The Trusted Advisor

Contributed by Geoff Blyth, portfolio manager, senior vice president and chief investment officer for Tompkins Financial Advisors, Western New York

This article, created by Tompkins Financial Advisors, was originally published in Tompkins Weekly on September 8, 2021

If you follow any business news channels or investment publications, you might be surprised by this blog. Conventional wisdom suggests companies trading at a less expensive valuation and directly tied to the cyclicality of the economy are better bets on the market as rates move higher.

If your fiftieth birthday is around the corner, it may be time to start thinking about some changes to your financial plan. We’ve outlined what you should keep doing, what you should evaluate, what you may need, what you should watch out for, and what you should plan for and consider all in one place.

The Build Back Better Act is a proposed legislative spending plan aimed at raising revenues and changing or adding certain governments programs. At this point, we can only speculate at what will pass and what will not, but one thing that is for certain - change is coming. More specifically, a majority of the revenue proposals will impact high-income, high net-worth and small-business owner individuals.

Our friends at Western New York Physician Magazine recently partnered with Sue Redsicker, Director of Financial Planning, on an article entitled, A Boom in Gray Divorce Means Special Considerations for Women. Head over to their website here for the full article. You can find it on page 25 of the digital edition. 

As originally published in Tompkins Weekly on September 8, 2021

It is that time of year again… back to school! Every year this event ends up costing more than most parents want to spend, and every year it gets more expensive. As a parent of three kids myself, ranging from elementary to high school, I can understand and empathize. Here are some tips and tricks to assist in school saving and budgeting. If the ship has sailed for the 2021-2022 school year, these helpful hints will get you on board for the next one.

As the economic recovery continues, corporate earnings are surging as businesses grapple with outsized levels of pent-up demand. In the second quarter alone, earnings for S&P 500 companies have exceeded analyst expectations with year-over-year growth a whopping 90%! For the full year, earnings are estimated to grow 40% – the largest annual increase since the Great Financial Crisis.

Company stock compensation plans are a great way for companies to reward and retain their employees. Restricted stock units (RSUs) are one of the more common forms of this type of compensation. RSUs are granted to an employee and generally vest over specific lengths of time. The longer the employee stays with the company, generally, the more RSUs the employee receives. Individuals who are fortunate enough to receive these benefits should develop a strategy to ensure that they do not become overly concentrated in a single stock position.

Content originally featured in Western NY Physician Magazine - navigate to page 20 to view.