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BWFA News

  • The Irrational Effects of Financial Trauma

    By:  Jim Edwards, CFP ® | Financial Advisor & Portfolio Manager Financial trauma can occur through a variety of means. It can occur on a personal basis such as a job loss, bankruptcy, or divorce. It can also occur systemically through… Read More

  • Mutual Funds and The Pitfalls of Chasing Returns

    It is important for investors to understand the challenges and motivations that mutual fund managers face as they manage fund portfolios. For many of us, mutual funds are the primary investment vehicles in  our employer-sponsored retirement plans. However, the misguided behavior… Read More

  • A Balancing Act: 5 Steps for Creating a Sound Portfolio

    By:  Joseph A. Caputo | Chief Information Officer & Associate Portfolio Manager Creating a well-balanced, diverse portfolio of securities can be tricky. It requires time, discipline, and research. There are many factors to consider when developing an investment portfolio appropriate… Read More

  • Being Prepared: The Best Kept Secret To Low-Stress Tax Return Filing

    By:  Benjamin Dorsey,CPA, CFP®, CDFA™, MST | Director of Tax Services “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” — famous words from Benjamin Franklin that have stood the test of time (and likely… Read More

  • Selling an SBA 8(A) Government Contractor

    By:  Brian MacMilllan | Managing Director Mergers & Aquisitions While the Small Business Administration 8(a) Program can provide business owners with numerous benefits, selling an 8(a) contractor can be difficult. However, the notion that an 8(a) contractor cannot be sold… Read More

  • Community Spotlight: The Columbia Orchestra

    By:  Michael LaVina | Portfolio Manager & Director of Trading In the fall of 1977, a handful of local string players in Howard County got together and formed the Columbia Chamber Orchestra.  Over the next eleven years this group grew… Read More

  • Tell Me Something Good

    By Meghan Manas | Office Manager We are excited to introduce a new feature, “Tell Me Something Good,” that we plan to include twice a year in The Advisor magazine.  If you know or would like to nominate someone who is… Read More

  • BWFA Family News

    By: Meghan Manas | Office Manager New Service for Divorcing Couples Offered by BWFA We are pleased to announce that our Director of Tax Services, Benjamin Dorsey, CPA, CFP®, MST, recently completed a specialized education program in professional divorce analysis… Read More

  • Planning for Required Minimum Distributions

    BWFA Tax Manager Joe Hill was recently featured in the November issue of The Business Monthly magazine, discussing how to plan for a required minimum distribution (RMD). Follow this link to read the article: Planning for a Required Minimum Distribution

  • President’s Address

    By:  Rob Carpenter | President & CEO Today’s investment landscape is more complex than it has ever been. Increasingly, it takes a team of dedicated experts to manage your money, and more and more people are realizing the value of… Read More

  • Community Spotlight – 2 Miles for 2 Hearts

    By:  Meghan Manas | Office Manager On August 16, 2014, more than 600 runners/walkers turned out for the second annual 2 Miles for 2 hearts charity event. BWFA was proud to be the premier sponsor. In August of 2012, two… Read More

  • BWFA Fourth of July Celebration

  • What’s Happening at BWFA

  • Planning for RMDs

    By:  Joseph Hill, Jr., CPA, MBA, MSF | Tax Manager After investors reach age 70 ½, “the tax man cometh.” That’s when the IRS requires mandatory withdrawals from traditional Individual  Retirement Accounts  (IRAs), employer-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s,… Read More

  • BWFA’s Approach to Risk Management

    By:  Chris Kelly, CPA, CFP ®, M. Accy | Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines risk as,“the chance that an investment will lose value.” This “chance of loss” is what the professional portfolio managers at BWFA strive… Read More

  • Growing Your Business Through Acquisitions

    By:  Brian MacMillan | Managing Director Mergers & Acquisitions There are two main ways to grow a business: organically (increasing your customer base, obtaining new contracts, growing current client relationships, etc.) and through acquisitions. Growing a business organically is commonplace… Read More

