Secure Document SharingSecure Document Sharing

July 19, 2016 in College Planning, Family Money, Summer Refresher Series, Young Adult Series
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...

June 1, 2016 in College Planning, Family Money, Young Adult Series
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...

June 1, 2016 in College Planning, Family Money, Young Adult Series
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...

June 1, 2016 in College Planning, Family Money, Young Adult Series
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...

May 25, 2016 in College Planning, Family Money, Young Adult Series
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...

March 1, 2016 in Family Money, Financial Life Planning, Retirement Planning
The power of elegant simplicity is certainly nothing new. When explaining the Tao of the universe back in fifth or sixth century BC, Lao Tze is said to have said, “A journey of a thousand [miles] starts with a single step.” But when it comes to financial planning, we have a way of making things complicated, fast. Fortunately, we have noticed a movement afoot to redirect our efforts back toward that...

November 24, 2015 in Family Money, Financial Life Planning, Young Adult Series
Perhaps I should have known on that day more than 18 years ago, when I caught my own breath listening to my son Devon’s beating heart for the first time: I was about to give birth to a talented and enthusiastic drummer. Regardless of where the future takes him, I hope Devon will always march to his own beautiful rhythm – the one that we celebrated recently at his Seniors...

September 29, 2015 in Family Money, Financial Life Planning, Investing, Young Adult Series
I’m so proud of my niece Jessica Iannetta.  She graduated from Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in May 2015 with degrees in newspaper and online journalism, and political science. She is now working as a reporter and photographer at the Cecil Whig, a newspaper in Elkton, Maryland.  Today I helped her enroll in her company’s benefits plans, which got me thinking that some of my advice to her...

May 20, 2015 in Estate Planning, Family Money, Young Adult Series
It’s official. Last week, my days as a legal guardian came to an end when my younger son Devon celebrated his 18th birthday.   Any parent can relate to my need for some extra oxygen just to share this news, let alone believe it myself. It’s also hard to accept that it’s been 19 months since my eldest son already reached adulthood. At the time, I used the milestone to remind...

May 4, 2015 in Family Money, Financial Life Planning, Gratitude, Insurance, Mindful living
Long-time readers of the SAGEbroadview Blog are already familiar with my story but permit me a moment to fill in our new readers. On May 4th, 2008 (just as the Great Recession got under way!) my family and I were in a serious car accident. My husband and two sons were banged up but otherwise fine; I had multiple abrasions and contusions and my neck was fractured in two places....