I am for this article. I do feel kind of bad about my lack of preparation because I am surrounded by some seriously awesome super dads and father-like figures who deserve…
Making Cents: Planning Your Rewarding Retirement
Perhaps this is your year – the year you finally get to spend your time exactly how you want, and maybe slow down or call it quits from work. Whether now or later, these are some of the matters that you may want consider now. Not working will free up a lot of time, and you…
Market Trends June 2023
Given all the events in motion with the economy and markets these days, on an occasional basis we will begin providing some brief perspectives from our investment team’s vantage point on market trends for our Napier newsletter readers. Looking back over the past several months, equity markets have had a lot of serious issues thrown…
The Heat Is On
No Celtics fans, I’m not talking about the domination that the 8th seed Miami Heat brought onto the Celtics, I’m talking Hot Peppers. When I arrived back to Scituate from FL, I realized that I only had 3 ball jars of the Famous J Nap Hot Pepper Relish remaining. As a result, I spent Memorial…
Making Cents: Take the Noise in Stride When Considering Investment Approach
Looking back over history there are many times when policy, politics and fear overcame markets. It happens in just about every market; real estate, Wall Street, Currencies and Commodities both domestically and abroad. Sometimes these markets react favorably and other times, unfavorably. What is exceptionally tough to do is to use policy, politics and fear to…
Office Reopening
We are finally opening our office after about 7 weeks of construction and many months of planning. Overall, everything went according to plan with only a few minor items still on the punch list. What we confirmed in the process is that as long as we have power and Wi-Fi, we can function – but…
Market Update – Debt Ceiling Observations
Undoubtedly you’ve seen numerous stories in the media recently about the national debt and the debt ceiling. The short story is the US debt limit will need to be raised by Congress to fund the federal government’s spending obligations. If an agreement is not reached in a timely manner, perhaps by early June, it’s unlikely,…
My Wedding Draws Near: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good She still loves me: Despite a slow start out of the gate in regard to my (limited) wedding planning responsibilities, we are still on track to tie the knot over Columbus Day weekend in Santa Monica, California. As cheesy and cliché as it sounds, we are ready to drop everything, skip hand-in-hand to…
Making Cents: Real Estate As An Investment
Many people own some real estate, and for the most part, those who don’t own property still have the desire to own as a part of their financial forecast. Whether it’s your primary residence, a second home or an investment property, there are several ways to look at real estate from an investment point of…
Making Cents: When You’re In Charge Of An Estate
There is a saying about the only two things that are certain in life are death and taxes. That may be true, but for people with any assets, there is a third to be concerned about. That third issue is the resolution of the estate of the decedent. The loss of a loved one is…
Introduction to Nick Berlen
It’s finally my time. The final step in becoming a member of the Napier Team – joining the personal article loop. Here’s to hoping I have enough to say each and every time going forward. I grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts, in Hull. My family has lived here my whole life and…
Making Cents: Knowing Your Level of Financial Independence
Many trod through life because that is what they do. They go to work, they save and spend, and they keep in that motion until they either must stop working or decide that doing something else would be nice. Some are so good at what they do, that they couldn’t fathom how they would spend…
Preparedness Paradox
It is springtime, well, at least this week in the Metro-Boston area and a lot of learning continues to happen in the Weiss household. It starts with Holly, our youngest, learning to take a few steps and now walking within a few short weeks. Then Natalie, our oldest, who figured out how to hug her…
Making Cents: Where Entrepreneurs Go Wrong In Their Own Wealth Planning
Entrepreneur’s lives are frequently defined by their business. Business owners are typically smart, hard driven people with their eye on one thing only-SUCCESS. This can make it tough to separate their personal lives from their business lives. There are six common missteps, which if avoided, can make wealth planning more effective. It can take 24/7…
A Day Full of Pastabilities
Unless you’ve lived in the immediate area, most people haven’t heard of Dave’s Fresh Pasta near Davis Square in Somerville. Somerville, you may ask? Where’s Somerville? My bad. I meant to say Sumahhville. The store’s been around for more than 25 years and sells all kinds of Italian specialties such as homemade pastas, sauces, meats,…
Making Cents: Planning for Succession of the Business
Small businesses are often credited as being a strong driver of our economy, and many are owned by one person. You may own one yourself, or have at least one solely owned business as a supplier of products or services for your home or business. In my experience, very few of these have a plan…
Spring Things
Spring is here, it can be a fleeting sensation given the still hovering above raw temperatures. But when you feel the warmth of the sun and see the daffodils, tulips and hyacinth popping up, it sure is a reassuring and optimistic feeling. Personally, I think spring has a stronger ‘fresh start’ feel than New Years….