  • Assessing Management Quality

    By:  Philip Weiss, CFA, CPA | Chief Investment Analyst When evaluating companies for potential investment, two of the most important aspects are valuation and management quality. Although our research process is based on bottom-up fundamental analysis, it still requires a… Read More

  • Know Your Social Security Options

    By: Thad Ismart, CFP ® | Financial Planner As your retirement approaches, it is important to understand how Social Security factors into your retirement income. Having a clear picture of all of your Social Security options can help you create… Read More

  • Clear as Mud

    By:  Mark Stinson, CPA, CFP ®, MBA | Director of Planning The IRS has issued new “guidance” for IRA rollover rules, and investors are confused. Here is what the IRS website states: “Beginning as early as January 1, 2015, you can… Read More

  • Am I Ready to Retire?

    By:  Saxon Birdsong | Founder I retired 25 months ago. Every day since then has been wonderful, and it just keeps getting better. I haven’t missed working for even a minute. I find this puzzling, because my friends and family—and… Read More

  • Why the U.S. Still May Be the Best Place to Invest Your Money

    As U.S. stocks hit record highs in the first half of 2013, some commentators raised concern that our markets are entering another “bubble.” However, when BWFA’s investment team examined the state of the U.S. economy and the condition of our… Read More

  • Financial Planning for Business Owners: 4 Considerations

    For many business owners, their personal life and business life are practically inseparable. That is why it’s important to integrate all the aspects of owning a business in developing a personal financial plan. To deliver the combined expertise that a… Read More

  • What Every Taxpayer Should Know about Identity Theft

    Think your identity is safe from hackers? Think again, especially if you live in South Carolina. A hacker struck the South Carolina Department of Revenue in October of 2012, stealing 3.6 million Social Security numbers and data from 387,000 credit and… Read More

  • Managing Director M&A Featured in SmartCEO Magazine

    Brian MacMillan, a Managing Director of M&A at Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors, recently collaborated on writing an article in the September/October 2014 issue of SmartCEO magazine. Brian discusses how business owners can set the right expectations to complete a successful transition. … Read More

  • College Education Expense Credits & The New Graduate

    Congress and the last two presidents have put legislation into effect that makes the payment of college education expenses a potentially lucrative tax savings tool. Parents and college students should plan carefully so that they maximize these tax savings. Unfortunately,… Read More

  • Want to Adopt? Plan Ahead with BWFA

    By: Meghan Manas, Office Manager Adopting our daughter was the biggest decision Eric and I made; not only that, it was an expensive decision that could have affected our finances in the future if we had not planned properly. In… Read More

  • BWFA’s Chief Executive Quoted in Financial Advisor IQ

    Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors CEO, Robert G. Carpenter was quoted in Financial Advisor IQ’s online publication: “While funds are fine for clients with smaller accounts, says Robert Carpenter, chief executive at Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors in Columbia, Md., he says those with assets of $1.5… Read More

  • BWFA’s Director of Financial Planning Featured in Business Monthly

    Mark Stinson, BWFA’s Director of Financial Planning, was featured in this July’s Business Monthly online article discussing the importance of family harmony and the need for estate planning. Click here to read the full article.

  • BWFA Team Building Trip

  • What’s Happening at BWFA

    By:  Meghan Manas – Office Manager Employee Spotlight  – Ben Dorsey | CPA, CFP®, MST – Director of Tax Services Tell us a bit about yourself. where did you grow up?  I grew up in Mt. Airy, MD and went… Read More

  • Mosaic Community Services

    By:  Mike LaViña – Portfolio Manager and Director of Trading Last quarter, BWFA announced a partnership with the Community Foundation of Howard County as part of our effort to facilitate charitable giving in our community. We believe that giving back… Read More

  • Start Planning Now for Next Year’s Tax Return

    By:  Sharolyn Hockey – Tax Manager Filing their income tax return is a chore most Americans dread. Once that return is filed, you probably stop thinking about your taxes, don’t you? But there’s no better time to start your tax… Read More

