New Frontiers for Energy Resilience
The future of energy production, especially with the demands of AI and cloud computing, hinges on a balanced and sustainable mix of sources. As established technology companies partner with nuclear startups, new sustainable solutions could help meet the rising demand without further exacerbating climate concerns.
Investing and Elections: What History Tells Us
Throughout US history, presidents generally receive too much credit or blame for economic conditions during their administration. A larger driver of stock performance is the business cycle, which is influenced by a multitude of factors ranging from technological revolutions to globalization.
Optimizing Your Charitable Giving
Whether you’re motivated by a passion for a particular cause, a desire to give back to the community, or you want to support a loved one’s passion or cause, charitable giving is a way that many of our clients choose to have an impact in areas that are important to them.
Baby Steps for New Grandparents
The arrival of a new child is a life transition for grandparents and offers the chance to more broadly assess your own plans for the future. As you think about your new grandchild growing into adulthood well beyond your lifetime, what legacy would you like to leave them?
Market Patterns and Heat Waves
Q2 2024 Market Commentary
Markets have been experiencing a heat wave recently, with stronger than usual growth over the past twelve months. While that growth continued in the third quarter, patterns shifted and a new array of sectors helped lead the broad market higher.
The Cost of Cooling a Warming World
Reducing the environmental impact of HVAC systems is a crucial step toward achieving a more sustainable future as well as a significant opportunity for companies to innovate. As demand for air conditioning booms alongside fears about the future of our climate, there is an opportunity for private sector companies and government policymakers to address this issue strategically.
The Landscape of Investment Accounts
It’s easy to become confused by the array of different investment options, such as pre-tax and post-tax accounts. Are there optimal periods to open, contribute to, and withdraw from them? While we regularly advise on and manage strategic decisions for our clients, having a base familiarity with various investment vehicles and techniques is often helpful.
Putting the National Debt in Context
Rather than measuring debt as a percentage of GDP, which is primarily an income measure, measuring debt against total assets paints a far more solvent picture.
Homeowners Insurance: Repricing Risk
In response to recent years of high payouts, particularly for wildfire losses, insurance companies have declined to renew policies at a rapid clip and stopped underwriting in high-risk areas of California. This has led to much higher rates of enrollment in the FAIR Plan, which is only meant as a bridge until other insurance solutions became available.
Days Are Long, Years Are Short
Whether in planning, investing, or parenting, the best outcomes typically arise when you remain focused on the bigger picture rather than the swirl of daily headlines.
Pickleball, Innovation, and Markets
Innovation can create whole new markets that can be impossible to predict and can feel disruptive to our well-known patterns and expectations. However, another hallmark trait of innovation is that it often comes with unintended downsides that must be balanced against the benefits.
Heating Up and Cooling Down
Q2 2024 Market Commentary
While increases in prices, temperatures, and political headlines have been quite noticeable, we have also been monitoring areas of the market and economy that have been on a cooling trend over recent weeks and months.
Legacy Planning for Digital Assets
As we continue to rely on technology to make our lives more convenient, our digital asset landscape is becoming more relevant than ever. Including language in your estate plan that covers digital assets is an increasingly common practice to provide clarity over who has legal authority.
The Challenges of Powering AI Infrastructure
The exciting potential growth of artificial intelligence and hyperscale computing capability should account for the logistical and environmental challenges of expanding infrastructure to handle the dramatic increase in energy demanded by powerful chips.
Sell In May and Go Away?
Even though stocks haven’t traditionally done as well from May through October, they still tend to go up, suggesting that staying fully invested has been more reliable than attempting to time the market.
Safeguarding Against Financial Scams
Beyond awareness of what types of scams are out there, it’s important to recognize why they succeed, and acknowledge the pitfalls of some common reactions should they happen to you or a loved one.
Inflation Fatigue
While overall spending remains strong, early cracks are emerging, suggesting that consumers are feeling the fatigue after four years of inflation pressures.
Roth IRAs: Investing In Your Future
Having retirement money in both a Roth and a 401k gives you the choice to take either taxable or non-taxable income. This choice allows you to be deliberate about your source of income and taxes.
Measuring What Matters
Measurement has historically been a catalyst for innovation, and companies concerned with environmental impact know that while measurable change is incremental, progress made is real.
Catastrophe, Resilience, and Growth
Q1 2024 Market Commentary
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, while devastating, did not paralyze the nation's economy; similarly, a diversified portfolio is structured to absorb volatility without jeopardizing overall performance.
Navigating Finances, Together
Whether couples combine their finances, keep them separate, or use some combination of both depends on their individual preferences, values, and circumstances. Whatever path they choose, having a full picture makes it easier to engage with major financial decisions.
Artificial Intelligence, Real Companies
AI has the potential to transform industries and reshape the way we live and work. It also carries significant risks for specific professions and our broader social fabric, presenting challenges for policymakers and regulators.
Student Loans As a Planning Tool
Even when you have sufficient assets to cover the cost of college, it doesn’t automatically mean that now is the best time to use them. There are still timing considerations that can significantly impact both taxes and liquidity. One strategy to consider in these scenarios is having your child take out student loans.
2023 Community Engagement Report
We experience the threads of community through our work with clients, interactions with people and local businesses, and partnerships with nonprofit organizations. Our Community Engagement Report explores how we strived to strengthen the fabric of our community in 2023.
A New Season Begins
When building your portfolio and saving for retirement, hitting singles and doubles is the safer, lower-risk route. It's the singles and doubles that win the game. Home runs are exciting, but good defense and strong pitching carry teams deep into the post season.