How to Start Saving Now: Simple Strategies for Women to Build Wealth
Madeline Barconi CFP®, ChFc®, CDFA® • October 15, 2024
Where do I start?
There is an abundance of personal finance advice out there, easily accessible, with a quick Google search. As the chief (fill in the blank) officer of many things in our household, I’ve learned to automate as much as possible to avoid the perpetual ‘to-do’ list. I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed when it comes to managing your money. But remember, taking control of your finances can be empowering.
Many of the clients I partner with have already achieved real wealth, so we are navigating their unique complexities. I also spend a great deal of time making real connections with their partner, their children, or really anyone they think would benefit from our experience and knowledge. As a result, I am able to work with younger clientele, often in the beginning or mid stages of their careers, thus making a really big impact.
Not a year goes by without having some version of the “what do I need to be doing right now to be financially sucessful” conversation. As Warren Buffet says, “No one wants to get rich slowly.” He and I may differ on our choices of lunch, no Big Mac for me. However, we surely see eye to eye when it comes to the merits of having a healthy serving of patience with a side of humility. It’s that long-term thinking and that steady approach to building wealth with consistency and discipline that makes you truly wealthy.
After all, he has accumulated 99% of his present wealth after the age of 50, but that was achieved by starting a lot earlier and incorporating really good habits. Having worked with hundreds of clients over the course of my career, I can confidently say that anyone who does the following on a regular and purposeful basis is destined for success.
- Plan, plan, plan. Did I mention I like to plan? I like to plan about planning. I am the person in your life who plans a year in advance down to the minute. It gives me comfort, and after having my son, that has ratcheted up even more. My best friend and I just had a “let me get the calendar out” to plan a Saturday night girl’s date conversation.
I understand that doesn’t work for everyone, and thinking about life in more than 5-minute increments can be challenging. How many of us roll our eyes when we are stuck behind the guy at Starbucks who doesn’t know his order yet… Yikes, and those are small stakes.
I can tell you with certainty what I’m doing tomorrow, quite precisely a week from now, and even one year is pretty clear. But zoom out, and it gets a little less clear, and anything beyond a couple of years is ambiguous at best. While I do not know at precisely what age I will retire or exactly how much money I will need when I do, I do know that I have never had a client tell me, “I wish I saved less for retirement.”
Savings early and often is the key to a successful retirement. It’s never too early to start, and the sooner you begin, the more you’ll have when you need it.
Ideally, you save at least 15% of your income towards some type of retirement plan, whether a company-sponsored retirement plan (401k, 403b, 457b), SEP IRA (for my self-employed bosses), SIMPLE IRA, or solo 401k. That 15% contribution includes your company match if applicable, but if you are someone who thrives on pushing yourself, cover the 15% yourself. At the very least, make sure you are contributing enough to get the match. Never, ever, ever walk away from free money.
Pay attention to your vesting schedule as well, which is something I recently touched on in a benefits-focused webinar. Too much job hopping can seriously impair your savings. Sure, 15% sounds like a lot, but if you can work towards increasing your contributions automatically, even by 1% each year, you can get to critical mass faster than you think. Building good habits now goes a long way, put some of your current cash flow aside now for “future you” (even if you don’t know what that future will look like quite yet). You are rewarding yourself, and you will appreciate it more than you may realize in the present.
- Once your retirement savings are taken care of, the script gets flipped a bit. Rather than focus solely on the long term, we need to button up the new expenses, the known and unknown.
For that, it is imperative to accumulate a 3–6-month emergency fund. 3-6 months’ worth of savings is a bit subjective, but from my vantage point, you should look at it in one of two ways: 3-6 months of expenditures, or if you do not have the best grasp on your spending, save 3-6 months worth of your after-tax income. So, you still live at home with your folks? Three months may suffice. Or you may be the type of person who sleeps better at night with a higher balance in your savings account helping you navigate life’s uncertainties; here, six months may be for you. This is a number that is best taken for a pulse check once a year with your advisor. I caution women, especially, from letting these savings get too high.
