… a prenuptial agreement. Traditions are fun and meaningful, but a prenuptial could prove a great catalyst for a good marriage. Prenuptial agreements have often been labeled as an implication of distrust or premeditation of divorce. But consider this: Do you have homeowners’ insurance because you are planning to set fire to your home? I certainly hope not. Do you have auto insurance because you are planning on wrecking your car? Of course not.
You might have noticed that the Trump name is getting plastered on quite a few things lately. If you have young children, one that might be of interest is the Trump Account. Trump Accounts were established under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and are essentially starter retirement accounts for kids. While more details regarding logistics and funding of the Trump Accounts are anticipated, here’s what we know.
Too many people are fearful of retiring. Yes, there are many who are counting down the days and are excited about their list of things they want to do and see. Yet there are still others who aren’t sure about how they will spend their time, what their purpose is now that they are no longer working, and whether their money will last.
Many investors and pundits love dividends, but does this popular opinion hold up? First, let us review the pros and cons of dividends.
Pros:
- Provide a regular and growing (hopefully more than inflation) source of cash.
- Hold management to more disciplined capital allocation decisions.
- Provide psychological comfort helping investors stay invested during downturns.
- Research suggests dividend stocks exhibit lower shareholder turnover1 & volatility.
Cons:
For many, achieving millionaire status has been a widely accepted goal that once achieved, you can breathe a little more comfortably. Unfortunately, the reality is that having $1 million saved does not guarantee a feeling of security. My theories for this are trifold based on discussions with clients, family, and friends. First, as humans, we are programmed to detect a threat. That natural state is tested daily (think driving on the beltway) and exploited daily (think pharmaceutical commercials for instance – do I have dry skin or psoriasis???).
For many clients, especially those in their 50s that have college-aged children, the focus of their savings plan becomes a little less complicated once college costs are paid. For those that had been socking away funds each month for tuition, they may wonder how to redeploy those future savings dollars. You could ramp up retirements savings. However, you may already be maxing out 401(k) contributions at work, including the “catch-up” amount. As I’ve written about previously, one strategy to consider is combining different types of savings vehicles to meet those needs.
As the global economy implements artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, concerns arise regarding the potential for widespread job losses as a result. However, if true, will these human job losses be transitory or permanent? Or will the AI revolution give way to long-term human job growth given anticipated efficiency gains?
Every year marks a fresh start—a valuable opportunity to pause, reflect on past experiences, and set your sights on the future. As the times are always “a changing,” your approach to retirement planning should continue to evolve as well. Planning ahead and coordinating a tax-efficient account withdrawal strategy in retirement is important. The new catch-up rule under the Secure 2.0 Act could help with this now.
If you read the headlines, listen to the news, or are an avid reader of investment research (like us), it would certainly seem so. Media and various publications have opined on market bubbles, Jerome Powell, the need to support the labor market, inflation, America’s fiscal deficit, the price of gold, softening consumer spending, and the stock market valuation. At the same time, the stock market refuses to listen and has been setting new record highs, up approximately 14% year to date as of November 14, 2025.
The debate over artificial intelligence (AI) is just getting started, but there is considerable buzz about its potential impact on the financial services industry. In this article, Matt Cohen and Kristan Anderson debate questions related to AI and find some common ground on a few of the more pertinent issues that will impact clients and how we work with them.
1. Will using AI in financial planning have an impact on client privacy?
In our third quarter management letter to clients, we discuss stock market gains so far this year, despite significant headline risk including tariffs, concerns over employment levels, inflation, and a government shutdown. It is counter-intuitive that investors continue to see their portfolios grow in the face of these headwinds. Some commentators describe the current market as having a sugar high resulting from large, ongoing investments in artificial intelligence (AI). Indeed, 75% of the S&P 500 Index gains since ChatGPT launched in November 2022 are from AI-related stocks.
Providing education for retirement plan participants is not the easiest task. For one, most people don’t want to be lectured about the inner workings of their 401(k) plan. When we present to participant groups, we often look out onto folks that seem distracted, worried, weary, or just overwhelmed. And while what we are saying is important, it feels like we are speaking a foreign language for most people. This is why we like to meet with participants individually, to ask them individual questions and address their specific retirement-related goals.