Know What's Happening in Wealth Management
Know What's Happening in Wealth Management
Real Estate Investment Cuts Taxes and Estate Liability, UBS Says
UBS Wealth Management explains that investing in real‑estate can simultaneously reduce annual income taxes and future estate‑tax liabilities. Deductions such as mortgage interest, property taxes and depreciation lower taxable rental income, while holding properties in LLCs, trusts, family limited partnerships or self‑directed IRAs enhances the tax advantage.
The “1% more” rule advises increasing retirement contributions or savings by 1% each year or after each raise. Behavioral economists Shlomo Benartzi and Richard Thaler designed the hack to be painless, and modern 401(k) auto‑escalation features stem from this concept. Modeling shows a 5% to 6% contribution on a $125k salary adds $104 monthly and can grow a $1,000 balance to $333,000 in 20 years—about $55k more than staying flat. The principle also works for retirees, letting them boost spending incrementally.
Asset allocation in defined‑contribution (DC) core menus is shifting markedly. Target‑date funds now command roughly 40% of DC assets and could top 50% by 2030, crowding out traditional core options. Meanwhile, non‑default allocations are increasingly concentrated in U.S. large‑cap equities...
Are you still broke at 30? Time to flip the script and build real wealth. Start here: • Grow yourself: Level up skills to boost your income. • Spend smart: Cut unnecessary fluff—every dollar counts. • Save aggressively: Aim for that...
Financial experts emphasize that steady, low‑cost habits often outperform risky, high‑return strategies for retirement. The article outlines seven practices—including automating 401(k) and IRA contributions, conducting regular insurance audits, opting for store brands, negotiating service fees, purging promotional emails, consistently paying...
Late 2025 saw long‑term U.S. Treasury yields climb even as the Fed signaled easing. The divergence stems from stubborn inflation, heightened global bond issuance, and waning central‑bank demand. Active managers now recommend tilting toward intermediate‑term Treasuries, high‑quality corporates, and municipals...
MIT Sloan researchers found that many American couples lose an average of $14,000 in retirement wealth because they fail to coordinate 401(k) contributions toward the spouse with the higher employer match. The study, covering 44 million workers from 2003‑2018, shows that...
In the 1970s gold was recommended in many places as a 10-15% weighting of your portfolio. Today it’s basically zero. Gold has shot up but if recommended allocations skew higher to follow prices it could be a long term tailwind...
Target‑date funds (TDFs) are increasingly criticized for a one‑size‑fits‑all, set‑and‑forget structure that can leave participants over‑exposed to risk as they near retirement. Yaqub Ahmed and other industry experts propose a personalized framework that blends academic lifetime‑investing theory with individual risk...
The Wealth Management podcast “Celebrity Estates” featured Lathrop GPM partner Martin Behn discussing the intricacies of cross‑border estate planning. Using actress Catherine O’Hara’s estate as a case study, Behn emphasized the need to locate every asset worldwide and determine which jurisdiction’s laws...
Standard Life chief executive Andy Briggs warned that the UK government’s new £2,000 salary‑sacrifice cap, effective from April 2029, could further depress already low retirement savings. Only one in seven workers are on track for a decent pension, prompting Briggs...
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposes slashing the state estate‑tax exemption from over $7 million to $750,000 and raising the top rate to 50%. The measure is part of a suite of revenue ideas to cover a $5.4 billion city‑budget deficit and...
Baron Opportunity Fund, managed by Michael Lippert for 20 years, posted the best 25‑year performance among mutual funds, delivering a 13% annualized return versus the S&P 500's 6.8%. Lippert attributes the outperformance to a disciplined focus on long‑term growth companies with...
In February, actively managed ETFs in the United States attracted $73 billion of new capital, propelled by BlackRock’s recent model‑portfolio adjustments. By March 11, BlackRock’s active ETF suite had swelled to $98 billion, nearly three times its 2024 level, with flagship funds like...
Envestnet announced the first wave of interval funds on its Unified Managed Account (UMA) platform, allowing advisors to embed semi‑liquid private‑credit exposure directly into client portfolios. The firm will manage research, trade execution, rebalancing, tax‑loss harvesting and model updates, keeping...
