IRS Announcements  The IRS has released new tax brackets, standard deductions, and retirement account contribution limits for 2026, and there are some noteworthy changes taking effect this year for high earning employees age 50 and over. Retirement Account Contribution Limits   Across all retirement account types, contribution limits are increasing in 2026. For workplace retirement plans such as a 401(k), 403(b), or Solo 401(k), the employee deferral maximum is increasing fro

In the third quarter of 2025, global stock markets saw a continuation of strong performance. The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut rates by 0.25% in September, which included an indication of more rate cuts to come, brought short-term bond interest rates down, and buoyed the U.S. stock market for an 8.2% increase in Q3. Global bond market returns were more muted, but still positive. Read on for more details. Here are a few data points from Q3: The U.S. stock market finished u

The  One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law on July 4, 2025, and will affect Americans in many ways. In this guide, we want to highlight the most pertinent tax-related provisions in the bill. While there are a few new tax deductions, the bill primarily made permanent some of the tax structures from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017 that were set to expire in 2026. Please note: The information provided here is our best understanding of the bill’s tax pr

The second quarter of 2025 brought volatility driven by escalating tariff tensions and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine, and other parts of the world. Despite these challenges, global stock markets ultimately found their footing as worst-case tariff scenarios failed to materialize and economic data remained resilient. Most major asset classes ended the quarter with solid gains. U.S. stocks bounced back after a rocky start in April, with big tech companies leading

After two years of strong stock market performance and relatively steady growth, the first quarter of 2025 marked a jarring shift. Heading into the year there was optimism about a “soft landing” in which the economy would slow down enough to curb inflation, without triggering a recession. Instead, Q1 brought renewed fears about inflation, declining consumer confidence, and the increasing risk of a recession, driven largely by escalating trade wars. However, there were also br

2024 brought multiple global stock market record highs and delivered 17.5% returns in global equities in 2024. Despite ending the year on a weak note, the global gains were led largely by the U.S., which posted strong returns in 2024, with the S&P 500 rising 25%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 29.6% with artificial-intelligence-related stocks leading the market higher, despite some sell-off late in the year. Value stocks and small caps lagged their growth and large cap counterp

With elections coming up in November, the outcomes will impact a range of issues and topics like taxes, fiscal policy, and the markets. While Presidents and Congress have some impact on markets, they are just a small part of complex, interconnected systems. The markets will be influenced, but perhaps not in the ways you might expect.   Why? Many factors that play significant roles in the markets are not controlled by who is in office. The stock market is comprised of companie

Q3 Quarterly Market Snapshot The third quarter of 2024 delivered healthy gains across most major asset classes, despite multiple bouts of market volatility. U.S., international, and emerging market stocks were all up in Q3, as were real estate, U.S. and global bonds, with specifics in the chart above. U.S. stocks built on a strong first half of the year, with many market indices at or close to record levels as the third quarter neared an end.   Notably in the bond markets, wi

Q2 Quarterly Market Snapshot In the U.S. Q2 was off to a rough start, with high inflation data bringing the U.S. stock market down 5.6% from highs in March. But, the tides shifted quickly as inflation data improved and companies posted strong Q1 earnings, leading to 3.22% gains for the quarter in the U.S. stock market. Artificial intelligence (AI) and tech dominated the headlines and drove much of the growth in the U.S. stock market. Continued signs of easing inflation led to

2024 Q1 Quarterly Market Review Q1 Quarterly Market Snapshot The first quarter of 2024 saw gains across U.S., international, and emerging market stocks,  and down markets in global real estate and U.S. bonds. Perhaps most significantly, inflation numbers have continued to be sticky and come in higher than expected, which has reduced the outlook for interest rate cuts this year. Coming into 2024, five rate cuts were expected, beginning in March. After last week's inflation rep