Fall 2025 Newsletter
When it comes to wealth management, success isn’t just about beating market benchmarks.
Article
Smarter Wealth: Where Goals Meet Institutional Discipline
When it comes to wealth management, success isn’t just about beating market benchmarks.
Tax-Smart Retirement Income Planning Strategies
Retirement is a goal we set with dreams of traveling abroad, playing golf, relaxing on the beach, pursuing a passion project, spending more time with family and friends, or ticking off items on our personal bucket list. As retirement comes into view, the most common question is. “Will you be financially secure when you take…
October: National Retirement Security Month
October is National Retirement Security Month—a great reminder to pause and check in on your financial security. Retirement planning is more than just numbers; it is about preparing for your life’s unexpected turns, protecting your loved ones and giving yourself the confidence to make choices that align with your values. Research shows individuals who plan…
Financial Planners Can Bridge the Gap
As you accumulate wealth over a lifetime, complexity follows. Early in your career, financial planning may have consisted of budgeting, cash flow, building an emergency fund, and getting proper insurance in place. You may even engage an advisor for investing, an attorney to draft wills, or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to do your taxes….
Government Shutdown: Short-Term Disruption, Limited Financial Long-Term Impact
Washington is once again in a government shutdown. Investors may be asking, does this really matter for the economy and markets? History provides a valuable perspective. What History Shows Shutdowns occur when Congress fails to pass appropriation bills or a temporary funding extension. When that happens, federal agencies close, hundreds of thousands of workers are…
Leveraging Commercial Real Estate Financing through a Private Bank
Commercial real estate (CRE) has long been one of the most attractive avenues for building and preserving wealth. For investors, developers, and business owners, financing is often the key that unlocks opportunities in this space. While traditional banks and public lenders remain common sources of capital, many sophisticated clients turn to private banks for a…
The Importance of Updating Your Estate Planning Documents
Consistently updating your estate planning documents is essential to ensure your wishes are accurately reflected and legally enforceable as your life circumstances change. Consider these top eight life situations or events that highlight the importance of regular updates. 1. Life Changes Major life events often require updates to your estate plan. These include: If your documents…
The Mega-Donor Mindset: Strategies to Maximize Your Philanthropic Impact
While we don’t all have billions of dollars to give away, the mindset and strategies of billionaire philanthropists like Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott can be adopted to make anyone more impactful, intentional, and fulfilled in their giving. Giving requires having the right mindset and a thoughtfully integrated approach. Here are a few things…
Beauty or Beast: The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and Key Tax Changes to Prepare For
The passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1) has many excited for extensions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act legislation. Others are feeling disheartened by the significant cuts made to important programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Regardless of your personal viewpoint, from a planning standpoint, it’s important to understand what…
Bryn Mawr Trust’s Internship Experience Pushes Jordan Walter Pelzer Out of Comfort Zone
Integrity is a critical trait for any financial planner, but at Bryn Mawr Trust, it’s non-negotiable for everyone, including interns. That experience has been central to Jordan Walter Pelzer’s experience as a Wealth Management Intern with the company. Coming into the summer, Pelzer’s goal was to discover the type of leader he wanted to become….
Is Now the Time to Consider Alternative Investments in Your Portfolio?
