Category: Blog

Mass Lawyers Weekly Readers Vote Twelve Points A Top Firm In The 2023 Reader Rankings

Twelve Points is proud to be named #1 in Wealth Management in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s 2023 Reader Rankings. This is the fifth consecutive year that Twelve Points has been recognized by this publication. Each year, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Readers vote on which businesses they like most in Massachusetts based on their own experiences. We […]

Dare to Dream, Again

We need to take a page from our past and live as we did as children, where wishes were as plentiful as dandelion seeds in spring. Dare to dream.

David Clayman and Francesca Federico Receive 2021 Five Star Award

We are proud to announce that our very own Francesca Federico has been recognized by the National Association of Plan Advisors as one of the Top Women Advisors for 2020. Her talent and efforts earned her the level of “Captain”, one of only 50 to be recognized at this highest designation.

Francesca Federico named one of NAPA’s Top Women Advisors

We are proud to announce that our very own Francesca Federico has been recognized by the National Association of Plan Advisors as one of the Top Women Advisors for 2020. Her talent and efforts earned her the level of “Captain”, one of only 50 to be recognized at this highest designation.

Twelve Points Named #860 on Inc. 5000

When Inc. Magazine released this year’s Inc. 5000 list, our team was thrilled to see that we not only were on the list for the second year in a row, but we had risen by over 3,000 places!

Why the Stock Market Is Not the Economy

When the economy is roaring, we take it as a given that the stock market must be rallying too. Low unemployment, high GDP numbers, and robust wage growth all bode well for a soaring stock market.

Why Does The “Strong Dollar” Matter?

From commodities like gold and oil, to emerging market debt and equities, you will hear the price movement of almost everything tied to the price of the U.S. dollar.

Tariffs Are One Thing, Investment Is Another

The market has been shrugging off the escalation of the trade war until June 25, 2018, when the S&P 500 ended the day down 1.37% and the Nasdaq ended down 2.09%. Over the past several months,

Managing Your Finances as a Young Professional

Throughout college, every student has a different level of financial independence. Whether you are supported by family, a part-time job, student loans, or any combination of the three, after graduation and becoming a young professional, the safety net tends to disappear.

Make the Most of Your Investment Opportunities

Technology has enabled the retail investor to have access to dozens of different asset classes and financial products previously only available to investment professionals. The democratization of the financial markets through easy accessibility

Trade Wars and Tariffs | Here’s What to Know

President Trump recently announced that the U.S. would be levying a 25% tariff on steel, mainly targeted at China. Many understood it to be the first step in rolling out a more protectionist trade agenda, which caused a great deal of uncertainty in financial markets.

It Pays to Stay Risk Averse Despite Strong Market Returns

As the stock market roars on, skeptics might take money off the table and invest in more value oriented assets. More often however, fear of missing out on future gains along with recently strong returns keeps people invested in the market and seeking out speculative opportunities.

Paying Down Debt vs. Investing

People are often faced with the difficult choice of how they should use their money, whether it be choosing between investing, paying down debt early, or deciding which debt to pay down first.

Central Banks Start to Diverge

You can’t talk about Europe without including the European Central Bank in the discussion. The ECB, which conducts monetary policy for all of Europe, is continuing with their aggressive Quantitative Easing in the form of a large bond buying program.

What to Do in Times of Market Volatility

On Friday, February 2nd The Dow closed down 666 points, or 2.5%. The sudden move came unexpectedly as inflation data came in slightly higher than expected. The following week the Dow continued its decline, at one point down 10% from the highs.

5 Foundations and Endowments Questions, Answered

Finding the right answers begins with asking the right questions, and that’s how many of our relationships with clients begin. We’ve consolidated our most frequently asked questions to introduce you to our services, explain what those services can do for your nonprofit

How Rising Interest Rates Affect You

When you hear about the Federal Reserve it may be hard to imagine that their actions have a direct affect on you. The truth of the matter is that their policies, including those related to interest rates, are felt all the way down to the consumer level, for better or for worse.

3 Tax Tips to Save Your Spring

Filing taxes can be an intimidating process and in the stress of it all, sometimes we can forget to do the obvious or skip over the basics, making it even harder on ourselves. If you file your own taxes the following three simple tips can save you time, headaches and even money in the long run.

3 Things to Do When You Change Your Job or Career

When you’re navigating a career change, there are probably a million and one things on your mind. From financial to personal life, it can seem as though everything is getting turned on its side, so it’s important to have a process in place to keep your bearings.

Lawyers: Protect Your INCOME (Part 1 of 2)

As a lawyer, you spend your days (and nights) looking after the legal needs of your clients.  That’s what makes you so successful. You are singularly focused on achieving the best results for them. You should protect your income with the same passion.

Scouting Out a Name: Why We’re Called Twelve Points

Naming a business, especially one in the financial services industry, can be a source of frustration or inspiration, as noted in a recent Investor’s Business Daily article. Co-founder and principal, Dave Clayman, chose Twelve Points as a tribute to the 12 Points of the Boy Scout Law.

How You Can Provide For Your Family Even When You’re Gone

Most people pride themselves on being the breadwinner for their family. They achieve great satisfaction from working hard to meet the financial needs of their spouse and children. These days, in many cases, both spouses share the responsibility of earning to support their kids.

The Importance of an Independent Review on Your Life Insurance

Over my nearly twenty years in the financial services business I have seen countless instances where a failure to review and monitor life insurance policies has led to a rude awakening for a person or, worse yet, their family. Sadly, many individuals operate under the mistaken belief

Is Your Side Hustle Working For You?

The side hustle is becoming an increasingly common trend among workers of all generations. The side hustle’s purpose is to generate income outside of the money earned through a full time job. From driving for Uber to doing freelance or contracted work for a Fortune 500 company,

Saving With Your Side Hustle

If you make over $1,000 per month from work outside of your ordinary income, then you are in an elite group of ‘side hustlers’ who have the opportunity to contribute more to retirement than an IRA or 401(k) will allow. The value of the side hustle comes through generating income beyond

Chris Cahill Earns New Philanthropy Designation

Twelve Points Wealth Management’s own Chris Cahill has earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy ® professional designation from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of The American College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The CAP® program provides nonprofit and financial

Balancing Debt & Savings for Young Professionals

Millennials do things a little differently from the previous generation, and that includes their financial habits. Twelve Points Wealth Management has two quick tips to help Millennials make the right decisions.

Getting Your (Personal Document) House in Order

While financial planning and investing services are the most prominent aspects of wealth management it’s important to note the smaller steps on the path to financial success. It is essential clients have their personal documents in order before financial planning occurs.

Finding the Forgotten

According to CNN, Federal agencies and other organizations collectively hold “more than $58 billion in unclaimed cash and benefits”. You may have rights to unclaimed property and benefits you didn’t know existed.

Finding the Right Home for Financial Documents

Financial document storage and organization can be overwhelming, especially when considering the choice between physical or cloud storage. We refrain from throwing anything away because we never really know when we might need to reference a certain document, and getting a new copy is often a time consuming inconvenience.

Implementing Illiquid Investments

Because we have not found traditional stock and bond asset classes attractive for over two years, we have been overweight diversifying alternatives.  We have further covered the pros of alternatives and the cons of traditional asset classes in our quarterly publication – Twelve Points Perspectives.