A study from Fidelity showed women are more likely to hold onto cash compared to men, citing a lack of confidence in investing as a reason for this preference. Do not let that be you. Setting aside 5% of your take-home will get you to that 3-6 months range in no time and without a big lifestyle shift. What’s also nice about this is once you have accomplished this objective, you get to cross it off the list which feels really good. - Hybrids… No, I am not here to recommend your next car purchase, but you could probably do worse for your budget and the environment. What I am talking about here is using tools that can be used in multiple ways, like a Swiss Army Knife or some other household hack.
I realize my audience may not love the retirement conversation resurfacing here. With the workplace retirement plan in motion and the emergency fund with a checkmark next to it, contributing to a Roth IRA should be next on your list. The Roth IRA is a powerful tool; first and foremost, it is a tax-free growth vehicle.
Accounts like these are rare, and if you want to truly level the playing surface with the IRS after years of them taking their piece, they won’t be in your pocket when it comes time to withdraw, as these funds are all for you.
- Just a reminder, from 2013 to 2023, the S&P 500 has gone up 9-12% annually on average (depending on the specific time frame) with a total return of 250-300%. When you invest over time, the combination of market growth and dividend reinvestment can lead to increased gains, all of which are tax-free so long as you keep the funds in a Roth IRA until you’re 59 and ½ and the funds have been in the account for five years (hello Roth conversions, more on that in a future post).
- Along with the tax-free growth, there is an “out clause,” so if you need access to the money before you turn 59.5, you can withdraw your basis (what you put into the account) at any time, penalty-free. Go ahead and leave the earnings behind to still keep growing for you. It’s like a secondary emergency fund. There are annual contribution limits to these accounts that go up every year with inflation.
- For 2024, the limit is $7,000. You should also be aware of the income limits to be able to contribute directly to these types of accounts. The income phaseout limit begins at $146,000 for a single filer and $230,000 for joint filers. If you are above these income limits, let’s chat. You can make “back door” Roth IRA contributions, but those need more delicate planning as the IRS has a lot of “if that, then this rules,” and it gets confusing quickly.
- If there is still more room in the budget and you want to keep it that way…skip having children. Kidding aside, just like I like to think of life in 5-year increments, I also like to think of my money in buckets.
Compartmentalizing my capital makes it easier to track my progress. Not only are there “retirement” and “non-retirement” buckets, but there are also “taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free buckets.”
Ideally, we have money in all of these buckets, helping us save, invest, and spend in the most tax-efficient way. Investing in a regular brokerage account is filling up the “taxable” bucket. That means if you invest $10 from your paycheck and the underlying investment grows to $20, the $10 of growth will be taxed when you sell that investment. If you sell it in less than a year (short-term capital gains) and realize the gain, you will pay regular income tax. If you sell it at least a year after owning it (long-term capital gains), you will pay a more appealing (lower) rate of either 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on your income.
Having this type of account is nice because it is not tied down to any retirement restrictions or penalties. You have access to the funds whenever you need them. If you do not plan on doing anything with the money for five years or more, you should invest it more aggressively; if you plan on using it before then, invest it more conservatively. Find an asset allocation (your mix between stocks, bonds, and cash) that is appropriate for your unique situation. - Back to the idea of having kids: They are a wonderful investment, and you may want to pair them with a 529 account. Obviously, there are many competing forces at work, especially in the department of family finances.
We all know childcare is expensive, and there are so many ways parents are trying to make it work. The average cost of childcare in the US is anywhere from $10k-40k per year. Even the low end may equal the household car payments, the vacation budget, or a significant portion of your rent/mortgage payments. I bring that up because 18 years will go by quickly if you haven’t already been told that by everyone at this point, and the cost of college isn’t cheap and steadily rising.
