Parsec Blog

Graduation Season
I had a wonderful experience recently attending my son’s graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was inspiring to be in Kenan Stadium celebrating his accomplishment and that of 5,000 other students, including undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree recipients. Graduation pomp and ceremony are inspiring, mixed with the contagious joy that
Parsec’s Perspective on Current Market Turbulence
This is a little longer message than I typically send during a declining market. But we believe everything is going to be ok, and I will explain why as we go.

10 Ways to Celebrate Independence Day
I proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1991 to 1992 as a medic. My time serving makes me appreciate being a U.S. citizen. This holiday, I hope you do something enjoyable with family and friends. Here are ten ideas — I will likely do a mixture of them all!

How To Prioritize Travel and its Associated Expenses
Do you like to travel? Are you already looking forward to your next big trip? Do you spend more time planning your vacations than planning your finances? If so, you’re not alone. Recent surveys suggest that many Americans devote more time each year to planning their vacations than planning their finances.

Education Savings: There’s No Time Like The Present
College saving is a topic near and dear to my heart, as we have a 17-year-old who is currently undergoing the college exploration process. It seems like just yesterday that we dropped him off for his first day of kindergarten. He looked so small walking into that big school with his little turtle backpack on. My wife and I both had tears in our eyes. Now he is towering over us at 6 feet, 2 inches tall, constantly eating and never gaining weight.

Hidden Costs of College
Congratulations! You have four years of tuition, room and board stashed away in your 529 plan, and your child hasn’t even graduated from high school yet. Now you can breathe easily, right? Well … maybe, maybe not.

Don’t Forget About Your 401(k) When Transitioning Jobs
Our society is going through an unprecedented churn in the labor market due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic but also because of the normalization of working from home. As many people search for an ideal work-life balance, it is important not to neglect the ultimate end goal, namely retirement, and even more important not to abandon the primary resource for helping to ensure a stable retirement, your 401(k).

Paying for College: Tax Savings
There are several tax benefits when saving for and paying for college.

“I hope the Russians love their children too …”
“I hope the Russians love their children too …” – Sting, “Russians,” 1985 Growing up during the Cold War era the 1970s and 1980s, lots of popular music featured the superpower conflict between the US and the Soviet Union: “Two Tribes” (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), “It’s a Mistake” (Men at Work), “Land of Confusion” (Genesis,

Confirming Adequate Property and Casualty Insurance
When is the last time you thought about your homeowners and auto insurance?

Dealing with the Rising Cost of Health Care
Financial Advisor Scott Kittrell outlines 10 ways to manage the rising cost of healthcare.

Tax Planning Unknowns
Co-Director of Tax Services Larry Harris explains how to approach tax planning using both knowns and unknowns.

Health Savings Accounts: The Basics and Retirement Benefits
Senior Financial Advisor Judson Meinhart explains the basics of health savings accounts (HSAs) and how it can benefit your retirement.

Get Ready for Tax Season
It feels as though we just finished this tax season with the next one already upon us. No time to waste so let the tax preparation begin!

Income Tax 101 for Investment and Tax Planning
With this article, I hope to equip the reader with a basic understanding of the individual income tax calculation and the use of a taxpayer’s marginal tax rate or tax bracket in investment and income tax planning.