Year: 2013

Watching the Griswold’s in “Christmas Vacation” last week reminded me it’s that time of year again to take a closer look at some often overlooked year-end planning strategies for families and businesses. There were a number of tax law changes in 2013 that have added increased complexity to an already…

November is here again. My six year old son has now started asking the same recurring question: “Mom, when am I getting my ‘Benjamin’?” His birthday is in November, and the ‘Benjamin’ is you guessed it, a $100 bill. Yes, my son is looking for his cold hard cash. He…

According to Webster’s dictionary, Insurance is defined as coverage by a contract, whereby one party under-takes to indemnify or guarantee another against loss by a specified contingency or peril. To me, it is important that Americans understand the outright definition of what it is that they are dealing with now…

Nkurunziza Innocent joined OmniStar Clients at our 1st “Meet the Artist” night. Having such a talented artist be part of this event made for a very special evening. If you were among those that spent some time with Innocent, you will likely agree that his art is only surpassed by…

Pamela Boyd recently hosted the 3rd Annual Bob Boyd Invitational at Pine Valley Country Club on October 8th. “We raised over $40,000 and everyone had a great time in spite of the weather.” Through the generosity of each participant and sponsor, we will continue to help UNC-Lineberger Cancer Hospital as…

If you haven’t stopped to consider how a trust can help you successfully pass your legacy, you could be missing a huge opportunity. For those with substantial assets, protecting wealth should be top of mind. Nonetheless, individuals, couples and families often go through the process of planning for their estate…

OmniStar Financial Group is honored to announce Louis S. Wetmore, of our Hickory, NC office, has been appointed to the North Carolina Department of Transportation Board of Directors. Wetmore will be the Board representative for Division 12 which is composed of Catawba, Cleveland, Alexander, Gaston, Iredell and Lincoln counties. The…

While the U.S. GDP recovery is well into its 5th year now, labor market recovery has remained painfully slow. Most economists blame the lack of investment by small businesses, the primary engine of job growth. Two surveys that we follow provide some reason for optimism on this front. First, the…

The Case-Schiller 20-City Home Price index rose year-on-year at plus 12.3 percent to reach a new recovery high. Looking at individual cities, strong gains in the west are leading the recovery. As home values increase, so to does the equity in everyone’s home. This appears to be encouraging some formerly…

U.S. stocks were on the move higher last week as the S&P 500 added a gain of 1.10%. Contrary to the summer doldrums, the S&P gained 5.09% during July and equities are up more than 21% year to date. Second quarter earnings remain mixed; revenues were slightly ahead of expectations…

Many home owners pace the floors thinking of how to pay off their mortgage early, also known as prepaying. Everyone, at some point, has ostensibly been told to reduce mortgage debt as quickly as possible in order to be in a better financial position. Instinctively, we all buy in to…