Just like saving for retirement, I approach saving for college in the same way, “save early and often.” 529 plans are state-specific but portable, meaning your child does not have to go to college in CO just because you have a CO 529 plan. The reason you would contribute to your state-specific plan is because certain states give you tax breaks for doing so. The tax savings are usually modest, but after all, you are given money for something you plan to do anyway.
Every penny counts, so make sure you choose the plan that is most appropriate for you. Each 529 plan should have different investment offerings. I typically recommend one that is low cost and more aggressive when your child is younger and gets more conservative as they approach 18. If you can put $5,000 dollars every year into a 529 plan for your child and it grows by 7% on average, you should have $170,333 dollars to fund those goals. If the grandparents or other family members set up an account for your child, just be cognizant of how much everyone is contributing.
Should you be in the lucky position of possibly “overcontributing,” just remember that you can only use these accounts for tuition, room and board, and books. Recent legislation addresses small leftover balances, but don’t go overboard here unless you can afford to start saving for your eventual grandchildren. Let’s just get through the next 25 years before we start thinking about that.
There are penalties for distributions that are not used for those purposes. Of course, everyone’s situation varies, and if all your kids are going to Stanford, that is a different conversation, but there are other savings vehicles you may want to consider once you hit a certain dollar amount in a 529 plan.
Now if there is any money left over, have some fun, it’s not all about the future, sometimes it’s important to stop and smell the roses. By acknowledging that life can get demanding and expensive best to start saving yesterday. The early years make a huge difference and can mean taking your foot off the accelerator in those later years by planning and executing now.
If you feel overwhelmed, that is okay. Ask for help from a professional who understands you and your goals, then create the path of least resistance in getting there.
Above all else, just get started; you will always be glad you did.
The views expressed represent the opinions of Breakwater Capital Group as of the date noted and are subject to change. These views are not intended as a forecast, a guarantee of future results, investment recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any securities. The information provided is of a general nature and should not be construed as investment advice or to provide any investment, tax, financial or legal advice or service to any person. The information contained has been compiled from sources deemed reliable, yet accuracy is not guaranteed.
Additional information, including management fees and expenses, is provided on our Form ADV Part 2 available upon request or at the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Breakwater Team
At Breakwater Capital, we work with families across the United States, providing each client with a personalized experience tailored to their current circumstances, future goals, and timelines.
Market outlook for Q4 2025: Fed rate cuts and strong earnings fuel gains, but elevated valuations, rising deficits, and speculative bubbles in gold and AI warrant caution. Learn what's ahead for investors.
Written by Madeline Barconi If you're one of millions of homeowners with a sub-3% mortgage rate wondering whether to renovate your current home or sell and upgrade to a bigger house, you're facing one of today's most challenging real estate decisions. Remember 2019–2021? We were all baking sourdough, learning TikTok dances, and, oh yeah, locking in 30-year mortgages at rates so low they now feel like unicorn sightings. If you were lucky enough to snag one of those sub-3% loans, congratulations, you basically married the George Clooney of mortgage rates. I’ll be the first to admit: this is something I personally wrestle with. My husband and I bought our house in 2020 with a shiny 2.99% mortgage, and at the time it felt like we hit the jackpot. Fast forward a few years, add our son into the picture (plus all the toys, gear, and chaos that comes with him), and suddenly everything feels… tighter. Now I find myself asking the same questions many of my clients do. Do I really want to give up a 2.99% rate for something closer to 6.25%? Or is it smarter to spend $80,000 on renovations to make this home work for us? And if I do sink that much into upgrades, is it worth it or would it be better spent on a new house entirely? If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone. Let’s break down the trade-offs between renovating vs. moving. Option 1: Stay and Renovate Your Current Home The Upside The upside of home renovations , you keep that dreamy, low interest rate. (Seriously, people may envy you forever.) Renovating can cost less than moving once you factor in realtor fees, moving costs, elevated utility costs, standard maintenance and those “oops we need all new furniture” moments. You get to customize your home for you, not some random buyer in the future. The Downside The downside of major renovations rarely cost what you think they will (hello, HGTV plot twist). People often spend 20-30% more than what they think they will. Living in a construction zone is… let’s call it “character building.” Not all upgrades add value, hello $40,000 outdoor pizza oven that a future buyer might shrug at. Try not to put more than ~10–15% of your home’s current value into renovations unless you’re planning to stay there for the long haul. Otherwise, you risk over-investing