  • Underneath the Waves: Sector Rotation Beneath the Stock Market Sea

    By:  Jim Edwards | CFP® – Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager The stock market can be compared to an ocean with individual companies representing boats traveling on its seas. There are times when certain parts of this ocean are choppier than… Read More

  • Selling a Medical Practice

    By:  Brian MacMillan – Managing Director M&A The majority of medical practice owners do not know how to sell their practices, and many are not aware that selling to a third party is even an option. Since many doctors are… Read More

  • A Pilgrimage To Omaha

    By:  Philip Weiss | CFA, CPA – Chief Investment Analyst Background Each year on the first weekend in May, value investors flock to Omaha, Nebraska, for Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK) annual meeting, which has also been referred to as “Woodstock for… Read More

  • Do You Have the Right Small Business Retirement Plan?

    By: Joseph Caputo – Chief Information Officer and Associate Portfolio Manager Has your business established a retirement plan that is right for you and your employees? If you are like many business owners, you probably do not have the time… Read More

  • Housing, Mortgages, and Interest Rates – Oh my!

    By:  Mark Stinson | CPA, CFP®, MBA – Director of Planning America’s residential sector was once the preserve of “mom-and-pop” investors or local developers. The role of hedge funds became apparent only when those who bet massively against the housing market—”The… Read More

  • Where There’s a Will… or When There Isn’t…

    By:  Thad Ismart, CFP ® – Financial Planner What do Picasso, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Howard Hughes have in common? They all passed away intestate—that is, they passed away without a Will. If you have not created a… Read More

  • President’s Address

  • Charitable Giving Accounts Make Giving Easy

    By:  Debbie Daskaloff | Development Officer, Community Foundation of Howard County Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors is pleased to partner with the Community Foundation of Howard County to offer our clients the ability to participate in donor-Advised Funds.  The Community Foundation of Howard… Read More

  • What’s Happening at BWFA

    By:  Meghan Manas | Office Manager Our Family Continues to Grow At BWFA, we strive to provide the best possible customer service for our clients. with that goal in mind, and to keep up with the needs of our growing… Read More

  • Tax Season Ends and Tax Planning Begins

    Most tax professionals breathe a sigh of relief after tax returns are filed  and tax season ends. Many seasoned tax professionals see April 16 as an opportunity to take an industry-sanctioned holiday and recharge their batteries at the tropical venue of… Read More

  • Strategic Fit in Mergers & Acquisitions

    A strategic fit is defined as “a situation that occurs when a specific project, target company, or product is seen as appropriate with respect to an organization’s overall objectives.” Most executives seeking to expand their company through a merger or… Read More

  • Market Timing is a Losing Bet

    By:  Rob Williams | CFP ®, MSF – Chief Investment Officer  Market timers believe they can earn superior investment returns by identifying the best time to buy and sell stocks based on their analysis of economic and market indicators. Market timers… Read More

  • Long-Term Investment Themes

    By:  Philip Weiss | CFA , CPA – Chief Investment Analyst When selecting stocks for client portfolios, we seek securities that we believe have the potential to generate total annual returns of at least 10 percent to 15 percent over a… Read More

  • Investing For Young Individuals & Families

    By:  Joe Caputo | Chief Information Officer and Associate Portfolio Manager  Investing at an early age is now more important than ever. With pensions becoming a thing of the past and uncertainty surrounding the future of Social Security, self-funding your… Read More

  • Finding Financial Opportunities Across Generations

    By:  Jim Edwards | CFP ® – Financial Advisor & Portfolio Manager We are at interesting generational crossroads these days between the well- to-do “baby boomers,” who have large investment accounts, and their children, who have lesser means and are sometimes… Read More

  • Financial Planning For All Ages

    By:  Thad Ismart | CFP ® – Financial Planner Whether you’re 21 and fresh out of college or 81 and deciding if it’s time to move to a retirement community, you should always have a working financial plan. Accomplishing long-term financial… Read More

