By: Jeffrey Buonforte, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
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Each stage of life presents new financial needs and the opportunity to reassess your financial goals. Studies show that people who get professional advice before they make major financial decisions fare significantly better than those that do not seek advice
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Yet many people don’t seek the help of financial planners. If you want to lose weight, you are likely to join a gym, get a personal trainer or go on a diet. Similarly, if you want to get your finances in order, you should develop a financial plan. If you don’t, you’re missing out on how you can grow your money to meet short-term and long-term needs. Each year, when you do your taxes, it’s a great opportunity to review that plan.
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By David Yanagisawa, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer
Home equity lending is starting to make a comeback. Many lenders are reporting substantial increases in home equity lending over the past year with Equifax reporting that the total number of home equity loans approved in the fourth quarter of 2012 represented a 19 percent increase over the same period in 2011
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What’s driving this up-tick? Home prices are beginning to stabilize and even increase which is restoring consumer confidence in the real estate market.
There are two types of home-equity lending. Home equity lines of credit (HELOC) carry variable rates and give borrowers the flexibility to borrow up to the full amount of the loan or just a portion. A HELOC functions like a credi ...
By: Robert Vandenbergh
Mobile Banking with Lakeland Bank is now even more convenient with the introduction of Mobile Deposit. It’s fast, completely secure, and as easy as taking a picture with your smartphone. ...
By Jeffrey J. Buonforte
Get ready. One of the largest transfers of wealth in U.S. history is on the horizon. During the next 30 to 40 years, baby boomers are expected to transfer $30 trillion to their children—and that is above and beyond the $12 trillion that they are in process of receiving from their own parents.
1 As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, I’ve been talking with our baby boomer clients about how to transfer this wealth, and with their adult children about how to plan to receive it.
To enha ...
By: Thomas Shara, CEO
Opportunities to teach children about money, and especially about earning and saving money, happen all around us -- at home, school, and during family leisure time. As children get older, they are more likely to make smart financial choices if they already have good habits to fall back on. While schools are also getting more involved, a parent is the first link in the learning process. Understanding at what age children can understand certain topics about money will help you to set them on the path towards achieving good financial habits.
Ages 3 – 6: What Is Money a ...