in a property that won’t give you the return you want. Option 2: Sell and Buy Something New The Upside The benefits of selling your home : you get the extra space you actually need, whether that’s another bedroom, a home office that isn’t your closet, or a backyard big enough for the trampoline your kids are begging for. Sometimes starting fresh is easier than trying to rework a space that just doesn’t fit. If your income has grown since you first bought, this might actually be the right time to “trade up” despite the higher mortgage rates. The Downside The downsides of buying a bigger home: interest rates today are… well, let’s just say they aren’t George Clooney. They’re more like that guy from your twenties who your mom referred to as “fine” whenever you told her they were coming over for dinner. Monthly mortgage payments will likely be much higher, not just because of the rate, but because home prices have risen too. Selling and moving is a ton of work (and expensive). Realtors, inspections, movers, cleaning crews, new curtains and furniture, more upkeep, it all adds up. Be honest with yourself about affordability. A bigger house isn’t worth it if it means saying goodbye to vacations, kids’ activities, or simply sleeping at night without financial stress. The Middle Ground: How to actually Decide Between Renovating and Moving At the end of the day, it comes down to your numbers and your priorities. Ask yourself: How much more space do I actually need, and why? Could I make my current home work with a targeted renovation? If I move, can I comfortably afford the new payment including taxes, homeowners insurance (which continues to be one of the stickiest contributors to inflation), and maintenance without derailing my other financial goals? Am I okay with giving up my “unicorn” interest rate for more square footage and convenience? Final Thought You’re not alone if you feel “stuck” between a rock (tiny house) and a hard place (big mortgage). I’m right there with you, debating whether to live through the dust of a renovation or trade in a once-in-a-lifetime mortgage rate for more space and more comfort. The key is not to rush. Run the numbers, think about your long-term goals, and weigh how much joy (and sanity) more space would bring you. Sometimes the answer is obvious, and sometimes it’s just about deciding which kind of pain (financial or construction) you’d rather live with. Either way, the good news is you have options, and knowing the trade-offs is the first step to making the best home buying decision (or not) for you. The views expressed represent the opinions of Breakwater Capital Group as of the date noted and are subject to change. These views are not intended as a forecast, a guarantee of future results, investment recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any securities. The information provided is of a general nature and should not be construed as investment advice or to provide any investment, tax, financial or legal advice or service to any person. The information contained has been compiled from sources deemed reliable, yet accuracy is not guaranteed. Additional information, including management fees and expenses, is provided on our Form ADV Part 2 available upon request or at the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov . Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
It’s annual enrollment time and for those with a small business or buying health insurance privately or in your state’s marketplace, it’s a wonderful time to revisit whether or not a Health Savings Account is right for you. While many of us are acutely aware of the rising healthcare costs, according to a recent WSJ article the data suggests with an aging (and somewhat unhealthy) population it’s hard to see any relief on the horizon. So, what can you do aside from eating well, exercising and managing stress to limit your trips to the physician’s office and minimize how much money you spend on healthcare each year. Here is something worth considering. First, let’s define a Health Savings Account (HSA). It is a tax-advantaged savings account designed to help individuals and families save for medical expenses whether for the year ahead, or better, for those expenses they’ll incur later in life. The account itself is paired with a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) which generally carry lower plan premiums as the insured (you) accept a little more of the financial responsibility for visits/treatments than traditional insurance. Here's how an HSA works and some key features:
Some financial pundits suggest that all you need for financial success is a “set it and forget it” approach with passive index fund investing. While long-term investing is indeed advantageous, is that truly all you need to do? What about tax-saving strategies, generating retirement income, or establishing a solid estate plan? And how should you respond to major life changes or significant market volatility? The simple fact is that managing wealth is complex, especially for high-net-worth individuals. From investment choices to tax planning and business succession, navigating these areas without professional guidance can lead to costly oversights. Partnering with a skilled fiduciary advisor can simplify the process, helping you focus on long-term success while steering clear of potential pitfalls. Breakwater Capital Group provides advanced wealth management solutions rooted in integrity and transparency. Our team of fee-only fiduciary advisors brings clarity and strategic insight to clients across the country. This article explores the benefits of professional wealth management advice, highlighting the value of a fiduciary advisor who provides comprehensive and personalized financial solutions.
