If there’s an investment instrument that has withstood the test of time, it’s the good, old U.S. savings bond. Since their 1935 debut under “New Deal” President Franklin D. Roosevelt, they’ve never been known for their get-rich glamour. But to this day, investors still turn to them when appropriate. When do savings bonds still make sense, and what are best practices for managing them these days? The Enduring U.S. Savings Bond As...

Okay, I know budgeting is rarely fun for anyone, but it can be especially hard on young adults. You’ve just wrapped up your formal education and received your first decent paycheck – way more than you’ve been earning between classes. What’s a common reaction? “I deserve a shopping spree!” Meantime, the necessary expenses add up too: food, clothing and shelter for today and tomorrow. You get to the end of...

Attention, all parents and students! We bid farewell to Sheri’s Summer Refresher Series and bring you an important, good-news announcement that you might have missed in all the back-to-school action (including all the obligatory “first day at school” social media posts and pics). As reported in a New York Times article, “Earlier Date for Filing Fafsa Form for College Aid,” the national Education Department just made it easier to apply for...

Let us count the ways that we still love this post about the benefits of youthful investing in a Roth IRA. First, there are few investment lessons more powerful than the importance of starting to save and invest when you’re young, with time, compound returns and tax sheltering opportunities on your side. Second, it’s been heartening to see how far guest author Chris Annello and Sheri’s niece Jessica (who inspired the...

In early June, several of us at SAGEbroadview shared our recent adventures in the college admissions process. In particular, Sheri described some of the college admission challenges  that she, her husband and her youngest son Devon encountered as they sought a good fit for his higher education ambitions. It would be comforting to say that it will be easier for Sheri this time, since Devon is their second son to head...

Following up on Sheri’s insights  from Devon’s search for a musical program, Wendy Vissar reflects on the challenges that she, her husband Michael Slackman and their son Nikolas have encountered in his desire to pursue a career in theatrical arts. As long-time neighbors and good friends, Nik and Devon are both about to make their way into the wider world. We hope they remain close to us and one another...

Shakespeare may have been right when he penned, “All the world’s a stage.” But as Sheri, her husband Dave and their youngest son Devon have discovered, an aspiring performing arts student will still find the college admissions process even more challenging as a result of extra audition and other specialized requirements. Following is Sheri’s advice for families of students who are interested in entering performing arts programs, like the one Devon...

In our last post, we described how a number of us here at SAGEbroadview have been on personal quests to send our kids to college … and have lived to tell the tale. Today, we share some of the key insights Lynn Iannetta Baker discovered as she, her husband Scott and their daughter Sarah looked into schools that seemed best suited for Sarah’s educational aspirations. Combining two parts of practical wisdom...

Planning for College It never rains but it pours, or so the saying goes. As it applies to sending our beloved adult children to college, many of us here at SAGEbroadview have been getting deluged lately. As Sheri described, Dominic flew the coop in 2014. This fall Devon, her youngest son, is entering the University of Hartford’s music performance and composition program via The Hartt School. Lynn has also recently completed “the...