Asset Management Employee benefits Financial Planning ISOs NQSOs RSUs Stock options

How Much Money Should I Have in Employer Stock?

It is not uncommon for employees with stock options or equity based compensation to hold too much employer stock. Employees don't often realize how much of their financial future is tied to their employer. Other times, individuals simply ignore the risks or just have no idea how concentrated they are.…

Kristin McKennaOctober 26, 2016

Asset Management Employee benefits Financial Planning ISOs NQSOs RSUs Stock options

Are You Holding Employer Stock in Your Retirement Plan?

Investing your 401(k) in company stock can be quite risky. Although companies are scaling back on the practice, there are still many big U.S. firms that allow participants to buy employer stock in their retirement plan or that make matching contributions in the form of company stock. Employees unaware of…

Kristin McKennaOctober 5, 2016

Asset Management Investing

Know How You’re Invested

This article was originally published on U.S. News by Kristin McFarland, Wealth Advisor at Darrow Wealth Management. Whether you manage your own money or hire a professional advisor to do so on your behalf, it is important to understand the investment strategy, even if only at a high level. Quite understandably,…

Kristin McKennaAugust 31, 2016

Asset Management Financial Planning Prioritizing financial goals

Using Risk Tolerance and Asset Allocation to Achieve Your Goals

How aggressively you should be invested depends on more than just your risk tolerance. Some investors are much more emotionally risk averse than their goals will allow for. The question then becomes: can you handle the psychological aspect of being invested in the market in an effort to reach your…

Kristin McKennaAugust 24, 2016

Asset Management

Reshape the Way You Measure Your Portfolio’s Success

This article was originally published on U.S. News by Kristin McFarland, Wealth Advisor at Darrow Wealth Management. Most investors focus on traditional benchmarks, such as the Standard & Poor's 500 index, to evaluate the success of their investment portfolio. Unless you're only invested in large-capitalization, predominantly U.S. equities, the S&P 500…

Kristin McKennaMarch 10, 2016

Asset Management Financial Planning Retirement Planning U.S. News

Your 401(k) Loan Is Costing More Than You Think

This article was originally published on U.S. News by Kristin McFarland, Wealth Advisor at Darrow Wealth Management. Most people who borrow against their retirement account will never fully recover. (more…)

Kristin McKennaFebruary 13, 2016

Asset Management College planning Financial Planning

Give the Gift of College: Starting a 529 Plan

Whether celebrating the arrival of a new nephew or a granddaughter's first birthday, relatives (and friends) are often looking for meaningful gifts for their loved ones. With college costs at record highs, many parents may not be able to pay the full cost of their children's higher education without help.…

Kristin McKennaNovember 18, 2015

Asset Management Financial tips for young professionals Investing Prioritizing financial goals Starting to invest

When Should I Start Investing?

Young professionals in their twenties and thirties often ask, when should I start investing? It can be difficult to determine when you're financially stable enough or how much money you need to get started. Although these answers will differ for everyone, it is generally wise to start developing an investment…

Kristin McKennaSeptember 16, 2015

Asset Management Investing Managing Risk Rebalancing Roth IRA

Why Do You Need To Rebalance Your IRA?

Why do you need to rebalance your IRA? Setting up an asset allocation for your traditional or Roth IRA is important to diversify your investments to meet your long terms goals and manage risk. Asset allocation is the composition of your portfolio - the percentage of your investments that will…

Kristin McKennaAugust 19, 2015