The article outlines a five‑step Social Security playbook for 2026 retirees, urging them to verify their earnings record, model different claiming ages, coordinate benefits with a spouse, anticipate tax liabilities, and assemble required paperwork before applying. It highlights that the...
The Zephyr podcast featuring U.S. Bank’s Beth Lawlor highlights a "crisis of confidence" revealed in the 2025 Wealth Report, which surveyed 5,000 American adults. While the American Dream remains a cultural touchstone, milestones like marriage and homeownership are being delayed in favor...
The article warns that 2026’s macro landscape is clouded by escalating U.S. foreign‑policy tensions and lingering doubts about Federal Reserve independence, which could pressure equity markets. It proposes laddered autocallable income ETFs as a defensive tool, highlighting Calamos’s CAIE and...
Retirees can dramatically cut living expenses by downsizing to a smaller, lower‑cost home, potentially saving $1,000 or more each month. Savings stem from reduced mortgage or rent, lower property taxes, smaller utility bills, cheaper homeowners insurance, and the ability to...
Nationwide Group recommends three mutual funds—NWFAX, NWHFX, and NWHJX—as long‑term buys, each earning a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of #1. The funds deliver strong three‑ and five‑year annualized returns, ranging from 14.1% to 23.2%, while maintaining expense ratios below their...
WealthAi, an AI-driven operating system for wealth managers, has partnered with Stratiphy to embed its managed portfolio services into the WealthAi platform. The integration delivers Stratiphy’s AI‑built portfolios via bank‑issued synthetic certificates, giving firms a single interface for construction, execution,...
The author argues that stock market crashes are advantageous for building children’s wealth. By using the annual $19,000 gift‑tax exemption and a tiered dollar‑cost‑averaging strategy, parents can fund custodial accounts during corrections. The piece outlines three phases of parental financial...
Advisors are adapting to rising client demand for exchange‑traded funds by emphasizing compliance, cost efficiency, and a seamless user experience. The Independent Advisor Alliance (IAA), a hybrid RIA overseeing more than $23 billion for over 140 firms, highlights this shift. Active‑ETF...
Municipal bond mutual funds remain a top choice for risk‑averse investors seeking tax‑free income, trailing only government securities in safety. Zacks highlights three funds—Vanguard Intermediate‑Term Tax‑Exempt (VWITX), Eaton Vance Total Return Bond (EBABX), and American High‑Income Municipal Bond (AMHIX)—each holding...
With the April 15 deadline looming, homeowners must review the tax implications of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that took effect July 2025. The law reinstates a $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions and eliminates key...
The blog notes a paradox in the 2020s: while new cars become faster, safer and more software‑driven, they also grow homogenous and expensive. Meanwhile, collectors are flocking to late‑1990s and early‑2000s analog performance cars, treating them as alternative assets. A...
Family business owners are increasingly bypassing Generation X, handing leadership directly to grandchildren. The trend is driven by founders staying active longer and treating succession as a decade‑spanning transition, aiming for 30‑40 year stewardship. While younger successors bring technology fluency and a...
The equity risk premium (ERP) is an essential ingredient in hurdle rates in corporate finance, discount rates in valuation and expected returns in financial planning. In 2009, I pulled together everything I know about the ERP, in a paper that...
🆕 Adviser links: searching for tax alpha, the AI threat, and the challenge of goal setting. https://t.co/9J3UbREYin chart: https://t.co/DlD779WvsT https://t.co/kv9j0u0L9q
The divorce rate among couples over 50 has doubled since 1990, with “grey divorces” now representing 36% of all splits. For women in their 50s, divorce becomes a high‑stakes financial transition focused on assets, housing, and long‑term security. Traditional financial...
I've developed an easy trick to make money gambling. Buy the casino's stock in an IRA or other tax-deferred acount, then wait about 20 years.
Personal finance expert Suze Orman has years of experience guiding people on how to make the most of their money. https://t.co/ldmDmg2eVO
Private equity firm Bain Capital has agreed to acquire the wealth‑management division of Australia’s Perpetual for an upfront A$500 million, with potential earn‑out payments of up to A$50 million. The business, Perpetual Wealth, oversees A$20‑22 billion in assets for high‑net‑worth families and will...
