We've had countless conversations with clients this year about the importance of getting their cash off the sidelines. Yes, money markets and high-yield savings accounts are paying great rates compared to just a year ago. This is great news for your short-term cash needs. But what about for longer-term cash?

The purpose of this blogpost is to educate new investors and to remind seasoned investors about what they really own in their investment portfolios: equities.

Traditional retirement accounts like employer-sponsored 401(k)s are a large part of retirement savings, but there are benefits to using multiple account types. Contributing to accounts outside of your employer’s 401(k) not only gives you greater investment choice, but can free you from: age restrictions on withdrawals, administrative burdens of RMDs, and valuable tax flexibility.

Have you ever walked into a store looking for a specific product and find a few different options? You may opt for the cheapest option because it will probably work just as well as the more expensive one. When our CPA Emily Agosto worked at a hardware store as a teenager, she saw many customers face this choice. Her store offered two hammers for sale: a cheap store brand and a superior, albeit more expensive, brand. Which one did customers typically buy? If you guessed the cheap one, you’re right. They figured the cheap hammer would get the job done for what they needed to do. After all, how much difference could there be between hammers?