Spring is a time for renewal—a season to declutter, reorganize, and bring fresh energy into our lives. While cleaning out closets and tidying up your home, why not do the same for your finances? A cluttered financial situation can lead to stress, missed opportunities, and hidden costs that can throw off your long-term plans. Taking the time to organize your finances can help you feel more in control and ready for the future. With over five decades of combined experience, Breakwater Capital Group helps clients nationwide manage their assets, offering personalized guidance through our Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Colorado wealth management offices. In this blog, we’ll explore why financial organization matters and the key steps you can take to refresh your financial life this spring.
Imagine you’re preparing for your retirement, anticipating enjoying the fruits of your labor. Then, you notice interest rates changing and fret about its impact on your savings and investments. Understanding these changes is crucial for maintaining the health of your finances. Monitoring trends in the economy enables you to make smart choices and navigate transitions wisely. Rising and falling interest rates can impact several aspects of planning for your retirement, such as investment performance and the cost of borrowing.
…grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. – Reinhold Niebuhr In a year that had already witnessed a noticeable uptick in volatility compared to the prior two years, the ongoing back and forth regarding looming tariffs, culminated in what has been described by many pundits as some of the most aggressive levies introduced since the 1890s. While the policy announcements themselves have been well telegraphed, the scope and scale are considerably higher than what was expected, as evidenced by the market’s harsh response. Rather than imposing tariffs based on pre-existing trade protections with our counterparties (i.e., existing tariffs, subsidies, or other barriers to entry) the formula to arrive at the tariffs focused more on the trade imbalance between the two nations. As the largest economy in the world, trading with nearly everyone, many of which are much smaller countries/economies, this was ripe for distortion. For those who have been long time followers of President Trump’s beliefs this should come as little surprise, a recent piece in the WSJ captures quotes dating back to the 1980s which share his perspective that the US was drawing the short straw and other nations should have to pay to access our robust and dynamic economy. Going back to the days of the earliest trade when men roamed the earth hunting for food there has always been some degree of mercantilism whereby one group looks to accumulate power and wealth and protect their own interests, but in the Post World War II era, it’s inarguable that the US has benefited enormously from their embrace of “free trade” and capitalism. Our economy has grown a hundredfold since 1950 when it was approximately $270BB. The naysayers will point out that back then the US accounted for about 50% of global GDP, peak wealth, or about twice what it is today, but that fails to account for the fact that much of the world having fought the theatres of war in both Europe and the Pacific was in ruin and needing to be rebuilt. There is a misconception that both NAFTA (1994) and China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (2001) were the watershed moments leading to the hollowing out of the US’s manufacturing base, but in reality manufacturing employment had been in decline going back to 1950. At its peak US manufacturing workers accounted for about 30-35% of the nonfarm workforce, whereas today that level sits at around 8% where it has hovered for the last 15 years. In 2000 it was just 15% so still very much the minority. This long-term shift in the mix of the US economy where services now account for a disproportionate percentage of GDP and the workforce overall is the result of a far more skilled workforce driving both innovation and productivity. Surely some manufacturing jobs have left based on the focus on corporate profits, but some of the change relates to comparative advantage and inexpensive labor. It’s not to say, that we should look to push all manufacturing to the most “efficient” destination, surely it’s important to maintain control of manufacturing of critical components to defense, information technology or medicine, but it seems unrealistic at best to expect that we can produce enough and at reasonable costs to satisfy our insatiable demand. We are after all only about 5% of the world’s population, though we account for 25% of global GDP. Talk about punching above our weight. Aside from the logistical challenges that reshoring/onshoring pose, not to mention the timeline associated with the payback for such efforts, the willingness or lack thereof on the part of the business and consumers alike beg the question of whether or not