March 20, 2020 On March 19, 2020, Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Wolf mandated the closure of the physical location of all “non-life sustaining” businesses due to the spread of COVID-19. APS’ advisory and client service staff have the ability to work remotely from home. Therefore, other than the fact that our physical office is closed, our virtual office is fully operational … Read More
Asset Planning Services Elects Two New Board Members
Harleysville, PA (June 2020) – Asset Planning Services (APS) is pleased to announce the election of Daniel Esquirell, Director of Financial Planning at APS, and Bethany Landis, Director of Client Service at APS, to the Board of Directors. “I am pleased to welcome Dan and Bethany as new Board members” said Richard Volpe, Founder and President of APS. “These individuals … Read More
Big Brother
June 8, 2020 In late 1948, George Orwell completed his literary classic 1984. The most unforgettable phrase from Orwell’s government-controlled surveillance society was “Big Brother Is Watching You”. Interestingly, there were 36 years from 1948 to 1984, as well as from 1984 to 2020. Numerology anyone? Now 72 years later, we have surrendered our privacy to omnipresent cameras supported by … Read More
Half Empty… Half Full
May 20, 2020 Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a World War II Holocaust survivor. In the midst of the Nazi concentration camp atrocities that took the lives of his wife, parents and brother, he was able to maintain emotional balance by choosing his response… an exercise of a freedom that could not be taken … Read More
Beams of Sunlight
May 1, 2020 Born in the late 1800s in the Utah Territory, Hugh B. Brown became a respected Mormon attorney, educator, author and church leader during the 20th century. He enjoyed a long and many-faceted life, ultimately rising to serve on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy. Another Brown quote: “If … Read More
APS Reflects on States’ Rights
April 17, 2020 States’ Rights: It’s been 233 years since delegates to the Constitutional Convention spent a warm summer in Philadephia debating the central issue of our new system of government: would the federal government or the states have more power. Recent news from Washington, D.C. indicates that the debate still goes on, as indicated in this excerpt from Tuesday’s … Read More
Richard Volpe Named an ACCREDITED ESTATE PLANNER® Designee
by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils on April 9, 2020 Cleveland, Ohio – Rick became certified as an Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designee by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC). The Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation is a graduate level, multi-disciplinary specialization in estate planning, obtained in addition to already recognized professional credentials within … Read More
APS’ View of the Horizon
April 7, 2020 The 17th century English theologian and historian Thomas Fuller is credited as the first person to use this statement in print. It is found in Book 3 of his religious travelogue A Pisgah-sight of Palestine and the Confines Thereof, published in 1650. I feel the reality of these words is particularly appropriate for our circumstances today. On … Read More
Holding the Helm
March 27, 2020 “Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” The 1st century BC Latin writer Publilius Syrus is credited with this statement. Publilius, a contemporary of Cicero and a favorite of Julius Caesar, is also credited with the well-known statement “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” The “sea” has been anything but calm for these past … Read More
Corona Bear
March 12, 2020 As you are aware, yesterday the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. This has jolted the stock market bear out of its 11-year hibernation. As I write this, the S&P 500 is now down 25% from its all-time high that was set on February 19. As we have shared at several WorldWatch programs, a … Read More