Most of us will need some form of long-term care as we ageāand long-term care is notoriously expensive. While wealthy families may not need to worry about the cost of care, failure to plan for these expenses can jeopardize a familyās long-term plan and legacy.
The goal of financial planning is to build and optimize wealth. Too often, we see people worry about their financial wins, like selling a business or cashing out of a profitable investment, instead of celebrating them. This hesitation is nearly always tied to taxes: How much of my potential profit will I owe to Uncle Sam? Are there strings attached to this windfall? Whatās the catch?
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 the result of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting at mid-month was policy stasis with no changes to rates. Even more unsettling to the markets was the Fedās signal of fewer rate cuts in 2025.
April began with the shock of tariff announcements that were much more punitive than anticipated by businesses, markets, investors, and economists. Equity markets promptly pulled back, even entering bear territory, although not closing there.
When it comes to women and money, the financial services industry sometimes misses the mark. Certain assumptionsālike the idea that women are more risk averse than menācan be circumstantial rather than inherent. To that end, I want to dedicate some time to the unique challenges women face when it comes to financial planning, plus strategies to face those hurdles head on.
Most investors hate volatility; most advisors change the topic to risk management before they suggest you ignore the noise. So what causes the disconnect between regular investors and the pros? And do you need to pay attention to volatile markets? To answer those questions, we have to back up to discuss a few core concepts.
The new administrationās priority of āreindustrializing the U.S.ā is coming into focus as tariff announcements - even if softened or rescinded - indicated that this is a policy, not just a campaign plank. Throughout the month, the Department of Government Efficiency (āDOGEā) continued its mandate of shrinking government with a raft of layoffs. Headlines on these two topics led to growing fears that an increasingly pessimistic consumer would stop spending, and that inflation would begin to spike once more. While the market response throughout February was to react with higher volatility, equities largely closed out February with only moderate losses.