The Lifelong Learner In All Of Us
A recent social media post by one of our great clients talking about an advanced training she received regarding building a better business reminded me just how important lifelong learning is to all of us. In our profession, you are nobody if you are not committed to lifelong learning. In fact, I write this…
Making Cents: Make Risk Assessment Your First Step
Many say that an analysis of risk should be the first step of the financial planning process after you’ve compiled your financial statements and enumerated your dreams, goals and objectives. The reason for starting with risk is because the occurrence of an unplanned risk may prevent your best laid plans from ever having a chance to…
Making Cents: Why Financial Education is Important
We live in the age of information and big data. As a result, there is no shortage of ways to obtain information about any matter of personal finance. Sometimes the information that you find is relevant and useful, and other times it is outdated and not germane to your topic or need. The problem is…
Sand Everywhere, Tan Nowhere
Years ago, I wrote a piece titled something along the lines of “The Golden Age of Entertainment.” The point to my long-winded story was that the members of my family were all in the perfect age range to enjoy the same shows, movies, humor, activities, etc. and that it was such a nice change. I’m…
Making Cents: Decoding Alphabet Soup When It Comes To Financial Advisors
Recently, a friend poked fun of my email signature because of all the initials after my name. Lots of professionals use designations in their signature; some recognizable and some not. The question you need to ask is whether the initials, (AKA credentials or designations) are necessary and would a credentialed professional deliver better service and…
Budgets Be Damned!
Sometimes you must throw caution to the wind, release your inhibitions, and let the devil on your shoulder grab the reins for a moment. We have all been there, and most of us have great stories to share because of it. As young parents that tends to take on a more docile meaning than it…
Napier Financial Office Construction Progress
Check back with us regularly to see progress on the construction of the Napier Financial Office Space! May 1st – more progress with the floor, paint on walls – almost ready! April 27th – the floor is going in! April 19th – Looking good! April 5th…
Making Cents: Are you Suffering from Familiarity Risk?
Unless you are a CPA who audits public companies, you’ve probably never heard of familiarity risk. Familiarity risk are risks that you may be incurring that are easily masked by something or someone that you simply become used to. Being too familiar with any situation may cause your guard to become lower than it should…
Office Construction Begins!
We have been planning for the last few months to update our office space, and the day is finally here. Our office has not been updated in a decade, so we are very excited to give it a fresh look. On Saturday, the demolition crew will begin taking down a few walls, ripping up the…
Making Cents: Starting A Small Business In Retirement
Everyone’s vision of retirement is different. Certainly the idea of retirement in 2023 is different than it was in 1950. Today’s retiree is more active, with many to-dos on the bucket list and the time and resources to pursue their vision. To some that means starting a small business. Maybe it’s your hobby that you’ve…
Taking a Bite Out of the Apple
It had been years since we last visited, so a couple of weeks ago when my son was home on his school break, my family decided to take the Acela down to the Big Apple with the goal of being nothing other than tourists for a few days. It can be daunting trying to figure…
Making Cents: How Can The FDIC Help?