  • President’s Address

    Client Advisory Board By:  Rob Carpenter I President & CEO Without feedback from our clients, it’s difficult to know whether we are living up to their expectations. That’s why, more than 15 years ago, we formed the Client Advisory Board—a small group of… Read More

  • BWFA’s Chief Investment Analyst Quoted in Reuters Article

    “Production has been down for a few years. It explains why this stock is a weak performer. They are spending a lot of money, but they are spending to tread water,” said Phil Weiss, chief investment analyst at Baltimore-Washington Financial… Read More

  • “Preparing Today to Sell a Business”

    Recently, Brian MacMillan, BWFA’s Managing Director of Mergers & Acquisitions, published an article for SmartCEO. Brian is known as one of SmartCEO’s Thought Leaders. He presented the BWFA process of helping business owners sell their small- to medium-sized business. You can… Read More

  • The BWFA Holiday Gala

  • Employee Announcements

    At BWFA we strive to provide the best possible customer service for our clients. With that goal in mind, and to keep up with the needs of our growing client base, BWFA is pleased to welcome our two newest staff… Read More

  • What is Happening at BWFA?

    By: Meghan Manas The Green Spring Tennis & Educational Foundation The Green Spring Tennis & Educational Foundation helps promote the development and growth of tennis for adults and youth in the local community. BWFA was a premier sponsor for their TennisFest… Read More

  • BWFA and Social Media

    By: Joe Caputo Our world is now almost entirely a digital reality. Facebook has led the way with its 1.1 billion users. YouTube has over a billion users. LinkedIn and Twitter each have well over 200 million users and are still… Read More

  • Employee Spotlight : Susan Kelley

    Sue Kelley is already scheduling appointments for the 2013* filing season. If you haven’t scheduled your annual meeting with your BWFAtax advisor, or if you’re new to BWFA’s tax services, she’d love to hear from you to set upan appointment!… Read More

  • Delayed Start to the 2014 Tax Season Blamed on October’s Government Closure

    By: Sharolyn Hockey It’s dejà vu all over again! Last year it was the late-hitting American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 tax law changes, and this time it’s the shutdown, but once again the Internal Revenue Service won’t be ready… Read More

  • Tax Law Changes in 2013 from the Affordable Healthcare Act

    By: Sharolyn Hockey The Patient Privacy and Affordable Care Act (also known as the “ACA” or “Obamacare”) dominated the headlines before and after its rollout. What many Americans still don’t realize is that the ACA included way more in its… Read More

  • Mergers and Acquisitions: The BWFA Advantage

    By : Brian MacMillan If you ask a business owner how much he’d like to get for the sale of his business, the answer inevitably is, “As much as possible!” While this might seem to be the obvious answer, getting… Read More

  • Three Reasons Individual Investors are Coming to BWFA

    By: Chris Kelly With the seemingly infinite amount of information available at the fingertips of individual investors – from financial websites, to mobile investment apps, to investment do-it-yourself media personalities (and the list goes on and on) – some investors… Read More

  • Importance of Dividends

    By: Philip Weiss It’s well-known that dividend-paying stocks can be an important part of retiree portfolios. These stocks can provide cash flow for income needs while giving retirees the opportunity to hold investments that will grow in value. But dividends… Read More

  • Financial Resolutions for 2014

    By: Thad Ismart At the beginning of every year, many of us make resolutions to become healthier and to have a more active lifestyle. However, often very little time is given to address our financial lives. Financial goals can be… Read More

  • Pushing the Limits of Simplicity

    By: Mark Stinson …we all think we’re above-average investors, just like we all think we’re above-average drivers… -Jack Bogle Author and financial advisor Carl Richards spoke at the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) East Conference in Philadelphia in… Read More

  • Registered Investment Advisors and Brokers: What is the Difference?

    By: Rob Carpenter Fiduciary Vs. Suitability  There are two primary groups that offer investment advice and services to clients – investment advisors, such as BWFA, and investment brokers who generally work for broker-dealers. The key distinction between these two groups… Read More

  • What’s Happening at BWFA

  • The Fourth of July at the Center Club

  • BWFA is Going Mobile!

