For many of our clients, generosity sits near the top of things that matter most to them. Supporting a church, a school, a local cause, or a family in need is about as clear an expression of values as money can make.   This fall, giving deserves a fresh look. The tax rules for charitable gifts changed on January 1, 2026, and the changes help some givers and quietly cost others. At the same time, retirees face two annual decisions: a new Social Security cost-of-living adjustme

Most of what gets written about spending is about restraint. Spend less, save more. Keep housing below a certain share of your income. Divide your paycheck into 50/30/20 buckets. Skip the latte. None of that is wrong. Those rules have helped a lot of people build a solid foundation, and we use versions of them ourselves. But they share a quiet assumption: that every dollar spent is a dollar lost, and the best financial life is the one that spends the least.   What about the o

I have fielded a version of this question more times this year than almost any other: "Things feel terrible out there. War, layoffs, an economy that doesn't feel like it's working for regular people. So how is my account statement showing record highs?"   It is one of the most reasonable questions a client can ask, and the honest answer is a little unsatisfying: the stock market and the news cycle are simply answering two different questions. The news answers, "What happened,

Trump Accounts, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and officially known as 530A accounts, are a brand-new type of custodial IRA for children. They are owned by the child but administered by an adult, and they become available for contributions starting July 4, 2026. To be eligible, a child must not yet have turned 18 by the end of the year the account is opened. Each child can have only one.   The headline feature is a one-time $1,000 deposit from the federal govern

There is a scene in investing that has played out in my office many times over the years. A client — often someone who has been calm and disciplined through years of steady markets — sits down and says something like, "This time feels different." The headlines are alarming. The world seems genuinely dangerous. And the question underneath it all is: should we do something?   This quarter, that feeling is understandable. The conflict in the Middle East has escalated significant

If the first article made the case for staying invested, this one is about doing something more than just holding on. A declining market is not only survivable — for the patient and prepared investor, but actually, it can also be one of the most tax-productive periods of your financial life.   1. Tax-Loss Harvesting If you hold investments in a taxable account that are worth less today than what you paid for them, you can sell them, realize that loss on paper, and immediately

Every year, the formula for personal income taxes changes — sometimes due to Congressional action, and other times due to the IRS’s automatic cost-of-living adjustments. For the 2026 tax year, we’re seeing modest but significant increases across standard deductions, tax brackets, retirement savings limits, and Social Security thresholds that help taxpayers keep pace with inflation.   Standard Deduction and Age-65 Bonus (2026)   The standard deduction gets a noticeable bump fo

The least surprising part of 2025 is that it was filled with surprises.  Let’s review some of the events that shaped the economy, market, and geopolitical news this past year.   The Magnificent 7 stocks (Nvidia, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, and Alphabet/Google), which have driven the market on their own for the past few years and represent nearly a third of the S&P 500's value, were not the only source of market returns as had mostly been the case in prior years.  A

On March 9, 2009, the S&P 500 index hit a devilish intraday low of 666, marking the bottom of the financial crisis. Fear was everywhere, major banks were failing, unemployment was soaring, and investors were watching their account balances fall by half or more. Many people said they would never live to see the market recover to its previous highs. I recall meeting with clients that very day.  One of them had just retired, and they were hesitant to roll over her 401(k) account

Back in 2022, the Series I Savings Bond was the rare investment that checked both boxes — safe and high-return. Inflation was running at 40-year highs, and the government was paying an incredible 9.62% interest rate on I bonds to keep pace with soaring prices. It was an easy way to lend money to the U.S. Treasury and earn a return that actually kept up with inflation.   Fast forward to 2025, and the story looks very different. As inflation has come down, so has the rate on th

In the past few months, headlines have been filled with weighty global events, including new tariffs on imported goods to the US, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and a volatile and dangerous war between Israel and Iran.   Each of these developments is complex, consequential, and unpredictable. And yet, if you browse financial commentary on social media, in the news, or even among casual conversations, you'll often find a striking sense of confidence—people ex

On July 4th, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).  Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it was certainly big.  The bill included provisions that included immigration and border security, Medicaid funding, energy policies, increasing the debt ceiling, military funding, and income taxes.  Part of our job is to keep you updated on changes to income taxes so we can manage that expense and keep more money in your pocket.  Let's review how this b

After setting an all-time high on February 19th of this year, U.S. equities have had a wild ride.  The obvious contributing factor to the drop in values is the new tariff policies.  Over the past month, the United States has significantly escalated its tariff policies under President Donald Trump's administration. On April 2, 2025, the "Liberation Day" tariffs were introduced, imposing a 10% baseline tariff on all countries and implementing reciprocal tariffs targeting nation

With the recent drop in stock values, it is natural to make our way through the stages of grief.  Eventually, when we reach a place of acceptance, we may then turn our attention to opportunities to take advantage of the situation.  We may have preferred consistent wind speed and direction on this sailing excursion, but all we can do is adjust our sails.    Keep buying when prices are low – If you are in the accumulation phase of life, this market downturn is an opportunity to

As we begin this new year, we are also starting the second quarter of this century.  How time flies!  It doesn’t feel like that long ago when we were worried about the Y2K bug; having a cell phone was a status symbol, and we didn’t realize that Britney Spears was crazy.   As we make our way around the quarter pole of this century, let’s review the events that have shaped investors and various economic markers.   The S&P 500 index began in 2000 at 1,469 and ended in 2024 at 5,

The least surprising part of 2024 is that it was filled with surprises.  Let’s review some of the events that shaped the economic and market news this past year.   The stock price of the leading US chip manufacturer tripled during the year.  Nvidia’s market capitalization is now the second largest in the US behind Apple, representing 6.5% of the S&P 500 index.   The Federal Reserve lowered its interest rate three times in 2024, for a total drop of 1.0%.  The last reduction in

Every year, the formula for personal income taxes changes at least a little bit.  Some of these changes are made by Congress, and others are simply cost-of-living adjustments that the IRS calculates according to the tax code.    The standard deduction for married couples filing jointly for tax year 2025 rises to $30,000, up $800 from the prior year. For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction increases to $15,000 for 2025, up $400, a

A common theme throughout my time as a financial advisor is being asked the question, “How will today’s news event impact the stock market (and therefore my account)?”  Every few weeks, there is a new topic of conversation, but the question is essentially the same.  Then, every four years, the question is exactly the same as four years prior, “What is the impact of the presidential election on the stock market?”    In a divided country where many people define themselves as a

In an effort to combat financial crimes such as money laundering, tax evasion, and corruption, the United States has implemented significant regulations surrounding beneficial ownership information (BOI). The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), enacted in January 2021, mandates specific requirements for reporting beneficial ownership. Beneficial ownership refers to the individuals who ultimately own or control a company, even if they are not the legal owners on paper. This info

The Somber Seventies were a period of existential environmental catastrophism. A scientist named Paul Ehrlich wrote a best-selling book called The Population Bomb and became a media darling. Ehrlich appeared on the Johnny Carson show at least 20 times, cheerfully predicting that with the population growing and the earth running out of resources, hundreds of millions of people were going to starve to death in the coming decade.   Meanwhile, an economics professor named Julian