The banking industry has seen a bit of upheaval over the past week, and we’ve seen some market volatility as a result. I’m sure you’ve seen the images of the people lining up in front of their SVB-owned local bank, hoping to get their savings back. There’s been a lot of talk about the government’s…
The Picture
I was reminded just the other day to make sure I took my phone out to capture a moment in time. Then I was quickly reminded how I could not, for whatever reason, capture a great picture of my lovely wife but I could capture a perfect picture of just about anyone else. Is this…
Making Cents: Why Many Won’t Discuss Their Finances
Many people would rather talk about their love lives than their finances. This is a conundrum to me, but I have a few theories on what may be holding you back. The fear of confirming ignorance appears to be a riskier place for many than the complacency of innocence. For many, it is as simple as…
Introduction to Dante Coppola
The day has finally come. It is my time to adorn the mantle that my coworkers have done before me – joining the personal article write up rotation. To me, this is one of the final initiations as a member of the Napier Financial team. I am typically not one to drone on and on…
Making Cents: Suddenly Bad News
We should all have our affairs in order as if tomorrow is our last day. If all of a sudden your doctor told you that you had advancing dementia or stage 4 cancer, your thoughts would be all over the place. As you pass from anger to reality, your mind eventually wanders to financial matters and…
What’s Up With The Guys
What are “the guys” up to these days you may be wondering? Specifically, where they’re going, what they’re doing and using lately. Well, I can answer that for you very easily, nothing and everything. Some things change, and some things really stay the same, but they stay dedicated to finding joy outside of the office…
Grass Ain’t Greener
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, ‘if I just had that _______, life would be so much better/easier/enjoyable/fulfilling?’ However, no matter the magnitude of desire & hope, it seems we are quickly let down with how the ________ affects our day-to-day. 2022 was the perfect example of these thoughts; I checked off a couple boxes…
Making Cents: What Type of Advice Are You Getting?
There are so many different terms used to describe a relationship with a financial professional that what you get may frequently differ from what you expected. Terms like investment consultant, financial planner, wealth management or broker are frequently tossed around with little thought as to what each actually means. Regulation surrounding the titles and services…
A True Vacation
Over the years, I’ve had a lot of business trips. There were years in recent memory where each week included an airport, rental car and a hotel. For the more distant trips, I’d always add a day here and there for some time to take in the local sites; especially when those destinations were far…
Making Cents: 401K Trustees Need To Pay Attention
If you own a business, you may have been named as the trustee of the retirement plan when it was established. The trustee of a retirement plan is responsible, in short, for just about everything. In the 401K sense, that trustee is not responsible for selecting the investments for each and every participant. But that…
Back to Hoops
Since the start of the year, I have been trying to take a little bit of time for myself for some fun exercise. I really enjoyed participating in organized sports growing up and I wanted to get back into something like that. Since I would not be able to compete at track and football wouldn’t…
Introduction to Rob Napolitano
I would like to use my first personal note as an opportunity to formally introduce myself; Who am I? What am I doing here? And most importantly, what on earth was it like growing up with John as my Father? I’ll start with the basics. I am Rob Napolitano, the newest member of Napier Financial. …
Making Cents: Selling Your Small Business
In today’s financial markets, hardly a day passes without news of one major acquisition or another. Selling a business is easy when the economy is good, interest rates are low and companies are looking for a way to deploy capital. But what about your small business? According to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, firms…
Making Cents: Five Strategies For Tax-Efficient Investing
Once upon a time, retirement was defined as sipping lemonade on the front porch waiting for the grandchildren to visit. Today, however, things are different. The grandchildren may be visiting the house to feed the cat or walk the dog because the grandparents are busy. They are traveling, going out to dinner, and working. Some…
Virtual Time Well Spent
Over the past several years a lot of terrible, terrible consequences have been the byproduct of the pandemic, but numerous positive outcomes that have arisen as well. One that many of us have benefited from is how technology has improved enough to allow us to virtually communicate with each other, without ever leaving our homes….
