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Why Your Medicare Premium May Reflect Income You No Longer Earn
Medicare Part B premiums for 2026 rose to $202.90 a month, an increase of $17.90 from 2025 and just under 10 percent. For higher earners, that increase compounds when a surcharge, called the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment...
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Weekly Market Insights | Volatile Week Ends on Positive Note
Stocks declined over an unusually volatile week as midterm results shifted control of Congress and markets responded.The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index declined 2.68 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 3.37 percent. The Dow...
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Weekly Market Insights | Stocks Lower Despite Upbeat Q3 GDP News
Stocks ended last week lower as disappointing Q3 corporate reports led to a tech-led selloff that deepened on Friday. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 0.57 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 2.00 percent. The...
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Weekly Market Insights | Challenging Week for Tech Stocks
Markets were mixed last week, though persistent pressure on technology stocks made the week feel more challenging for some investors. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 0.47 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.71...
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Weekly Market Insights | Tech Under Pressure After Hot Inflation Reports
Stocks were under pressure last week as corporate earnings results, rising oil prices, and AI valuation anxieties unsettled investors. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 1.95 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 4.48...
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Would You Know If a Scammer Was Using Your Daughter's Voice?
A mother in California picked up her phone last spring and heard her daughter's voice, panicked, saying she had been kidnapped and needed money sent right away.1 The voice had the right pitch and the right tone, even the small...
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Weekly Market Insights | Wall Street Finishes Strong in Complicated Week
Stocks ended last week higher after an up-and-down week where a kitchen sink of economic, geopolitical, and AI-related events competed for investors’ attention. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 1.15 percent, while the Nasdaq...
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Weekly Market Insights | Nasdaq Record, Jobs Report Face Off in Mixed Week
Stocks ended last week mixed as a tug-of-war between strong economic data, cooler job growth, and decades-high Treasury yields played out. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index edged down 0.27 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose...
Read MoreOne Shot to Get It Right
Most financial decisions can be revisited. A portfolio can be rebalanced next quarter, or a budget adjusted next month. But a handful of decisions do not work that way. You may only retire once. Or help parents as they age, or...
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Weekly Market Insights | Stocks Advance; Investors' Attention on What's Next.
Stocks advanced last week as the broad market looked past inflationary pressures and focused on falling oil prices, declining bond yields, and ongoing diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 1.22...
Read MoreAI Gives Answers. Guidance Requires Judgment.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has given financial professionals new tools that can make it faster and sharper to do some behind-the-scenes work, from research to scenario modeling of certain portfolios. AI can struggle with the...
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Weekly Market Insights | Fed Ups Rates; Investors Ponder AI, Oil
Stocks ended last week mixed as investors navigated the Fed’s rate decision, Treasury yields, oil prices, and the volatile AI trade. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index declined 0.09 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.72...
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Weekly Market Insights | CPI Holds Steady; Investors Await Fed Action
Stocks fell over a shortened trading week as higher oil prices rattled investors. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index declined 0.80 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index edged down 0.66 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1...
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Weekly Market Insights | Mixed Week for Markets, Mixed Signals from Fed
Stocks were mixed last week as markets continued to navigate geopolitical concerns and new signals about short-term interest rates. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index edged up 0.09 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.40...
Read MoreIPO Reality vs. The Headline Narrative
When IPOs Dominate the Conversation When a company that most people recognize goes public, suddenly it's everywhere. Media coverage spikes. Everyone is talking about the opportunity, and that conversation itself becomes part of the...
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Weekly Market Insights | Stocks Upbeat on AI; Warsh: "Less is More."
Stocks rebounded last week as falling bond yields and upbeat AI-related corporate reports rekindled positive market sentiment despite the Fed Chair’s slightly hawkish speech. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 0.49 percent, while...
Read MoreWhen Your Parents Need You to Be the Adult
There is usually no single moment when the roles begin to shift. It may be a confusing medical bill. A missed payment. A scam text they almost clicked. A question about an account they have had for years. A conversation where they...
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Weekly Market Insights | Stocks Slip; Attention Shifts to Bonds
Stocks declined last week as global investors fretted about oil-supply-induced inflation. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index declined 1.43 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index slid 2.05 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average...
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Weekly Market Insights | Inflation Cools Again; S&P Up Third Week
Stocks were mixed over a sleepy summer week, as cooling inflation lifted markets while sluggish retail sales nipped at investor sentiment. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added 0.36 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index edged up 0...
Read MoreBefore They Board the Plane: A Financial Guide for Study Abroad Families
Studying abroad is one of the most formative investments a family can make. The financial side, however, often gets less attention than it deserves. In the most recent academic year, 298,180 U.S. students studied abroad for academic...
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Weekly Market Insights | Stocks Have Best Week in Four Months
Stocks bolted ahead last week as investors cheered the last big week of Q2 corporate reports and a Friday jobs update that put the spotlight on the Fed's next move with short-term rates. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index advanced 3.57...
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Weekly Market Insights | Earnings Season Arrives; Investors Take a Breath
Stocks ended last week down as Q2 corporate results, Middle East developments, and the chips trade took investors for a choppy ride. The Nasdaq Composite Index was under the most pressure, falling 2.13 percent. The Standard & Poor’s...
Read MoreDoes the New Tax Law Impact Your Estate Strategy?
The federal estate tax exemption remains at an all-time high. For some families, that is genuinely good news. But it may also be creating a false sense of security, especially if you live in one of the states that sets its own rules...
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Weekly Market Insights | Earnings Season Arrives; Investors Take a Breath
Stocks ended last week down as Q2 corporate results, Middle East developments, and the chips trade took investors for a choppy ride. The Nasdaq Composite Index was under the most pressure, falling 2.13 percent. The Standard & Poor’s...
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Weekly Market Insights | Inflation Retreats; Chips Stumble
Stocks fell last week as the chip-stock trade entered a selloff phase, despite upbeat news on inflation. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 1.55 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 2.90 percent. The Dow Jones...
Read MoreTrump Accounts Are Now Open - What You Need to Know
A new federally created savings account for American children launched on July 4, 2026, when Trump Accounts began accepting contributions. The accounts were formally established under Section 530A of the Internal Revenue Code as part...
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Weekly Market Insights | Chip Rally Lifts the Week
Stocks largely advanced over a V-shaped week as the AI trade, led by chip stocks, pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq averages higher amid renewed conflict. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 1.23 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index...
Read MoreThe Retirement Conversation Couples Keep Avoiding
As financial professionals, we spend much of our time helping our clients prepare for retirement. By the time most of our clients are within a few years of retirement, their savings are there, their investment accounts are in order,...
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