  • Financial Planning for Business Owners

    For many business owners, their personal life and business life are practically inseparable. That is why it’s important to integrate all the aspects of owning a business in developing a personal financial plan. To deliver the combined expertise that a… Read More

  • Want to Adopt? Plan ahead with BWFA

    Adopting our daughter was the biggest decision Eric and I made; not only that, it was an expensive decision that could have affected our finances in the future if we had not planned properly. In January 2011 the U.S. Department… Read More

  • BWFA Employee Spotlight: Phil Weiss

    Employee Q & A with: Phil Weiss, CFA, CPA Chief Investment Analyst Hire Date: June 3, 2013 Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Livingston, NJ. My family (I also have a… Read More

  • Preparing Today to Sell a Small Business

    By Brian MacMillan (bmacmillan@bwfa.com; (410) 461-3900) Most business owners are so focused on running and growing their business that they have not planned for the eventual sale or transition of that business. Yet, most of their wealth is tied up… Read More

  • Tax Hot Topics for Year End

    It’s hard to believe the end of the year is almost here! As we enter the fourth quarter, it’s time for taxpayers to get organized and plan for their 2013 tax returns and recordkeeping needs. Here are some  important issues… Read More

  • President’s Address : Enhancing the Client Experience

    As we look to the fourth quarter of 2013 and into 2014, I want highlight the progress that we’ve made in this past year to enhance every aspect of the services we deliver. We’re proud of the relationships we have… Read More

  • BWFA Investment Framework

    At BWFA, our overall investing approach is centered on identifying stocks that can be part of diversified portfolios that are appropriate for the models we have developed to invest clients’ assets. While we tend to favor industries with above-average growth… Read More

  • Foreign Investing in the Strong Dollar Era

    Through July of this year, the U.S. equity markets have posted returns of approximately 20%. This strong performance has led some clients to ask why we bother to diversify their portfolios, since this diversification into foreign assets (equities or bonds)… Read More

  • Why the U.S. Still May Be the Best Place to Invest Your Money

    As U.S. stocks hit record highs in the first half of 2013, some commentators raised concern that our markets are entering another “bubble.” However, when BWFA’s investment team examined the state of the U.S. economy and the condition of our… Read More

  • Investing in a 401(k) World

    If you are self-motivated, wow, this world is tailored for you. The boundaries are all gone. But, if you are not self-motivated, this world will be a challenge because the walls, ceilings and floors that protected people are also disappearing…. Read More

  • Variable Annuities: A Closer Look

      At some point, you have probably heard a broker or an insurance agent ask that question to you:  “How would you like to invest in the stock market, protect yourself from a market downturn, have a guaranteed annual return,… Read More

  • The 10 Myths About Retirement

    Myth #1: You will not spend as much money during retirement as you spend now. The general rule of thumb is that you will need approximately 70% of your pre-retirement income in order to maintain a lifestyle similar to that… Read More

  • BWFA Family Continues to Grow

    As BWFA continues to grow, we continue to add new employees. We are excited to welcome the following individuals to our family: Thad Ismart, CFP® Financial Planner – Thad has been working in the financial planning industry since 2005. He is… Read More

  • BWFA Now Offers Tailored Services for Business Owners

    BWFA has added a new department that we are calling Business Services. I’m proud to have joined the BWFA team to deliver a comprehensive approach for selling and buying small- and mid-sized privately held businesses. The idea for offering business… Read More

  • To File or Not to File: That is the Question for April 15th

    On January 2nd, Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, narrowly avoiding the fiscal cliff. The IRS delayed the start of tax season and scrambled to play catch up to the late-hitting changes. Because of the delay, many… Read More

  • Making Sure the Right REITs Are in Your Portfolio

    A real estate investment trust, or REIT, is a security that trades like a stock on the major exchanges and invests in real estate directly. Typical REITs might include a group of apartment buildings, hotels, commercial real estate, or timber… Read More