Proactive Procrastination
I am having vivid flashbacks to high school and college, so real, it has me sweating and glancing at the clock constantly. It’s 9pm and I am writing my personal article the day before it’s due. It’s not that I don’t have anything to say (hah!) it’s just that I don’t know what to say….
Making Cents: Spending Your Retirement Wisely
In today’s world of people living and working longer, the old vision of retiring and sitting on the front porch with a glass of lemonade just doesn’t cut it. Some people may continue to work because they have to, but for others it is often because they really don’t know what else they’d do with their…
Making Cents: Financial Guidance for Elders
One of the signs that someone is aging is that they simply can’t do some of the things that they used to do. When that comes to their financial decisions, it may manifest itself in their investment choices, bill paying or some sort of financial deal or scam that may not have been in their…
The Art of the (Electronic) Deal
As a few of you have kindly pointed out over the past week, I’ve had a greenish tint to my already pale skin. I am on Day 5 of COVID quarantine and hating every second of it. Thankfully the symptoms have been rather mild, but it’s being locked down in this godforsaken apartment that is…
The Results Are In!
The Results Are In!! We asked you to vote for your favorite holiday tune, and here are the results! We had a tie for first place: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Bruce Springsteen) and All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey) were the most popular amongst our voters. There was a three-way…
Making Cents: How Are Your Buckets Filled?
One strategy utilized to allocate assets and generate retirement income is commonly called the bucket strategy. In the bucket strategy, a retiree would consider setting up different buckets of money with a different investment strategy for each bucket. The buckets are established utilizing a time horizon. The first bucket should be designed to hold money…
Hello 2023
Another January 1st has come and gone which marks a fresh start to another year. 2022 had some of the highest highs in the Weiss household, but it was unfortunately matched with some pretty harsh lows. Having such a large immediate and extended family comes with pros and cons. On the bright side, you get…
Christmas 2022!
A few Christmas photos from the Napier Team… We hope you’re enjoying the holiday season with your loved ones!
Cast your Vote! All-time Favorite Holiday Tune
By the time the end of December rolls around many people have had enough of Holiday Music. I can see why, especially if you work in retail or some other venue where the music rolls on 24/7 with playlists that repeat songs regularly. Not me, in fact, I used to get a little sad when…
Making Cents: Thinking Of Large Holiday Gifts
One of the common questions this time of year is “How much can I gift to family members without tax consequences”? It’s certainly a loaded question, and the answer is, it depends. Let me explain. The Federal annual gift limit is $16,000 per donor to anyone and is increasing to $17,000 in 2023. For a…
Making Cents: Professional Skepticism
When I was trained as a rookie CPA candidate in the late 70’s, the term professional skepticism was first introduced to me. What it means is that we should not accept all stories at face value. In the accounting world, it goes even further to mean that one should corroborate or validate through examination and…
The Apple Tax
My wife mentioned the other day the hard drive on her current MacBook Pro is so full that the laptop is starting to misbehave. I was reminded that with all the photos she takes, a replacement laptop with a larger hard drive will also require a larger price tag and could Santa help out? I…
Holiday Giving Inspiration 2022
Here is the Holiday Gifting Inspiration list for 2022. I feel the need to always say that the Holidays are obviously not about giving and receiving gifts, however the majority of us do exchange gifts with those we love around this time of year. It can be stressful when you do not know what to…
Making Cents: Getting Your Business to the Next Generation
Most businesses in America are small businesses. A large portion of those small business are classified as family business. Family businesses can range from those run by siblings, cousins or other relatives and those that may have a multi-generational situation. A common goal is to keep the business in the family. The odds are against…
MAKING CENTS: Roth IRAs – A Gift to Last a Lifetime
