March Recap and April Outlook The month started out on a positive note as CPI came in lower than expected, creating a brief respite from worries about the impact of tariffs. It was short-lived, as…
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How Much Should We Really Be Saving For Our Kids’ College? l Ep 256
How Much Should We Really Be Saving For Our Kids’ College? While college savings accounts like 529s provide some nice tax benefits, there are strings attached (including the dreaded 10% penalty for non-education related withdrawals). …
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Is Your Portfolio Ready for 2025?
A new presidential administration will be working towards a very different agenda, and it will play out against the backdrop of a changed inflation and interest rate environment. Everything has changed from where it was…
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Tariffs, Inflation, and Taxes: Where’s the Balance?
February Recap and March Outlook The new administration’s priority of “reindustrializing the U.S.” is coming into focus as tariff announcements – even if softened or rescinded – indicated that this is a policy, not just…
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I’m Concerned About What’s Happening in Washington. How Can I Protect My Portfolio? l EP 255
I’m Concerned About What’s Happening in Washington. How Can I Protect My Portfolio? We’ve seen a massive amount of change in the federal government in the last month since Trump was inaugurated for his second…
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Social Security and Taxes: Changes for 2025
Social security benefits are linked to inflation, and with inflation largely under control, the large cost-of-living (COLA) increases of the last several years are now a thing of the past. This year’s increase was much…
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February Market Commentary: A New Administration Gets Down to Business
January Recap and February Outlook January seemed to go on forever, as the country faced extreme weather and devastating wildfires. The new administration got underway with a lot of sound and fury, particularly around tariffs,…
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I’d Like to Retire at 55. How Can I Access My Retirement Without Paying Penalties or Touching my Roth Accounts? l Ep 254
Retire at 55 – How to Access Retirement Without Penalties It’s been an interesting few weeks in the markets since President Trump’s inauguration. A Chinese company produced an AI chatbot that performs as well as…
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Planning for Potentially Higher Volatility in 2025
Last year ended with a strong economy and positive stock and bond market returns. With inflation under 3% and GDP over 3%, the soft landing remained in place. While volatility was not a constant theme,…
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January Market Commentary – Seems Like Old Times?
December Recap and January Outlook The inauguration of only the second U.S. president to win two non-consecutive terms (Grover Cleveland was the first) is historic by a host of measures. Starting a second term of…
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