Net Unrealized Appreciation: The Untold Story If you participate in a 401(k), employee stock ownership plan, or other qualified retirement plan that lets you invest in your employer’s stock, you need to know about net unrealized appreciation — a simple tax-deferral opportunity with an unfortunately complicated name. When you receive a distribution from your employer’s […]

Geopolitics and the U.S. Financial Markets International conflicts and other global events dominated the news in early 2026, most notably the U.S. action in Venezuela and pressure to obtain control of Greenland, as well as anti-government protests in Iran and a snap election in Japan. These are all serious issues that can have far-reaching consequences […]

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Assistance (OIEA) and Division of Enforcement warn investors that scams involving stock recommendations may be conducted through social media. Investors should never make investment decisions based solely on information from social media platforms or apps. Watch Out For Stock Tip Red Flags. Did you click on an advertisement online […]

Fed Cuts Rates Again, Signals It May Be Done for Now Federal Reserve officials cut interest rates at their third consecutive meeting but signaled little appetite for more amid unusual internal divisions over whether inflation or the job market should be their bigger worry.   The Fed voted 9-3 for the reduction on Wednesday, the […]

Why the Dot-Com Comparison Falls Short in 2025 AI Leadership and Market Anxiety 2025 has been defined by an increasingly concentrated market led by a handful of mega-cap names. The top ten holdings in the S&P 500 now comprise roughly 39 percent of the entire index, a level of concentration that raises questions about the index’s […]

Sudden Wealth What would you do with an extra $10,000? Maybe you’d pay off some debt, get rid of a college loan, or take a much-needed vacation. What if you suddenly had an extra million or 10 million or more? Now that you’ve come into a windfall, you have some issues to deal with. You’ll […]

Market Summary October 2025 Tech Leads While Materials Lag All Indices Positive as the Fed Cuts Rates Again Nvidia Overtakes Entire Nations Nvidia (NVDA) has officially entered uncharted territory. The company’s market capitalization has surged past $5 trillion, making it larger than the entire GDP of every country globally except the United States and China. At this scale, […]

Mandatory Roth Catch-Up Contributions Begin in 2026 For nearly a quarter century, employers have been able to offer their retirement savings plan participants age 50 and older a valuable opportunity — the chance to make additional catch-up contributions to their plan.1 Thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act passed in 2022, that opportunity became even more valuable: […]

July 2025 Market Summary Stocks Rise to Start 2H 2025, Median Sale Price of Existing Homes Hits New High, Treasury Yields Rise Equity Markets Equities kicked off the second half of 2025 on a mostly positive note with most indices posting gains in July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2%, the S&P 500 added 2.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 3.7%. Only Developed […]

Social Security and Medicare 2025 Trustees Reports: It’s Time to Address Funding Concerns Each year, the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds provide detailed reports to Congress that track the programs’ current financial condition and projected financial outlook. These reports have warned for years that the trust funds would be depleted in […]