With holiday shopping nearing its peak, maybe you can skip the lines and set your sights on a gift that will last a lifetime. Of course, I’m talking financial gifts that go beyond an envelope with a little hole in it to show the face of one of our past presidents. A gift to a child…
Craigslist Turkey
As you read this article, I am still trying to work off all the salt and butter I consumed over the Thanksgiving Holiday. This year, Ashley, Natalie, Holly, and I made the trek up to New Hampshire to enjoy a long weekend with Ashley’s extended family. That meant that we all had to pack our…
The Podfather
When it comes to prepping for road trips, my dad-senses truly flourish. Well before the stated time of departure (which is strictly adhered to), the car is packed, tires are full of air, tank is full, but most importantly, the entertainment for the duration of the trip is planned. What’s the entertainment comprised of? Strictly…
Big Winners and Big Losers
Winning is great, isn’t it!? Anyone who is remotely competitive probably has a resounding yes to that hypothetical question. I think Tom Brady once summarized some of his most successful seasons as a Patriot were credited to the fact that the team despised losing more than they enjoyed winning. On Monday and Tuesday, the lines…
Making Cents: Using a Roth IRA In Your Estate Plan
The Roth IRA is a powerful financial tool. Roth IRAs are a retirement account that allow for the potential growth without taxes, have no required minimum distribution and distributions are tax free if over the age of 59 ½ and the account has been open for a minimum of 5 years. The downside to a…
Happy Halloween From The Napier Financial Team
We hope you had a fun and spooky Halloween! Check out some of the Napier Team photos…
Greetings from Sunny Florida… NOT
As many of you may already know, I am in SW Florida. Not just anywhere in SW FL, but ground zero to the worst hurricane induced catastrophe in US history. And yes. It is as bad as you’ve seen, heard or viewed on the news. The good news is that I survived, thanks to my…
Black Monday: The Anniversary Most Would Like To Forget
My wife and I recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. Fortunately for us, we’ve had 20+ happy years together. I’m ever grateful that I met such a wonderful person who can put up with someone like me for such a lengthy period of time. There’s another day however, that I wanted to write about. Today…
Celebration Month
October is one of the busiest months of the year for our family as we have almost a dozen birthdays to celebrate. And this year, we decided to pack in a few more celebrations because we wanted to really make sure we had cake, ice cream and cookies every day in October without looking for…
Mia and The Beast
Jordan’s buzzer-beater in the ’89 NBA championship, Tyree’s Superbowl helmet catch in ’08, Woods’ ‘05 chip-in at the Masters, my brother in-law’s surprise gift of a puppy in ’17. Arguably my four favorite ‘Hail Mary’ attempts of all time, with three out of four of them being successful. Let me explain. As I’ve led on…
7th Annual Napier Financial Jimmy Fund Golf Classic
Thanks to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts for The Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber Cancer Institute! With your help, we’ve raised close to $80,000 for the research of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in honor and support of Mike Aizenstadt. We had a great day on the golf course last Friday! Take a look at some…
FundrAIZing Impact
We are approaching our 7th Annual Jimmy Fund Golf Tournament which is set for this Friday. This year we are fundraising for the research, treatment, and cure of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in honor of Mike Aizenstadt. We are often asked to donate to various charities and fundraisers throughout the course of the year, and…
The Big Empty
It’s quiet. For a change, the bed is made, the bathroom remarkably clean, the refrigerator well stocked; crackers, chips and nuts are available in abundance, despite fewer trips to the grocery store. Our car is full of gas most of the time and we can now locate where it is parked without hunting around the…
Labor Day 2022
We hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! The Napier Financial team is squeezing in some fun in the last days of summer…
7th Annual Jimmy Fund Golf Fundr’Aiz’er
Asking someone for money isn’t fun or easy for me. But then I recognized three facts thanks to my friend Mike Aizenstadt who invited me to a Jimmy Fund Golf DFCI fundraising event 8 years ago. I have never met a family that was not impacted by cancer The Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) uses…
