Ballast Rock Private Wealth Press

Sept. 20, 2024
Investment advisers are urging clients to dump hefty cash allocations now that the Federal Reserve has begun its much-anticipated interest-rate easing, a process they expect to limit the appeal of money-market funds in the coming months.

Sept. 25, 2024
It's easy to feel intimidated by industry jargon when you're starting to invest. This guide explains some of the most common terms you need to know.

Sept. 20, 2024
RIA Ballast Rock Private Wealth has appointed Joe Miller as a wealth advisor; he is based in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Sept. 6, 2024
"I can't decide if this is more like a rollercoaster ride, or a game of whack-a-mole," Jim Carroll said on the state of market volatility.

Aug. 20, 2024
To avoid making common financial mistakes, investors must understand how human nature can lead them astray. The funny thing is human help can be the answer.

Aug. 8, 2024
The volatility index (^VIX) has seen some major movements this week, spiking on Monday amid a large global sell-off. Can the market stabilize or is it due for more volatility?

Aug. 6, 2024
Wall Street's most-watched gauge of investor anxiety logged its largest ever intraday jump on Monday and closed at its highest since October 2020, as traders scrambled to hedge against market volatility during a global selloff fueled by U.S. recession fears.

Aug. 5, 2024
Wall Street took a beating Monday as all three major indexes plunged on fears the US economy is slowing faster than expected.

Aug. 5, 2024
The Monday morning peak was the highest level the VIX has hit since March 2020, shortly after the Federal Reserve’s emergency actions during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to FactSet.

Aug. 5, 2024
Wall Street's most-watched gauge of investor anxiety logged its largest ever intraday jump on Monday and closed at its highest since October 2020, as traders scrambled to hedge against market volatility during a global selloff fueled by U.S. recession fears.

July 25, 2024
When advisors are starting out in the business, the definition of a target client can be, let’s say, very broad: Practically anyone with a little money to invest might qualify.

July 15, 2024
Americans from coast-to-coast will be tuning into this week's GOP convention. Wealth managers will be watching too.

Jun. 16, 2024
All offer great tax breaks as you save for retirement. In addition, there are 403(b), SEP and SIMPLE plans and more. But don't worry. It’s hard to go wrong.

Jun. 12, 2024
Most investors build their portfolios to achieve two goals: growth and protection.

May 28, 2024
Estate planners need to assess their clients' trust strategies as the expiration date on key Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions draws nearer, advisors say.

April 29, 2024
Ever wonder how the most sophisticated consultants and highest-rated portfolio managers allocate investments for their large, institutional clients?

April 24, 2024
These strategies are especially for women who are new to managing their money because of divorce or the death of a spouse.

Mar. 25, 2025
he stock market is calmer than it has been in years. Some worry that a popular strategy is contributing to the tranquility.

Mar. 25, 2024
Clients who just lost their spouse probably aren’t thinking about taxes. But it's something that should be on the minds of their advisors.

“Advisory support in the months that follow can be critical to the client making wise decisions,” said Mark Weiskind, president of Fairway Wealth Management in Independence, Ohio.

Feb. 28, 2023
It’s a great time to be starting out in the financial advisor industry. The silent generation and baby boomers have begun transferring trillions of dollars to their heirs, and the graying financial advice industry needs more advisors to help those heirs. But that doesn’t mean the career is easy. So for this week’s Barron’s Advisor Big Q, we asked five veteran financial advisors to weigh in on how their younger colleagues can have successful careers.

Dec. 15, 2023
As a family business owner, you know that setting up a retirement plan for your employees is one of the best ways to attract and retain top talent. But not all retirement plans are created equal. While business owners can set up plans directly with one of the major financial services firms, their financial advisers or family offices are often in a better position to evaluate not only which types of plans work best for the business, but also how those plans play a role in family wealth planning.

Dec. 7, 2023
September saw a number of senior moves at organizations such as Rockefeller and Pitcairn, Fidelis Capital brought in a team of advisors from Bank of America Private Bank, overseeing more than $4.5 billion of client money.

Nov. 2, 2023
Can I contribute to a 401(k) and an HSA?

Absolutely. Andrew Mescon, chief executive of Charleston, S.C.-based Ballast Rock Private Wealth, generally advises clients who are saving for retirement to contribute at least the minimum amount in a 401(k) to get the full employer match, if offered, before turning to HSA accounts. “You are getting free money from your employer by doing that,” he says. Then, if you are still able to put money aside on a tax-advantaged basis, an HSA can be considered along with your other options.

Nov. 2, 2023
As often happens when uncertainty envelopes financial markets, the topic of alternative investments lands on the tips of many tongues.

Granted, hedging risk or adding some octane to traditional alpha via alternative investments isn’t for everyone. Still, experts say alternatives are worth reviewing in the current market cycle.

Oct. 10, 2023
The bet is that the yield curve on U.S. Treasuries will "normalize," one market observer says. The paradox of the $37.5 billion iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) is shaping up to be the ultimate example of investor optimism paired with opportunism.

Sept. 26, 2023
The recent wave of market volatility is reinforcing September’s reputation as the scariest month for stocks and could force financial advisors and investors to search for a safe place to hide.

Aug., 4, 2023
It’s time for the wealth management industry to learn a thing or two from family offices about service.

July 13, 2023
Once the sole purview of institutions, alternative investments have moved more into the mainstream of the wealth management industry, with a growing share of financial advisors offering products outside of stocks and bonds. But while adoption is becoming more widespread, advisors continue to register frustration with both the options and resources available to them.

June 29, 2023
Christian Salomone, Chief Investment Officer at Ballast Rock Private Wealth, joins Jill Malandrino on Nasdaq TradeTalks to discuss why there is an uptick of interest in private credit investments.

May 18, 2023
Advisors who’ve shied away from the private-wealth markets should start helping clients explore and vet their options.

Apr. 15, 2023
Focus on a Niche and Become an Expert. For executives, there’s often a temptation to handle big issues and make outsized impact. But then we end up trying to boil the ocean, so nothing gets done. Big problems require focus. Focusing on a niche allows you to become an expert and deliver extraordinary value to your customers while having true ownership over the outcomes.

FEB. 14, 2023
Investments like real estate and other private markets can generally weather difficult market conditions better than their more liquid counterparts and, over the long run, have historically provided higher returns and lower volatility.

Feb. 8, 2023
Last year’s stunning collapse of FTX has inevitably led to questions about whether founder Sam Bankman-Fried intentionally misled and defrauded his investors.

But, it also begs a more fundamental question: How did the due diligence carried out by FTX’s large institutional investors miss the red flags?

Jan. 27, 2023
Ballast Rock Private Wealth, a Registered Investment Advisor with a focus on private-market investments, has appointed Emily Glassman (pictured) as a senior advisor.