Blog
Are you courageous?
A culture of courage is built on strong pillars. This past week, the Reagan-Udall Foundation issued a report, Operational Evaluation of FDA’s Human Foods Program. It is an objective analysis of how well the FDA is functioning,...
Read MoreWhat’s your best advice?
What's the best advice you have given to others? Did giving that advice help you follow your own suggestion? Often the act of giving advice can lead individuals to implement the ideas they suggest as helpful to others.
Read MoreJames Clear on Opportunity Costs
I just read this great quote and questions by the author of Atomic Habits, James Clear in his weekly newsletter: "How much could I lose?" is not merely a financial question. If I make this choice: - How much time could I lose? - How...
Read MoreAre your values part of your financial plan?
Are you values driven? Do your actions play out what is most important to you? It’s not easy sometimes to live up to our own standards of what we believe and how to get there. It is true that some people have incredible resolve...
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Life Changes
Do you have an idea of where you want to be in five years? After I had my oldest son, now 22 years ago, I didn’t really know where I wanted to be in five years. I wasn’t even asking myself that question, but after a baby,...
Read MoreLearning --what comes next?
Do you take art classes, work with a coach on your golf swing, or are learning a new language on your commute? Are you trying to improve your work skills or go for that next degree? Do you find learning about your finances challenging?...
Read MoreHappy to Announce: Sarah Schut Attains Chartered SRI Counselor™ Designation
Radcliffe Financial is proud to announce that Sarah Schut, CFP®, RICP® has been authorized by the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company to use the Chartered SRI Counselor™ professional designation...
Read MoreStaying on track during Covid --
Has Covid thrown you off-course? Who do you know that has been most affected? As I look around my world, surveying my clients, friends, and family, I am struck by the psychological toll the pandemic has taken and continues to take...
Read MoreGiving is even more valuable in 2020
Thanks to the CARES Act there are special tax benefits for cash donations made in 2020: Many people no longer itemize their tax returns. To help make giving valuable to all tax filers, the CARES Act, allows for an...
Read MoreBuilding with a plan
Is your portfolio sound? Is it thoughtfully constructed? The blueprint for a portfolio is built for your goals. It is individual to your stage in life. It considers retirement goals, and what financial concerns or risks that might keep...
Read MoreTo do list
Do you have a to-do list right now? Maybe one sitting on your desk, in a planner, or maybe just a mental check list. Is "balance my retirement portfolio" on the list? Is figure out how much I should be saving written down? Opening a...
Read MoreBring back home-ec class
Did you take it back in school? I’m old enough that it was mandatory, and as I reflect on school, it was incredibly helpful. It’s where I learned as a kid: How to write a check and balance a checkbook How compounding...
Read MoreSo what – you ate the marshmallow
There is a study constantly sited in financial planning about an experiment done with preschoolers and marshmallows. The study found that kids left alone with a marshmallow and told if they didn’t eat it, they would get more...
Read MoreMy son turned 21!
Have you had a birthday in the last few months? It’s not easy with limited social contact, but I’m happy to say we managed to have a wonderful, relaxed birthday. Homemade fish and chips and a bottle of champagne. What a...
Read MoreCommunity = Home
What do you miss most – going out to eat, concerts, hanging out with friends? All of it! What I really miss are First Fridays. In our little town, on the First Friday of the month everything opens in the evenings –...
Read MoreFeeling Strong
Are you checking your investment account far more often since we entered the current crisis? Is retirement near and market turbulence is keeping you up at night? Or, are you recently retired, and second-guessing your plan? Are you...
Read MoreLife one year from now
What aren’t you doing right now, that one year from now you will wish you had? I am paraphrasing a question that appeared in one of James Clears’ email newsletters, which I look forward to receiving every week. Does this...
Read MoreWhat are your professional principles?
Guiding Principles as a Business Owner: Act in the best interests of clients And in a way that is legal and ethical Compete aggressively to succeed Base investment strategies on a scientific methodology Emphasize financial...
Read MoreSchool started on Tuesday
My 15 year old daughter earned money to buy some of the clothes she wanted. It's been a learning experience for both of us.
Read MoreSummer Jobs
What was your first job? My 16 year old son was a sailing instructor this summer. He learned a lot about working with children, parents, bosses, and coaching peers. It was a tough first job. He liked working with the kids. Things were...
Read MoreGetting the paper
When I was growing up my parents had three newspapers delivered. One paper in the morning and two in the afternoon. Back then, my parents took the time to read an article or two in the morning at breakfast before starting the day. In...
Read MoreSummertime
The Luxury of No Air-conditioning People are shocked to hear that my family doesn’t have air-conditioning. We live in an old farmhouse by the Chesapeake Bay. Summers are hot and humid. You can smell the marsh on muggy nights. The...
Read MoreRemembering D-Day
Dad never went back to Normandy, Italy, and definitely, not the North Sea where he was horribly seasick. At 17 he had enlisted in the Navy. He said one of the last things he remembered after enlisting was seeing the “What Trenton...
