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Acorn Financial Advisory Services, Inc. is proud to announce that it has been named to the 2018 edition of the Financial Times 300 Top Investment Advisers.

The list examines RIAs registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and recognizes the top 300 independent firms across the United States based on quantifiable and objective criteria. The independent analysis is conducted in collaboration with Ignites Research based on the following traits: assets under management (AUM); AUM growth rate; years in existence; advanced industry credentials of the firm’s advisers; online accessibility; and compliance records.

“The Acorn team is excited and honored to receive this accolade. It is rewarding to see our work be recognized by a global institution as prominent as the Financial Times,” says partner, Matt Brennan, CFP®.

“I am very proud of my team. This award is a testament to their dedication and commitment to providing holistic financial planning solutions for our clients. Our mission is to continue to offer thoughtful and informed financial planning expertise while expanding the range of wealth management services we offer. We built this business with an emphasis on putting our clients first and we will continue to grow the firm on that guiding principle,” said managing partner, James Gambaccini, CFP ®.

Accepting the honor at an event in New York City on June 28, 2018 are Acorn’s Financial Planners, Matt Brennan, CFP® (partner) and Aaron Clarke, CFP®, pictured above.

Being named to the Financial Time 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers is based on the criteria cited above. The results are not indicative of any individual client’s experience nor is it indicative of future performance or success.

Many tax laws were changed for 2018 based on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in late December. We have summarized a handful of these changes that you should be aware of, but please understand that this is not a comprehensive list. We aim to highlight the sections that affect most individuals and businesses. Most of these changes went into effect on January 1, 2018. Tax returns filed during the spring of 2018 (for the 2017 tax year) are generally not affected.

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Happy New Year! We thought you would find welcomed and apropos guidance from our managing partner, James Gambaccini on the state of the financial services industry and the critically important role of the independent financial adviser.                                             

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With college graduation season upon us, we would like to welcome all graduates to our office for a complimentary financial planning meeting to help get you off on the right foot. Acorn Adviser, Aaron Clarke, discusses some of the meetings topics addressed with millennials in a recent CNBC article here.

In a recent CNBC article, Acorn Financial discusses the pros and cons of using target-date funds in 401(k) plans. These mutual funds are designed to provide a simple investment solution to clients by offering an asset allocation that automatically changes over time. At the beginning of the investment, the allocation is more aggressive and becomes increasingly conservative as the target-date, typically retirement, approaches.

James Gambaccini, CFP®, reminds investors that a cut-and-paste solution doesn’t work for everyone: “Often with target-date funds, the fund managers are making an assumption that the 401(k) is the entirety of the employee’s retirement funds, when in fact the client may have other IRAs or spousal retirement accounts. In doing so, both the assessed risk and portfolio allocation do not meet the client’s needs or retirement goals.”

For more details on target-date funds, view the full article here.

James Gambaccini CFP® and managing partner of Acorn Financial advises on what taxpayers can do to prepare for possible tax reform under the Trump administration, “whenever possible, defer any realized gains to down the road because we may have lower tax brackets during the Trump administration.”

Check out the full article detailing the proposed changes here.

Great piece out today in Reuters. James Gambaccini, CFP® and managing partner of Acorn Financial discusses how deploying non-traditional assets can be a wiser choice than some of the other things cash-strapped parents do, like raiding their own retirement savings or racking up high-interest debt.

“We have seen clients sell everything from Persian rugs to gun collections to classic cars, in an effort to fund their children’s or grandchildren’s college.” Read more HERE.

Acorn Planner, Aaron Clarke, comments on wise budgeting decisions in a recent Barron’s Next article titled, How To Make a Budget — The Shortcut Version. Follow these simple steps to improve your spending awareness and to keep focused on your money goals.

Acorn has been very fortunate in growing our team of expert Advisers in the past few years. James Gambaccini was quoted this week in “Financial Planning” magazine about the key to a successful merger: When merging two books of business makes sense.

This month we would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to our newest member of the Acorn team, Wayne Pampaloni. Wayne has been advising mid-size employers and high net worth individuals on retirement planning and wealth management since the early 1990’s. Wayne comes to the Reston office with a vast array of knowledge and experience after serving as partner in a regional employee benefits consulting firm through much of his career. We look forward to having Wayne as a valuable team member for years to come!