With U.S. credit card debt recently soaring to a record high of $1.08 trillion, retirement plan sponsors face a pivotal moment. This staggering amount, a $48 billion escalation since the second quarter and a $154 billion increase year-over-year is a cautionary signal for Americans’ financial stability. The compounding pressures of post-pandemic recovery and inflation have […]
When advising our clients, we tend to focus heavily on tax issues—including income, estate and generation-skipping taxes. While tax planning is a big part of estate planning, taxes aren’t necessarily the first question on a client’s mind when beginning the process. This is especially true for those who are starting an estate plan for the
Answering Your Nontax Estate Planning Questions Read More »
You’ve spent your life building equity in your home, making your car payments and building a profitable stock portfolio. But do you have a plan detailing what happens to all those assets after you die? Knowing the basics of estate planning is important for anyone with any kind of asset, no matter its worth. It
Understanding the Basics of Estate Planning Read More »
The active vs. passive¹ funds debate has been with us for some time. Generally, proponents of active management are looking to “beat the market.” For several years during our recent raging bull market, the average passively managed fund has outperformed the average actively managed fund. Morningstar contends that “passive investing is now the mainstream approach,”
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Ah, we restless humans. Sometimes, it pays to strive for greener grass. But as an investor, second-guessing a stable strategy can leave you in the weeds. Trading in reaction to excitement or fear tricks you into buying high (chasing popular trends) and selling low (fleeing misfortunes), while potentially incurring unnecessary taxes and transaction costs along
Financial Quick Takes: Is Your Portfolio Underperforming … Compared to What? Read More »
Members of the House of Representatives recently raised concerns regarding the Department of Labor’s EBSA investigations into plan sponsors, citing them as lengthy and burdensome, and called for reform. In a Sept. 19 letter to Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Rep. Virginia Foxx, chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and Rep.
Navigating the Complexity of EBSA Investigations Read More »
Sound investment decisions are rarely made under the weight of worry. The field of behavioral finance points to a number of cognitive distortions that feed on investor fear – including 401(k) fears – and can plague participants’ decision-making while compromising their retirement readiness. Here are some that can send shivers down participants’ spines — and
401(k) Fears: What’s a Plan Sponsor to Do? Read More »
If you think about it, “reflection” is an interesting word. Depending on the context, it can mean gazing backward in time, inward to your personal core, or outward at how others perceive you. Regardless of the view, we believe there’s great value in taking time to reflect on both the global and personal experiences looming
Gratitude in Brief for the Holiday Season Read More »
In a bit of a paradox, you’ll find the following two titles on our recommended reading list: The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki (2005) Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, Charles Mackay (1852) So, which is it? Are crowds wise or delusional? It helps to understand why the answer is yes,
Navigating Market Crowd Wisdom Read More »
In September, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it would hold interest rates steady for now but signaled at least one more hike may lie ahead before the end of the year. Moreover, rates are likely to stay elevated, as the Fed also indicated it expects fewer cuts than previously forecast for 2024. Plan sponsors can
Fed Rate Decision: Implications for Sponsors Read More »