Most people are familiar with traditional investments, such as stocks and bonds; however, alternative investments may be foreign to many investors. Although alternative investments can be traced back to the 1800s, they gained notoriety in the 1980s to protect assets from market volatility1. What are alternative investments? An alternative investment (also known as Alts) is…
3D Investing: 2025 Mid-Year Economic and Market Outlook
As Americans celebrated Independence Day, Congress passed President Trump’s sweeping “The One, Big, Beautiful” bill, and the U.S. simultaneously executed a successful strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Equity markets have responded with exuberance, rallying sharply on renewed optimism. This surge follows a volatile first half of 2025, marked by the shock emergence of DeepSeek AI…
Luxury with Intention: Aligning Lifetime Spending with Long-Term Financial Goals
To quote the lead character in the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” The same can be true for our finances; it’s easy to lose track of where our money goes. However, lifetime spending with intention…
Why Understanding Target Date Funds Matters More Than Ever
Most employees in 401(k) retirement plans are not professional investors, and they don’t need to be. However, in a retirement system that increasingly places responsibility on individuals to make informed investment decisions, having a basic understanding of your available options is essential to achieving long-term financial security. One of the most common and impactful tools…
Caring for Aging Parents and Estate Planning: What the Children Need to Know
As parents age, adult children often find themselves in the dual role of caregiver and financial planner — a balancing act that can be emotionally and financially taxing. This dynamic, frequently referred to as the “sandwich generation,” describes those who support their children while caring for aging parents. One crucial yet often overlooked aspect of…
Secure Your Wishes: 4 Essential Reasons to Have a Living Will
In today’s fast-paced world, planning for the unexpected is more important than ever, especially when it comes to our health and medical care. A living will serves as a vital safeguard for individuals and their loved ones, articulating one’s preferences for medical treatment in situations where they may be unable to voice those choices. This…
Smart Foreign Exchange Strategies for Summer Travel: Maximize value and minimize stress with these tips before you take off
As summer travel season approaches, many of our clients are making plans to explore destinations across Europe, Asia, and beyond. Whether your itinerary includes sun-soaked beaches, historic cities, or family adventures abroad, it’s important to think ahead when managing foreign currency needs. Smart foreign exchange (FX) strategies can help you avoid unnecessary fees, reduce risk,…
Building Resilience: 2025 Mid-Year Economic and Market Outlook
The first half of 2025 will be remembered for two defining events: the onset of reciprocal tariffs, marking an American trade war with the world, and Chinese AI developer DeepSeek’s revelation that shattered the myth of American AI supremacy. Amidst the fierce rivalry between America and China, these occurrences exposed the opposing forces of de-globalization…
Trusts – an Essential Resource for Family Financial Planning
As families accumulate wealth, trusts offer protection, growth, and efficient transfer from an individual (or grantor) to beneficiaries. While previously thought to be reserved for the ultra-wealthy, trusts are an excellent financial planning resource and are gaining popularity among the broader public. Today, we review how trusts may help families prepare for a multitude of…
Partner with a Private Banker for Your IOLTA Needs
An Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) is a type of trust account used by attorneys to hold client funds that are either too small in amount or held for too short a period to generate interest for the individual client. Instead of the interest benefiting the client, the interest is pooled and directed toward…
Unlocking Your Home’s Hidden Potential: How a HELOC Can Help You Move Beyond ‘Golden Handcuffs’ and Transform Your Living Space
If you’re among the millions of Americans, like my wife and I, who purchased or refinanced their homes during the early years of the pandemic, you were likely fortunate enough to secure a mortgage rate between 2.5% and 4%. Mortgage rates reached an all-time low in January of 2021, but have since more than doubled,…
What is a Living Trust, and Why Do You Need One?
People often ask whether they need a living trust for their estate plan. The answer depends upon your goals for managing your assets during your lifetime and how you would like to transfer them after your passing. Here are some key points to consider when determining whether a living trust is right for you. What…
Building a Legacy: Essential Steps for Intergenerational Wealth Management
The largest wealth transfer in history is happening right now. Baby Boomers—who control an estimated $84 trillion in assets…
The Importance of Staying Calm During Market Volatility
Despite the short-term volatility in the market, it’s important to remain optimistic about the long-term outlook.
Navigating Market Volatility: Strategic Insights Amid Rising Trade Tensions
The announcement of blanket tariffs on all foreign goods coming to the U.S. resulted in a sharp market selloff yesterday. Indications for today show no reprieve, as China, the world’s second-largest economy, is imposing its tariffs on U.S. goods. While historically, similar sparks have ignited a global trade war, immense uncertainty remains. Further retaliatory announcements…
The Importance of Placing Properties in an LLC for Estate Purposes
Estate planning is one of the most thoughtful decisions property owners can make when placing real estate assets in a Limited Liability Company (LLC). Many people think estate planning is just about writing a will, but it involves much more—especially if you own valuable property. Using an LLC for real estate can provide legal protection,…
The Difference Financial Planning Can Make
Financial planning can have many definitions. It can relate to your business, your finances, or your family in general. This exercise provides a road map of where you have been financially, where you are, and where you want to go. I am often asked how frequently I should partake in this exercise, and my answer…
Understanding Interest Rates in the U.S. and How They Affect Deposits, Lending, and Mortgages
Interest rates play a pivotal role in the U.S. economy, influencing everything from consumer spending to business investments. These rates determined mainly by the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”), directly affect the cost of borrowing and the returns on savings. For individuals and businesses, understanding how interest rates rise and fall—and the ripple effects these changes…
Introduction to Digital Asset Investments
Since the emergence of Bitcoin in 2009, digital assets have gained popularity at an exponential rate. Digital assets encompass a wide range of electronically created and stored items that hold value, including cryptocurrencies, tokens, and digital collectibles (Smith, 2025). At the core is blockchain technology, which utilizes encryption techniques to ensure the authenticity of digital…
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