it is worth pursuing. Considering our societal tendencies for policy to reverse course every 4-8 years with Washington’s constant changing of the guard which has grown even more partisan in recent years, it’s hard to envision the private sector making these investments where there may be little or no long-term benefit to the majority of stakeholders, mainly consumers and shareholders alike. If we are being intellectually honest, as we have seen with the likes of Amazon, if automation or robotics can do the work better than human beings, who need benefits and breaks, the case for this policy bolstering manufacturing employment seems weak at best. That’s one of the key pillars of the artificial bull case after all. In addition, there is clear evidence that economies which produce a disproportionate amount of goods versus services are much more susceptible to the boom bust cycle as demand for goods themselves is far more cyclical, look no further than Japan and Germany whose export driven economies have largely languished for the last 20 years in the slow growth/no growth period in the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis. Let’s put all this into context, according to the World Trade Organization as of 2023 the US had a trade weighted tariff rate of 2.2% lower than nearly all countries around the world. For a country that is such a massive importer one might argue the low levels fostered healthy trade relations with some of our key allies and admittedly some frenemies or altogether poor bedfellows. With these sweeping tariffs, some as high as 49%, this marked a significant shift in policy where the aforementioned tariff rates will approach 30%, having a significant and lasting impact on consumers and businesses alike. Whether you want to describe a tariff as something different than a tax seems to be semantics, the added expense is rarely fully eaten by the producer. In the aftermath of the pandemic and the correspondingly high inflation due to excessive fiscal and monetary policy along with supply side disruptions, its doesn’t require too much detective work to know the average American is exhausted or outraged by higher prices. The tariffs will only add to the price at the register unless we all of a sudden find the private sector extraordinarily benevolent, willing for much if not all of the added costs to result in shrinking margins. By now you have surely figured out why there was such a market kerfuffle, but let’s make sure to fully examine why the result was to shave $3 trillion of market value off of US stocks in one day, which supposedly is the equivalent of 5 years’ worth of tariff receipts. First and foremost, despite opening the year with an economy bumping along with real GDP around 2.50% we have seen a sharp decline in the soft data, where surveys from the confidence board and University of Michigan plumb levels we have not seen going back to the pandemic when fears of a severe respiratory infection and 10% unemployment were front of mind. The hard data has been only a little better as labor has held up thus far, but as we have seen in Retails Sales there are signs that the consumer may be tapped out or growing wearier. With GDP likely to be between negative .5% to positive .50% for Q’1 that it’s like slamming on the brakes while driving in the passing lane. No surprise that there may be a real sense of whiplash. As the odds of a recession have risen, something the President himself acknowledges, it’s safe to assume expectations for earnings growth this year and next seem to be slipping away. With valuations stretched, there has been little margin for error and it’s those stocks, some of the most expensive that have felt the impact that much more acutely. This is why we have heard the “Mag 7” referred to as the “Lag 7” here in early 2025. Now you might be thinking this is likely transitory, a word that is making its rounds again after an ill-feted debut to Wall Street vernacular in 2022. If we are in fact, we are likely to see a shift to a more capital-intensive economy, is it reasonable to justify such high multiples which made more sense in an asset light, intangible heavy ecosystem? It seems hard to justify, from this vantage point. Hopefully, we will avert a recession, but that’s not to say it is an all-clear sign for the stock market. Earnings recessions, like that of 2022, may not lead to large scale job losses and disinflation, but increase the prospects for a bear market. There is a risk here that those fat margins whither because of trade frictions and lead to something more pernicious like a repeat of the stagflation episode of the 1970s and early 1980s where higher inflation sucks the oxygen out of the room leaving little room for real growth. So, what is an investor to do… Well for one thing, maintaining discipline in the form of diversification has helped and likely will continue to, with investors who have roughly half of their portfolio in overseas stocks and fixed income, the positive