A Matter of Months
Twenty-four to thirty-six months ago I would have argued that we were in the midst of the golden age of Schulte Family vacations. We had ten fun-loving individuals all above the age of twenty-one who thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Our days were spent on the beach and our nights were spent playing games to…
An Uplifting Experience
A couple of weeks ago my son was shooting the breeze with one of his summer job work colleagues and learned that this guy’s soon to be father-in-law had a passion for flying helicopters. Apparently, he enjoyed taking passengers on sightseeing flights, and asked if we would be interested in joining him one day. Of…
PMC Weekend
PMC is short for the Pan-Mass Challenge. Just like our Jimmy Fund golf tournament, this is another charity event focused on raising awareness and money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Unfortunately, cancer has affected all of us directly or indirectly during our lifetimes. This weekend I had the great honor of watching both my brother (Nate)…
Cat Days of Summer
Here we are, August 3rd. Approaching the ‘cat’ days of summer as they should have said! Summer is my favorite season, and in my prior years I would spend it at the beach as much as the weather would allow. I had the whole beach trip onboard and offboarding down to an origami-like science ensuring…
Goats and Knots
When we hear the word Goat these days, many think of the word as an acronym for the “Greatest Of All Time’. This term was made widely popular in New England as the media and fans alike began to refer to Tom Brady as the GOAT. While he may be the GOAT in the eyes…
My Little Brother
FINALLY, my youngest brother Nate got married. Affectionately known to our two girls as “Uncle Nate”, he is the playful, fun loving, and jovial uncle. For those who do not know, I come from a large, blended family. I am 1 of 4 brothers (I am #3) and I have 5 step-siblings. Nate is the…
Weekend Warrior Trips
By: Thomas W. Schulte, CFP® If last summer was the Great Reopening, what do we call this? I, like the other 334 million Americans, have been on the road to visit new places with friends & family. I traveled roughly 125 miles south of Boston then 125 miles north of Boston over two weekends to…
Snaps From Our Independence Day Weekend!
Graduation Extras
Thinking about the major events that take place in one’s life, one that stands out to me is graduating from high school. The other is being a parent of a child graduating from high school. Perhaps a third is coming to the realization that you’re old enough to have a child graduating from high school….
Best Day Ever?!
My neighbor and her family recently purchased a suite at a Red Sox Game to celebrate her mother’s 70th birthday. Her mom is a lifelong fan and had only been to one game back when she was a child. So, 25 family members, (yes, 25!) treated her to a day at the park in a luxury…
Lemonade Stand
With the unofficial first summer weekend behind us, you can start to feel the change in the air. The grass is green, the smell of the BBQ surrounds us, and the good ol’ neighborhood lemonade stand is open for business. With our first ‘normal’ summer in front of us since we moved to Westwood, I…
A Hub for Stubs
My fiancé, Khrista has the nostalgia-gene. Several times a week she’ll dig up old pictures and videos from years ago for long walks down memory lane. In a similar, but different vein, I’ve been known to be a hoarder of sentimental, tangible items. In the mid-1990’s I was given a red zippered pouch with the…
Hello From The (M)Other Side
Adele said it best, and in this case I’m saying Hello from the (M)other side. Six months ago, my husband and I welcomed our daughter Tessa. They are not kidding when they say kids turn your life upside down in the most exhausting and rewarding ways possible. The Team did a great job holding down…
Watching Spring at 75 MPH
As you may know, one of my favorite hobbies is caring for trees and shrubs. I love to plant them, trim them, feed them and watch them. Call me nuts, but that is one of the ways that I find joy outside of work. Each year, I sit here in New England and ask… “Where…
Welcome Back, Jenn!
It is officially official, Jenn is back helping the team and clients as of this past Monday, April 25th. For those who did not know, Jenn and her husband welcomed their daughter, Tessa, on November 10th last year. It’s hard to believe that in just two weeks Tessa will be 6 months old! Oh, how…
Pickle-what?
