White Oaks Insights
Are You Prepared to Freeze Your Credit?
Freeze Your Credit The thought of freezing your credit can seem like taking a test that you are not really prepared for. In the heat of the moment, you may find the only thing freezing is your mind. Unfortunately, data breaches continue to increase in frequency and in...
When Can I Retire?
When can I retire?...a question of great significance to many individuals. Laura Bereiter, CPA, CFP®, of White Oaks was quoted for answering this very question. The article consists of the Top 11 Retirement Planning Questions Clients Ask. Laura comments, "Our answer...
The Debate Over Dividend Stocks
Alex Duty, our portfolio manager, wrote a great white paper on dividend investing. Dividend investing is a popular strategy and one we come across from incoming clients. Alex’s position is that dividend stocks only earn abnormal returns due to their value tilt, not...
Reflecting on Summer at White Oaks
Where it all began The past three months at White Oaks has been one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had. Reflecting on summer at White Oaks, my path to get here was quite unconventional. Unlike previous interns, I did not go through a rigorous recruitment...
White Oaks Investment Management in Business Observer Top 500
The Business Observer Top 500 included White Oaks Investment Management on the 2019 list. This means White Oaks is among the highest-revenue companies in the Gulf Coast area. Additionally, White Oaks has moved up 26 spots in the ranking, from last year. The list...
Families and Financial Planning
Families and Financial Planning While studying Personal Financial Planning (PFP) at Texas Tech University, I noticed in one of my classes of 40 students, I was one of 10 females. Then, I realized that this pattern is the gender distribution in all my PFP courses....
Gift Card Fraud – Protect Yourself
Gift cards have become a very popular and easy way of gifting, and scammers and fraudsters are waiting out there to take advantage of retailers and consumers. I would like to share our experience of gift card fraud with you, so you can prevent this from happening to...
Lending Money to Family
A situation we see here at White Oaks often is our clients want to help family. One way to do this is by a family loan. Whether to a parent, a sibling or a child, our clients often feel an altruistic pull to help family out by lending them money. This can often be a...
Tax Considerations of Using a 529 to Fund a K-12 Education
State-level laws often take time to catch up with new federal laws, and often times, never align exactly. The funding of K-12 education using 529 plans in Minnesota is no exception. Federal tax law now provides that 529 plans can fund a K-12 education through...
Third Quarter Economic Update
In our most recent economic update Sharon Bloodworth, CEO, CFP®, delves into a number of topics facing our economy today. Through the video she discusses a broad market overview and general economic indicators. She then drills down into what housing is doing, both...
Trusts: Top Ten Reasons Why
Just like school subjects get more complex as you age; so too, does managing your finances. Sure, you may have established a standard will and healthcare directive early in your financial life. Those, however, may not address the more complex needs you have as you age...
Is It Time To Refinance?
Mortgage rates are at two-year lows and continue to be significantly less than the historical average. With home values holding and/or increasing in most markets many homeowners are wondering if now might just be the perfect opportunity to refinance. After all, last...
Transform Your New Year’s Resolutions
How are You Doing on Your New Year’s Resolutions? While working with Laura Bereiter, the Director of Tax and Financial Planning here at White Oaks, she assigned the interns the task of writing summer goals. Through this process, it made me reflect on my New Year’s...
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Once again, I attended the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) conference. The Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota held the event. WEAAD was created to recognize the significance of elder abuse. Elder abuse is a growing social and financial...
Welcoming White Oaks’ Summer Interns
The White Oaks team is excited to welcome Justin, Mari Kate and Mo (from left to right) as they begin their summer internship with us. Here is a brief introduction to each of our summer interns. Mo Mo Aghelnejad has always known he wanted to major in finance. He...