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Interested in Personal and Financial Planning?
Welcome! Bridget Sullivan Mermel and John Scherer talk introduce themselves and talk about why they started the channel, Friends Talk Financial Planning.
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Should You Consider Investing in I Bonds?
In this episode of Friends Talk Financial Planning, John and Bridget discuss the new rates for I bonds that changed on November 1. They...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Nov 14, 2023
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Using I Bonds New Fixed Rate to Optimize Earnings
I Bonds New Fixed Rate is about double what it was before--up to .9% of your investment. In this video we talk through the strategies...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Jun 11, 2023
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Reasons to Sell I Bonds | Time to Ditch Your Latest BFF?
Reasons to Sell I Bonds: The new rate announced with Series I Bonds is 4.30%, which includes a .9% fixed rate. With the new interest...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
May 9, 2023
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Athlete Investment Advice | We React!
Athlete Investment Advice | Sloan Stevens and Blake Griffith are two athletes who were profiled in a recent article. Both detailed their...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Apr 27, 2023
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Buying I Bonds Before Rates Drop? What's Best For You?
Buying Series I Bonds before the rates drops make sense for many people. The rate changes on May 1 for new purchases, but in 2023, you...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Apr 17, 2023
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Roth for Kids and Grandkids | Making it Easy and Legit!
Kids benefit from Roth, just like grownups do. Children benefit from Roth can be great places to save money and it can be especially...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Mar 20, 2023
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Annuities vs Bond Ladder | Which One is Right for You?
Annuity vs Bond Ladder. Since bonds and CDs are making money again, people are interested in bonds and CD ladders. We wanted to get more...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Mar 13, 2023
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Mutual Funds vs Exchange Traded Funds | Which Do You Want?
Mutual Fund vs Exchange Traded Fund? There are basic differences you should know. We talk about why the two forms of investment have...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Feb 20, 2023
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I Bonds News | Fixed Rate Explained | Blooper included!
I Bonds News: I bonds are one of our favorite investments. But now, with the new rates as of November 1st being down over 3% compared to...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Nov 20, 2022
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Should I Buy I Bonds Now & How I Bonds are like Old Fashioned Cocktails!
Should I buy I bonds now? There's an incentive because interest on the series I bond changes November 1st. In this video we'll explain: *...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Oct 30, 2022
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Why We Love I Bonds: Series I Bonds. 9.62% Guaranteed in CD-like investment...What's not to Love?
We Love I Bonds. These are inflation-adjusted savings bonds that are issued by US Treasury Direct. Here are three reasons we love them:...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
May 21, 2022
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I Bonds: Buy Now or Wait until May? Like Planting Zucchini!
Figuring out if you want to buy I bonds now or wait until May can be confusing. With guaranteed interest rates on these savings bonds...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Apr 18, 2022
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How to Pick Investments for My 401K? | We reveal how we invest our 401Ks
Figuring out how to pick investments for your 401K can be confusing. We tell you how we chose mutual funds in our own 401ks, what our...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Mar 20, 2022
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Crypto: Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)? Is that Good or Bad?
The Larry David commercial during the Superbowl plus other ads play on our FOMO (fear of missing out) on crypto. Do you need to be afraid?...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Mar 20, 2022
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Is Buying an Annuity a Mistake? 5 Red Flags to Watch For
Too often, buying an annuity is a mistake. It doesn't have to be. Watching for 5 simple, easy to identify red flags can help you avoid...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Feb 26, 2022
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The Super Bowl and Money: Takeaways you can use in your personal financial planning
Millions of people around the world will watch the Super Bowl but few will think about lessons they can take from the game to apply to...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Feb 13, 2022
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Investment Market Insight: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly from 2021 Predictions
There is never a shortage of stock market predictions, but have any of those actually given insight into what is going to happen in any...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Feb 7, 2022
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Invest, Gamble or Speculate; What's the difference?
Invest, gamble, or speculate. John's going to Vegas. Is that to gamble? Invest? something in between? In this episode of Friends Talk...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Jan 15, 2022
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Stock Market Predictions: Our Outlook for 2022
There is a lot of news about stock market predictions for 2022, find out our outlook for 2022 and learn market predictions are worth your...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Jan 11, 2022
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Socially Responsible Investing for Good Returns: How to Invest in ESG without Lower Returns
Socially Responsible Investing means lower returns to some people. It doesn't have to. In this video, we explain how to get market...
Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA
Dec 18, 2021
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