By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial My parents owned my childhood home free and clear when they decided to seek a more pleasant climate in Arizona for retirement. Property values there are lower, so they paid cash for their new home. After my Dad passed away, my mother wanted to be…

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial As we work through the first quarter of 2025, we’ve seen extensive market volatility, high prices at stores, fears of an economic downturn and generalized anxiety over what the future will bring. Fear and anxiety are breeding grounds for unfortunate financial decisions. Several months ago,…

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial Whatever side of the political aisle you favor, you have to admit: President Trump is making waves. Since taking office on January 20, news outlets large and small have struggled to keep up with the flurry of executive orders and policy changes flying from the…

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial When President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act on January 5, he finalized a movement that was four decades in the making. Millions of public employees and retirees, including nearly 55,000 Marylanders will see their Social Security benefits increase this year. In short, for…

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial 2024 was a year of strong growth for many investments. The stock market was up well over 20% and even Bitcoin, which just a few years ago was considered an investment akin to casinos and lottery tickets, rose above $100,000 for the first time shortly…

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial With a decisive electoral victory, Donald Trump will return to the White House in January, bolstered by Republican control of both houses of Congress. This election will have an impact on our finances and, as with most things in life, there are pros and cons….

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial You might have noticed that the advertisement I usually run in this paper is different this month. I donated the space to raise awareness of an issue that’s particularly important to me: life-changing medical events. This ad highlights breast cancer, which is the most diagnosed…

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial My wife recently inherited something special: a 1964 1/2 Mustang convertible. First year mustangs are referred as “1/2” because they were produced in the early part of 1964 and before the 65 models were in production. Originally sold for just under $3,000, some examples today…

By Jason LaBarge, Financial Advisor and President of LaBarge Financial Between an assassination attempt on a former president, the current president announcing he won’t pursue a second term and stock market volatility, there’s a high level of economic uncertainty in the air. A recent survey revealed that over 40% of Americans are experiencing feelings of…