Read MoreTalking to your teenager about paying for college…it can be a very touchy subject!
Monday I was at my desk paying bills and going through the budget. I was not in a great mood. I don’t find writing checks that much fun. I was also checking account balances including the 529 plans set up for my kids. In case you...
Read MoreWhat happens if?
She lost her husband last October. He was in his 50s. She is in her 40s. He was there one day, and he was gone the next. She and her three kids still try to understand what has happened to their world. How could it happen? They had a...
Read MoreEconomy -- which way?
Are you hearing conflicting economic analysis? This morning I received some economic data analysis reports from two different sources. The first explained that the dollar hit its highest level of 2019 as new U.S. home sales increased 4...
Read MoreOuch! My health care fund is stinging!
Do you believe the long term potential for investing in health care stocks? Right now the health care segment is taking a bit of a bruising. It's important to remember why you might include health care in your portfolio. If you have an...
Read MoreWhat makes a professional?
The waiting room… My son is in for a day of testing at Nemours in Wilmington, Delaware. It’s not dire, but we have questions, and after a long day, in about a week, we will know more. We are fortunate because although our...
Read MoreAre you worried about the market?
The S&P, the Dow, NASDAQ – have lost their gains for the year as of December 27th. Retired clients are nervous about “where will I get income?” As investors we have been counting on gains in value along with earnings...
Read MoreDo you have a great big financial plan gathering dust?
Catching up on what’s going-on Recently, a friend of many years contacted me. He and his wife knew me when I was young, long before my years of education, exams, and time spent becoming a financial planner and investment advisor....
Read MoreThe Day After Thanksgiving
I was at a party outside Washington, DC, last weekend, and it only occurs to me now, I was one of just three natural born US citizens. There were South Americans, Russians, Ukrainians, Koreans, and more. Everyone had an American story....
Read MoreSavvy Social Security Planning for Baby Boomers
Social Security is far more complicated than most people realize. The decisions baby boomers make now can have a tremendous impact on the total amount of benefits they stand to receive over their lifetime. Social Security in the Future...
Read MoreA young veterinary feels the burden of student debt - a financial planning story
The sticker shock of graduating with a doctorate A friend asked me to talk to her best friend from high school. She has just graduated from veterinary school, and she has already landed a dream job as a small animal vet in her home...
Read MoreTaking the leap into retirement -- how one client’s pension is fueling her happiness
Do you know someone who has just retired? Recently I met with a client who just retired from a 30-year career. She feels very good about making the leap into retirement. She’s ready to enjoy life without so much worry. We were...
Read MoreDoes planning for healthcare costs in retirement concern you?
Are you putting money in your 401K, paying down your mortgage, saving for the kids’ education in a 529? Are you doing everything just right, but you still don’t feel secure? What’s bothering you in your retirement...
Read MoreHave you built your legacy? It’s more than just investments.
Do you have a mission statement for your legacy? Do you remember the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey? There’s an exercise in the beginning of the book to help individuals define their personal...
Read MoreGray divorce, women, and retirement
What happens if? It’s been 20 years, and the marriage ends. I know more than one person who thought it would never happen – divorce. It’s not in the plan. How do you start over? There are more and more gray divorces....
Read MoreThrilled to announce!
After many years of study and practice, I have achieved the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. Here's a link to an online article. The CFP® marks identify those individuals who have met the rigorous experience and...
Read MoreHappiness, time, and money
Does money make you happy? Money is a tool. It pays for our housing, food, clothing. As we move up in the world, money provides more and more for us, better cars, better clothes, better furniture, better (fill in the blank). We strive...
Read MoreAre your finances gathering dust?
Let me tell you a little story… Motivated to action Last weekend I want wanted to get out my art supplies and create something! I had been saving some special paint for the perfect project, and I had finally come up with that...
Read MoreKids and Money
As the mother of five children, I want to make sure my kids have good financial sense (sorry for the pun). Even for a professional, it’s nice to have a basic guide with financial milestones for kids. Recently, we were contacted...
Read More“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” - Benjamin Franklin
-Benjamin Franklin To understand a client’s investment goals you gather all of the relevant documents from risk tolerance and investment statements to life insurance policies, but an important asset that people often forget is...
Read More“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”
How do you want to fully experience life? Buy a sailboat Learn to play the piano Fly family and grandchildren home for the holidays Leave money to the Humane Society Take a river boat cruise down the Sein Put money in a 529 for...
Read More“If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.” -Benjamin Franklin
Living in Kent County, Maryland keeps you grounded in American history. Visit downtown Chestertown and you are walking in a community rich with Colonial architecture from Wide Hall on the Chester River to Washington College. Our very...
Read MoreBuilding a Tool Box
“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” -Ayn Rand In our business we speak with clients about investment diversification, performance and risk, but there is so...
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