Sarah Swan, Author at Howe & Rusling

Trump’s 2025 Tariff Plan: Market Impacts and Portfolio Strategies

Sarah Swan April 4, 2025

We’ve spoken with so many clients who are feeling completely uneasy about recent market volatility and the political landscape, and for good reason of course. So many of you have weathered market storms before, but as I said in last week’s Insights piece, it’s one of those things that unfortunately doesn’t get any easier just because you have past experience with it. We empathize with the angst and uncertainty you’ve likely felt the past month but of course particularly over the last two days regarding tariffs—and more than empathy, we feel this weight on your behalf.

Grandmas and grand-daughters having tea in an apple orchard

The Gift of Simplicity: Why Consolidating Finances and Logistics Matters as We Age

Sarah Swan March 28, 2025

If my kids were old enough to read this newsletter, they’d say “Mom, all you do is lecture people, including us.” Good thing for me, they aren’t there yet. But alas, I hope you wouldn’t agree with their presumed sentiment. The reality is that as advisors to our many, many cherished clients over decades, we believe we pick up on themes to which individuals wouldn’t otherwise be privy.

Open book on white background with window light

Investment and Life Lessons from the Greats: Buffett, Munger, and Berkshire

Sarah Swan December 13, 2024

I set a goal for myself to read more in 2024. This felt equal parts lofty (where will I find the time?!) and obvious (perhaps less doomsday scrolling, and online shopping would serve me well). I had never been a big reader before, and I wasn’t proud of that. This year, though, something was unlocked for me—admittedly, and embarrassingly, many years overdue. I gave myself permission to drop anything that wasn’t thrilling to me, and I figured out what I love to read. The result? Twenty-nine completed titles in 2024, and eight dropped titles. Life is, in my opinion, too short to suffer through books I don’t like.

Money is Weird: The Psychological Side of Our Financial Choices

Sarah Swan October 18, 2024

What I shouldn’t do as a financial advisor is wax poetic about the ways a person should spend their money. We give a lot of informed advice as advisors, and much of that advice is centered around data and modeling and educated extrapolating about a person’s specific circumstances, but one thing that’s less straightforward is advice about how people should spend their hard-earned money. Money is so personal.

Insights: Let the Market Be a Gut-Check

Sarah Swan September 20, 2024

I recently met with an impressive 90-something-year-old client of mine who’s been managing his own investments for most of his life. It’s only recently that he decided it’d be a good idea to give up [some of the] reins and lean on an advisor. I have to commend a decision like that.

Street$marts: Understanding Annuities–Different Types, Hidden Fees, and Tax Implications

Sarah Swan August 21, 2024

One of the questions we get here often is about the differences between bond funds and individual bonds. While both are a great way to add some fixed income exposure to your portfolio, you’ll want to understand six key differences between the two so you can decide which is the right investment tool for you.

An Ode to Summertime

Sarah Swan June 21, 2024

When you’re little, the world around you seems to turn like a play. And you’re at the center of it. Scenes change; sets turn over—without so much as an interruption. The show goes off without a hitch. The crew in black aren’t seen as they rush around the stage—but you wouldn’t have noticed them anyway. Because things happen somewhat magically when you’re a kid.

Help Maximize Returns: A Comprehensive Guide to Savings and Short-Term Investments

Sarah Swan April 9, 2024

Over the last couple of years, a very commonly asked question we hear from clients or regularly address in our financial planning process with individuals is what to do with savings in this environment of higher short-term interest rates. It’s a good question, and one that hadn’t been particularly relevant in the decade prior, marked by near-zero interest rates. It’s relevant now and continues to be relevant.

green smoothie in a glass with a metal straw held by a 30-something

6 things to improve your financial well-being in your 30s

Sarah Swan March 1, 2024

A checklist for all of you 30-somethings out there to improve your financial well-being today.

Street$marts: 6 common problems we help our wealth management clients address

Sarah Swan February 15, 2024

Sarah Swan, Certified Financial Planner and Wealth Manager at Howe & Rusling, covers some very common issues we often see when it comes to clients’ investments or finances generally.

Sarah Swan

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