Quarterly Commentary SpaceX recently made history with its June 12th initial public offering (IPO), raising $75 billion and surpassing a $2 trillion valuation within its first week. As one of the largest public entities globally, SpaceX was swiftly added to major indices like the Russell 1000 and Nasdaq-100, with more tech giants like OpenAI and Anthropic expected to follow later this year. This rapid growth automatically forces massive amounts of…
The first quarter of 2026 brought heightened market volatility, driven largely by geopolitical tensions and rising energy prices. Inflation increased to 3.3% annualized in March, and while this has weighed on consumer sentiment, the broader economic outlook remains stable with a recession still considered unlikely. Expectations for interest rate cuts have shifted, with markets now anticipating fewer and potentially later moves from the Federal Reserve as inflation trends evolve. Despite…
Concerns about whether today’s enthusiasm for artificial intelligence represents a market bubble have become increasingly common, especially after several years of strong equity returns led by AI-related companies. While in many ways different, comparisons to the dot-com era are understandable, when excitement around transformative technology pushed valuations well beyond fundamentals and ultimately resulted in sharp market declines. History also shows, however, that while such periods can be painful for investors,…
Saving enough each year for retirement is the most important thing you can do towards becoming retirement ready, followed by investing consistently with your life stage and other goals. Not everyone needs to save up to the IRS maximum retirement plan savings limits, but some should save up to the limits (or more, outside of a retirement plan) in order to meet their retirement readiness goals. Most people need to…
As the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates ten times to a notable 5.25% in just over a year, holding cash is generating a lot of buzz. Many view cash as the safe haven, especially when money market funds and similar instruments offer returns over 5% annually with minimal volatility. While these returns are enticing, it’s essential to take a deeper look surrounding cash in today’s financial landscape. Where the buzz…
Why investment process quality is key to investing success + our 5-step approach It’s natural to feel anxious about investing. Investors all want to make the best decisions when it comes to their money and wealth management—decisions that will help your portfolio grow bigger without excessive risk. However, the investment decision process can be overwhelming, given the many available options and pitfalls. Investing is a key part of a financial…
View the 2025 market volatility review, to help you stay the course, by understanding more about market cycles, what’s driving current market fluctuations, how common volatility is, what the pitfalls are of changing strategies due to investor emotion, and how to think differently about long-term investing vs. short-term spending needs.
Politics and tariff mania are making markets and consumers nervous, some markets are up and some are down but diversification is helping cushion returns, volatility is overdue and more normal than people think. That plus a general key retirement planning review and more in this quarter’s Quarterly Context webinar … Watch to stay relaxed by staying informed, and remain current about things that actually matter to staying focused on your…
