From the category archives:

Personal Finance

8 considerations for Marcellus Shale leasing

by Mike Winesburg September 2, 2010

The recent Marcellus Shale gas & oil leasing phenomenon has created a lot of excitement for landowners throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. For many it’s turned into a windfall of money and a lot of decisions that need to be made. Decisions to ensure you not only secure favorable leasing terms but protect the [...]

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Should you leave your children an inheritance?

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® September 1, 2010

I generally advise clients not to expect to receive an inheritance when planning for their future. Many variables can change over time making a sure inheritance disappear. Issues such as a market decline, long term care need, or estate taxes could alter the amount you inherit. Recently, I’ve been reading about a new trend among [...]

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Real Estate: down but not out

by Mike Winesburg August 30, 2010

Recent quotes and headlines: “Housing is a Lousy Investment and Always Will Be.” – Yahoo Finance. “Housing fades as a means to build wealth, analysts say.” – The New York Times “Housing values will only keep up with inflation and a home will return the money an owner puts in each month but not multiply [...]

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Planning for long term care

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 25, 2010

When talking with people in or nearing retirement, the subject of long term care (LTC) is often of concern. By now, you are probably familiar with the risk of needing LTC, but don’t know many details of how to plan for it. There are many misconceptions about long term care in general, and I have [...]

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Realistic expectations

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 23, 2010

Early this year I decided to start running again. For several years I had stayed in a minimum level of shape at the gym, but like a Jerry Seinfeld bit I remember, I was only in shape enough for my next elliptical workout. Nothing that translated into a real competition. So in March I slowly [...]

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Raising money smart children

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 19, 2010

I hadn’t thought much about raising financially responsible children until I began presenting to a group of college students at Bethany college a few years ago. “Professional Transitions” is a course taught by retired executive recruiter John Osborne. As the name implies, it is designed to help highly educated students function as professionals in the [...]

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Same great taste with zero calories

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 16, 2010

The food and beverage industry spends millions of dollars annually attempting to convince consumers that Diet Dr. Pepper “tastes more like regular Dr. Pepper” or that Miller Lite tastes great and is less filling. Is that possible? Can an artificial version of the original product be just as good, without all the negatives? Can it [...]

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McKinley Carter Picnic in the Park

by Admin August 12, 2010

This past weekend, the Wheeling, WV office of McKinley Carter hosted a picnic for more than 200 of our clients and friends. The event was held to thank our clients, and get together socially for the afternoon. Crossing our fingers paid off, as the weather turned out to be perfect. The day started off with [...]

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Budgets: The 4 steps to managing cash flow – part 3

by Mike Winesburg August 11, 2010

Now that we understand the three categories in which cash flow can be directed (Committed Expenses, Discretionary Expenses, Savings), we can begin to look at the guidelines by which we direct our cash flow. So, money comes in and awaits direction from you on where its next destination will be. How? You ask………. by following [...]

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Buy low and sell high. Right?

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 6, 2010

A firm called the Investment Company Institute, ICI, publishes data each week on how much money investors deposited into, or distributed out of mutual funds. From this data, you can gauge what individual investors are doing with their assets. The most recent report showed that for the week ending July 28, investors deposited $7.12 billion [...]

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West Virginia 529 plans enhanced

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 5, 2010

Options for parents saving for higher education have dramatically improved over the past ten years or so with the introduction of 529 savings plans. When I was growing up, my parents choices were very limited. They could save in their name, or in a custodial account. There weren’t many tax incentives under those circumstances. Enter [...]

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How do you retire?

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 5, 2010

Rumor has it that Brett Favre will retire again from professional football this week. Since he has retired, and un-retired so many times, there is speculation this one won’t “take” either. Whatever decides, the latest media frenzy reminded me of a question I am asked often. How do you retire? Literally. How do you retire? [...]

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Desire to win vs fear of losing. What motivates you?

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® August 4, 2010

Picture in your mind the all-time great sports champions. Maybe your thinking of the 1970′s Steelers, the (pick a decade) New York Yankees, or maybe the “Showtime” LA Lakers. What made them them great? Many teams have great players. What is it about the great teams or players that elevates them beyond just being purely [...]

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Budgets: Ground control to Major Tom – part 2

by Mike Winesburg August 2, 2010

As I explained in Part 1 of this series, a budget is nothing more than a “cash flow” plan- a systematic way of directing money to its next destination. As the master of your own personal cash flow, I liken you to an air traffic controller directing airplanes on a busy runway. It takes a [...]

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5 steps to protect your identity

by Russell Dunkin, CFP® July 26, 2010

Compared to the fear a home invasion strikes in people, identity theft seems comparably benign. I’m not sure if it’s the “out of sight, out of mind” principle, or not, but few people I talk with put much concern in having their identities stolen. Two recent client discussions, may convince you otherwise. In both, real [...]

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