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How the 2026 midterm election could impact the stock market
With the upcoming midterm election, many investors are asking a familiar question: how will the election results impact the stock market? Historically, while political events can trigger short-term volatility, they are rarely the primary driver of long-term stock performance. For a political outcome to significantly move financial markets, it typically has to result in legislation ... Read more
How much does a financial planner cost, and could a flat fee be better than 1% AUM?
Thinking about working with a financial planner is an exciting milestone, but figuring out how much it costs can feel surprisingly complicated. Money is deeply personal, and how you choose to invest it should reflect your values, not eat away at your long-term growth through hidden or compounding fees. Knowing where your money goes gives ... Read more
Q3 2026 performance review and outlook: How surging interest rates and AI volatility impacted portfolios
Stocks rose slightly during the third quarter of 2026, with the Morningstar Global Markets gaining 1.2%. There were two big themes this quarter – AI and interest rates. We suspect these are going to remain the big themes over the next few quarters as well. Interest rates surged this quarter on concerns about higher inflation ... Read more
What the push for AI safety means for tech stocks and data centers
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently wrote a blog post where he argued that advancements in AI were moving too quickly for safety protocols to keep up. He argued that development of these frontier models, the most cutting edge AI models, must be “paced” to avoid the potential danger of AI doing something destructive. This blog ... Read more
The Fed’s September 2026 rate hike: What Warsh’s comments mean for investors
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh announced a 0.25% interest rate hike at the September 2026 FOMC meeting, marking a shift from talk to action in the fight against inflation. Warsh has spent the prior two Fed meetings saying the Fed was committed to price stability, but had refrained from actually hiking rates. However, recent economic ... Read more
Should you still own bonds given today's market risks?
The U.S. bond market faces a number of challenges for the remainder of 2026 and into 2027, which is leaving some investors in bonds worried about whether their money is at risk. I spent many years as a bond portfolio manager earlier in my career, and I do think the bond market faces some real ... Read more
Should you really avoid IRMAA in retirement?
It is entirely natural to feel protective over the nest egg you spent decades building. When you are living on a fixed income, seeing a sudden increase in your monthly health insurance costs can feel like a setback. However, making decisions purely out of fear of a Medicare surcharge can accidentally cost you far more ... Read more
What is investment management? A guide to services, fees, and choosing a firm
What is investment management? If a firm is offering investment management as one of their services, how does that differ from other kinds of investment advice? Unfortunately, the financial industry doesn’t make it easy to make these distinctions. Terms like financial advisor, portfolio manager, financial planner, investment manager, etc., are often used by different firms ... Read more
Is 2026 a good time to buy a house?
For those looking to buy a new house, the last few years have been extremely frustrating. Home prices have just kept rising across most of the U.S., while mortgage rates have stayed stubbornly high. This combination has resulted in housing affordability well below anytime between 2007 and 2022. According to a recent CNBC survey, housing ... Read more