March 2025 market update
The new administrationâs priority of âreindustrializing the U.S.â is coming into focus as tariff announcements - even if softened or rescinded - indicated that this is a policy, not just a campaign plank.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 (âDOGEâ) 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.
After a natural disaster: The logistics
Accidents and emergencies can happen to anyone, but natural disasters cause an entirely different type and scale of destruction. Once youâve ensured that your friends and family are safe, follow these steps to help protect your finances.
Be intentional with your wealth
Most people donât set out to accumulate wealth for the sake of it. Rather, people want to live comfortably and provide for their families. After that, many hope to put their money to work in the world. Truly maximizing your wealth requires you to manage it with intention. And those conversations require you to touch on more than just your finances.
How institutions invest
When it comes to investing, you sometimes hear the phrase âbig moneyâ thrown around. That term loosely refers to institutional investorsâlarge funds managed on behalf of an institution or group of people. These âbig moneyâ funds, which include university endowments, pensions, sovereign wealth funds, and so on, often manage enough capital that they have the power to move the market if they make big updates to their holdings. They also tend to report higher-than-average returns.
The different types of home insurance
Home insurance comes in six parts (A-F); each part covers something different. Not every home policy includes all six parts, so use this guide to help you check and evaluate your coverage.
How to build generational wealth
A 20-year study by the Williams Group found 70% of wealth is lost in the first generational transfer, and a full 90% by the third. Additional studies have shown that these monetary losses often translate to family strife. So how can you preserve the wealth youâve built for your family for generations to come? Be intentional about your money and what youâre building, create an estate plan that provides for future generations, and keep up with financial planning.
February 2025 market update
January seemed to go on forever, as the country faced extreme weather and devasting wildfires. The new administration got underway with a lot of sound and fury, particularly around tariffs, which had been a highlight â or a wild card â of the campaign promises. This temporarily caused some market turmoil, but a reversal in short order seemed to validate the marketâs perception that this business-oriented administration may have a bark that is worse than its bite.
January 2025 Market Update
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. However, the economy is in a very different place than it was eight or even four years ago. Will a new economic cycle and a vastly different interest rate environment change plans and outcomes?Â
