Third Time is a Charm

by Karen Pettingell on

I recently traveled to France for the 3rd time.

The first time was my honeymoon, 25 years ago, when I was just a “kid”. We did all the touristy stuff.  I was too nervous to go to the top of the Eiffel tower or the Arc de Triomphe, so I waited while my husband did it. I don’t remember much of...

We (Okay, “She” Did It)

by Rick Ropelewski on

Last month we celebrated a family ‘first’ and ‘last’.  Our daughter Molly finished college in May month, so we celebrated our first college graduation as parents.  It was also my last (at least as best I can tell) commute from Washington DC to Boston, driving the family car jammed to the roof with...

Birthday Party

by Tom Lally on

As I’m now getting ready for my 34th birthday, birthday parties aren’t something I even think about at this point.  But turning 1?  That is definitely cause for a celebration!  And celebrating is exactly what we did recently, with a wonderful birthday party for our daughter Briana.

We intentionally...

Let's Go Crash A Kite

by Nora Daniels on

Last weekend, I took Saoirse for her first time to see kites flying. She was much more interested in seeing the other children than the kites, but the experience brought back one of my favorite childhood memories of flying a kite. Well really, it involves crashing a kite.

When I was about 4 years...

For the Dogs

by Karen Pettingell on

I have loved dogs for as long as I can remember. I grew up with parents who were on the opposite end of the loving dogs spectrum.  My father did not want anything to do with them, and my mother loves them. I have 4 siblings and between the 5 of us and my mother, my father was worn down.  On...

Market Update: Debt Ceiling

by Rick Ropelewski on

With tax season behind us, the big financial news coming from Washington, D.C. now is about the debt ceiling.  Here we’ll talk about what’s going on, what could happen, and what it means for your portfolio.

Congress authorizes various forms of spending through the legislation it passes.  When...

Look Both Ways, Twice!

by Rick Ropelewski on

As the training wheels come off and we get more experience as empty nesters we recently decided to go farther afield with our travel. My wife Martha loves art history and is a big fan of European artists from the 17th through 18th centuries.  She read about an exhibition for the Dutch artist...

What A Year

by Tom Lally on

Briana will turn a year old in a few weeks.  This seemed like a good opportunity to pause and reflect on what a wonderful and eventful year it’s been.

The biggest change has probably been her mobility.  We’ve really come a long way since those first few days when the only thing she could do was...

One Million Vs. One Billion

by Nora Daniels on

I’m a bit obsessed with dates and numbers (hey – can you expect anything else from someone whose passion is Finance?). I appreciate a date like 4/4 (which is today!) more than most people. Therefore, when it recently came to my attention that I was turning one billion seconds old, I was a bit...

Tsunami

by Karen Pettingell on

I was in Maui in March 2011, when Tokyo had the 9.1 earthquake.

It was March 10th, and my husband and I went on a whale watch.  January, February, and March are prime whale season in Hawaii.  The humpback whales migrate there to have their babies in the warm water.  We had been on this particular...

Market Update: March 2023

by Rick Ropelewski on

We wanted to share our thoughts regarding SVB Financial Group and Signature Bank being taken over by federal regulators.  The capital markets have been predictably frightened and volatile on this news of two bank failures.  While we are always monitoring developments in the economy and financial...

Start Over, I Blinked...

by Rick Ropelewski on

I always wondered whether my kids’ high school or college years would go by more quickly.  Our visit last month for senior parents’ weekend had me revisiting this question and working through the mental exercise.  One morning Molly and I went to a local coffee establishment, her studying and me...