returns in these two areas have been able to offset some of the decline in US stocks. Incorporating other assets like Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPs), gold or real estate may help mitigate the risk somewhat but as we have seen in the past times of market angst correlations often increase, giving the appearance there is no place to hide. Eventually markets will calm down, as the last of the sellers capitulate, though that process can take weeks or even months to play out. I’ll leave you with some quotes from some of the smartest minds on Wall Street to ponder as we head into the weekend. “Sometimes the share price of a firm tells the CEO of that firm nothing about their company they didn’t already know. Other times, the stock market takes on the role of “active informant.” Stock prices predict investment because they provide business managers with useful information about the future. I think now is probably one of those times. -Neil Dutta, Head of Economics, Renaissance Macro “We all know the math: the stock market has historically grown by 10-11% over the long run but only gone up 60-70% of the time. That means it has corrected 30-40% of the time. Surviving those drawdowns is the price of admission.” -Jurrien Timmer, Director of Global Macro at Fidelity Investments “We are a great nation, the leader of the free world. Yet we squander our political power to appease the textile industry in the Carolinas! We should instead be setting a standard or the world by practicing freedom of competition, of trade, and of enterprise that we preach. -Milton Freidman This presentation is not an offer or a solicitation to buy or sell securities. The information contained in this presentation has been compiled from third-party sources and is believed to be reliable; however, its accuracy is not guaranteed and should not be relied upon in any way whatsoever. This presentation may not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and does not give investment recommendations. Any opinion included in this report constitutes our judgment as of the date of this report and is subject to change without notice. Additional information, including management fees and expenses, is provided on our Form ADV Part 2 available upon request or at the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website, www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
If you’re a business owner, you’ve undoubtedly spent years building your company and made countless sacrifices. Have you considered how your business will transition to new leadership when you’re ready to step aside and pursue other goals? A succession plan can help preserve the value you’ve worked hard to build. Succession planning is not just about who takes over but how the transition happens to ensure the business’s long-term survival. Whether passing ownership to family, employees, or external buyers, it’s wise to have a strategic plan that minimizes disruption and protects your company’s value. At Breakwater Capital Group , we help business owners develop comprehensive succession plans. With decades of experience, Breakwater is a fee-only fiduciary financial advisory firm serving clients nationwide with wealth management offices in Denver, CO, Paramus, NJ, and Greater Boston, MA. This blog explains why having a succession plan is important, outlines its key components, and shows how Breakwater can assist you in this crucial process.
Watching the news and seeing sudden drops in stock prices or economic events that threaten your wealth is stressful. Market volatility is becoming more common in today’s fast-paced and interconnected world. However, depending on how you’re invested and what your financial situation is, a volatile market doesn’t automatically spell trouble. At Breakwater Capital Group , we navigate economic uncertainty with personalized financial planning and investment strategies. As a fee-only fiduciary financial advisory firm, we proudly serve clients nationwide, with wealth management offices in Denver, CO, Paramus, NJ, and Greater Boston, MA. In this blog, we’ll explore what market volatility is, how to be mindful of it, and the strategies Breakwater uses to help clients manage it effectively.
Every parent wants to give their child the best opportunities in life, and a quality education is a key part of that. However, with college costs rising rapidly, planning ahead has never been more important. Over the past 20 years, tuition and fees at public four-year institutions have more than doubled, making it essential for families to explore various options and develop a savings strategy. At Breakwater Capital Group , our Greater Boston based wealth management team works with individuals and families nationwide to develop financial plans that incorporate college savings while keeping other financial priorities on track. This guide discusses the rising cost of college, available financial aid, and practical strategies to help Greater Boston parents prepare.