I was meeting with a client recently and she asked if there was a listing of wealth management best practices; something to review and use as a tool to enhance her efficiency in managing and thinking about her wealth. The more I thought about her request I realized that this...
The recent Equifax data breach makes it clear you should consider the spectrum of actions you can take to protect your financial information. Even if you weren’t among the half of Americans impacted, assume that your information has been or will be exposed. Social Security numbers, names, addresses, and dates of birth were...
Highland is pleased to announce a collaboration between our CEO John Christianson and acclaimed lifestyle author Kobi Yamada on Hello Someday, a new book to inspire and celebrate your retirement. Whether you are retiring or moving into a new phase after a significant wealth event, Hello Someday is a great resource for...
The topic of online security is constantly in the news for one reason or another. The issue affects individuals, large institutions and those in between. Chances are good you have either already been a victim of online fraud, or know someone who has. Call it the price of our super-connected, wireless,...
An often overlooked factor in building wealth is protecting your credit rating. Your credit score might seem like a small part of your financial profile, but that number becomes your passkey to credit. If debt is a material part of your financial life, your credit score can translate to a...
The use of technology to provide investment advice is not new, but the practice is growing significantly. There is even a term for it now, “robo-advisors.” They are not, as the name suggests, robots, but human beings who use algorithms to manage their clients’ assets. Firms who use these algorithms generally...
Are Wealth Managers Worth It? With all of the low-fee, index funds and exchange traded funds available to investors, the question is worth asking. The short answer is, it depends. Research shows that good wealth managers actually produce measurably higher returns. Vanguard recently addressed the topic in this white paper, concluding that...
Increasingly at Highland, we are communicating with clients digitally rather than in person, as the options and channels for keeping in touch multiply. Email, social media, newsletters, blogs, video chat, and phone calls are substituting for the old-fashioned, face-to-face meeting. It turns out we’re not alone. This report found fewer in-person meetings...