  • The Family Summit

    Though one of America’s wealthiest men, Joseph Kennedy often lectured his family about their extravagance.  One evening at dinner, having received a new batch of bills, the senior Kennedy unleashed a barrage of criticism, causing Ethel (Bobby Kennedy’s wife) to flee from… Read More

  • Enhancing the Client Experience

      BWFA has occupied our current office space for nine years.  As our client base has grown, the traffic in and out of our meeting rooms has increased substantially, and scheduling of those meetings has occasionally been a challenge. Recently, we… Read More

  • Striving to Get Better

    It’s been a busy three months. During that time, we added several key staff members—always with the goal of improving our customer service and support. We hired Chief Information Officer Joe Caputo so that we can utilize the best technology… Read More

  • Taking the Long View on Long-Term Care Insurance

    When the famous Dutch physician and chemist Hermann Boerhaave died in 1738, he left behind a sealed book entitled The Onliest and Deepest Secrets of the Medical Art. The book was auctioned for a vast quantity of gold. When the… Read More

  • 2012 Year In Review

    BWFA Community Outreach BWFA is proud to support these great organizations that are helping to build a thriving community and region. ‑Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (http://www.marylandconsumers.org/) The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition advances and protects fairness and justice for Maryland consumers… Read More

  • Getting To Know You

    In one of our first discussions, Sax Birdsong mentioned to me that his success came from “listening to what the clients want and need, and then developing services that assist in that process.” He made it clear that the client-first… Read More

  • What’s Happening At BWFA

    Free Life Skills Training For Young Adults Baltimore-Washington Financial Advisors recently partnered with Matt Morehead to offer the “BucketHead” Program. The “BucketHead” Program provides life skills development and financial coaching for young adults in our community. BWFA learned about this… Read More

  • BWFA Moving Forward

    Friday, June 29, 2012, marked a watershed date in BWFA’s history. At approximately 7 p.m., Rob Carpenter joined BWFA as the new president. Please join me in welcoming Rob to the firm. From my perspective, Rob is the crucial link… Read More

  • BWFA in the Community

    In honor of Columbia’s 45th birthday, BWFA purchased a brick paver and added our name to the Town Center’s Lakefront. The brick is located on the pathway right in front of Clyde’s restaurant. If you attended the festivities on June… Read More

  • BWFA Welcomes New Team Member

    Barbara Israel joins BWFA as a part-time member of the tax team.

  • Developing Our Business Continuity Plan

    Over the course of the past few months, BWFA has held in-depth conversations with six prospective new partners. Each of these individuals/firms offers unique and interesting strengths that would complement and enhance the service we provide. More importantly, each potential… Read More

  • What’s Happening at BWFA

    High Five Skills Retreat Retrospective On Saturday, January 7, 2012, BWFA sponsored our first “High Five” Life Skills Retreat for young adults in our community. More than 20 young adults attended, and we received excellent feedback. We’re planning to make… Read More

  • New BWFA Summer Hours

    New BWFA Summer Hours 9 AM-5 PM Monday-Friday In Effect from Memorial Day to Labor Day Offices Closed for Federal and NYSE Holidays    

  • What’s Happening at BWFA

    BWFA Welcomes Two New Staff Members Sunil Reddy joined BWFA’s Investment team on September 6. Sunil is a CFA charterholder, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and earned a Master’s degree in accounting with a concentration in taxation. Sunil has worked at… Read More

  • What Our New NPS Survey Means to You

    Client satisfaction is the most important metric by which we measure our success. To better understand our clients’ expectations, we recently conducted our first Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey. We are pleased to share the highly positive results with you…. Read More

  • What’s Happening at BWFA

    BWFA Welcomes Three New Staff Members Sandy Hornor joined BWFA as Director of Sales. He has over 22 years of experience in the financial services industry, including leadership positions at Old Mutual Investment Partners, New York Life Investment Management, and MFS… Read More

  • New BWFA Summer Hours

    New BWFA Summer Hours 9 AM-5 PM Monday-Friday In Effect from Memorial Day to Labor Day Offices Closed for Federal and NYSE Holidays