As I’ve shared with you all before, my father and I are quite competitive. Golf and basketball are no contest in my favor, Scrabble is not a sure-thing for him anymore, and even his suffocating grasp on Progressive Rummy (or as we call it ‘Greg’s Game’) is relinquishing. His last safe haven and my final…
Noise, Noise, Noise
There are not many slow news days in Washington. The broadcast and print media are all fired up for 2022. This year has noise on a lot of levels.
We’re Heading in the Right Direction
Two plus years into this crazy pandemic environment and we’re all still having to deal with Covid variants, sub variants and the continual mischief they create. My family’s taken the whole thing pretty seriously: we’ve all received the vaccines, boosters and have worn masks throughout much of the pandemic. Thankfully we’ve avoided any infections along…
Cheap Private Air Travel
If you love to travel, you know the pain of the airport experience: the security lines, the delays, the crowds. Flying private is a great option to avoid these issues, but has historically been prohibitively expensive. Insider has published a list of 6 options for flying private that could be less expensive than you might…
It’s A Girl
A week and a half ago (one week early) the newest addition to the Weiss Family arrived. Her name is (drum roll please!)…. Holly Parker Weiss. The entire experience was once again a reminder of just how amazing Moms are and the multitude of different physical/emotional challenges that they go through to bring a child…
What The Shed
It appears that spring has arrived here in New England, well, at least most days. I still have that uncomfortable feeling that a snow storm is still around the corner as I vividly remember back in the mid-90s when we had the April Fools blizzard. It still haunts me to this day. Anyway, spring turns…
Spring Is Sprung
Forgive me for potentially jumping the gun, however, I am pleased to announce that spring has officially sprung. I left my apartment without my winter jacket for the first time since October this morning and if I am reading my weather app correctly, the high temperatures for the next ten days range from 50 –…
Get Smart
I’m typically a late adopter, especially when it comes to technology. A dozen years ago while my wife and all my friends were enjoying the benefits of their new iPhones, I proudly held on to my thrifty Verizon flip phone. From my perspective, that phone could do most anything an iPhone could, such as texting,…
How Low Can You Go
I’m not talking about stock markets, the Limbo or being a bad person. I’m talking about Geography. If you’ve been reading this for a while, you may recall that about 7 years ago, Joan and I went to Africa, and in that trip we visited the Cape of Good Hope. Close to, but not quite…
Making Cents: Term Life Insurance Reviews
Many people buy their life insurance and then don’t think about it until the next premium notice arrives. Even if you’re in the early stages of a 20 year term policy that was to replace income for the premature death of a young parent, there may be issues for you that were not addressed by…
Preparation
Preparation is in full swing as we get closer to the due date for baby #2. We are getting the new room set up, pulling out all the baby stuff from the basement, and trying to mentally prepare as best we can. One person that always needs an extra shout out is my amazing wife,…
A Different Path
Back when I was a young pup at Napier (then US Wealth), circa fall 2016, I found myself in a bit of a tizzy. During my morning routine I received a text from Jenn (also in a tizzy) reminding me that it was Alex’s birthday. Since I had only been on the team for a…
Making Cents: Diversification or a Scattered Mess
Many investors know the concept of diversification. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, spread your risk, own a little bit of everything… These are some of the words we hear from families whom we politely refer to as a scattered mess. That scattered mess may be organized, in that you’ve got great…
Embrace the Mess
Hey, how about all of those crazy snow/sleet/ice storms lately? Don’t you just love shoveling the 2+ feet of snow that piled up on the walk, only to have another storm dump another three more inches of ice on top of that a few days later? Welcome to New England, my friends. As they say,…
Golf Goals
If you follow these pages, you know that I am a very average to below average golfer. But for some reason, I enjoy being outside and hitting that little round ball, even if it doesn’t go where I intended it to land. In 2022, my objective is to play at least once per month in…