The downside of irrevocable trusts are that they are "irrevocable" and can't easily be undone ➡️ But here's how "swap powers" – the ability to exchange assets in an irrevocable trust with other assets of equivalent value – can be...
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) released a report urging the UK government to scrap its 40% inheritance tax, which applies to estates above £325,000 (or £500,000 when a home is passed to children). The tax costs the Treasury roughly...
"Capital-light models amplify the power of reinvested cash flows." 💡 Want your money to work harder without tying up massive capital? Capital-light investment models are game-changers.l
If you bought a home for $500k and it is now worth $1M when you pass away, your children generally receive a “step up in basis.” If they sell it, they may owe no capital gains tax. But if you gift...
Paying off a mortgage early offers peace of mind and interest savings, but it isn’t universally optimal. The article outlines four drawbacks: missed higher‑return investments, loss of mortgage‑interest tax deductions, reduced emergency liquidity, and possible pre‑payment penalties. It also notes...
New Zealanders watching their KiwiSaver balances see declines as oil prices jump above $100 per barrel following the US‑Israeli attack on Iran. Higher oil costs drive inflation, interest‑rate hikes and reduced corporate profits, pushing global equity markets lower, including the...
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Traditional IRAs let individuals defer taxes on investment earnings until withdrawal, while many contributions are tax‑deductible, providing immediate tax relief. The accounts support a broad range of assets, from equities and bonds to real‑estate, but prohibit certain items like collectibles....
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The CAC 40 index represents France’s 40 largest, most liquid stocks, including L'Oréal, LVMH, and Sanofi. Investors can access this benchmark through three primary ETFs—BNP Paribas Easy CAC 40, Amundi CAC 40, and Xtrackers CAC 40—each charging roughly 0.20‑0.25% in fees. As of April 2024, the funds hold between €122 million...
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Bond exchange‑traded funds are reshaping fixed‑income investing by delivering stock‑like liquidity and transparent pricing to a market traditionally dominated by opaque over‑the‑counter trades. By tracking bond indices through representative sampling, ETFs give retail investors instant diversification and daily price discovery...
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The Pension Protection Act of 2006 overhauled U.S. retirement law by making key contribution limits permanent and expanding rollover options to Roth IRAs. It introduced stricter funding standards for defined‑benefit plans and raised PBGC premiums for underfunded pensions. The act...
The 80/20 rule is just a Power Law in disguise. Often, in a portfolio: 📈 20% of your holdings will drive 80% of your returns. 📉 80% of your stress will come from 20% of your "average" bets. The secret to long-term success? Cutting...
The article highlights how U.S. billionaires legally sidestep income and payroll taxes, often paying little or nothing despite massive fortunes. It cites Boston College tax expert Ray Madoff, who likens the ultra‑wealthy to a modern aristocracy protected by loopholes. The...
Schwab’s research highlights that brokered certificates of deposit (CDs) can deliver higher yields than traditional bank CDs by aggregating offers from dozens of FDIC‑insured banks. As of March 2026, brokered CD rates range from 3.5% to 4.3% APY, outpacing many...
A finance author lost 40% of her 401(k) by using an indirect rollover, depositing the check into a personal account and missing the 60‑day deadline. The IRS then applied a 10% early‑withdrawal penalty, mandatory 20% tax withholding, and treated the...
Senators Cory Booker and Chris Van Hollen introduced separate bills that would essentially erase federal income tax for households earning under $75,000, expanding the tax‑free income shield to as much as $92,000 for married couples. Van Hollen’s Working Americans’ Tax...
This is crazy: If you are 35 and start investing $5k/yr and stop at 60, you will have ~$431,754 (8%/yr assumption) But if you are 25, start investing $5k/yr and stop at 35, you will have ~$615,580 at 60 (8%/yr assumption) $75k less...
How a "total portfolio approach" that groups investments by risk and performance characteristics (rather than asset class) could lead to a smoother ride for investors (@JasonKephart | @MorningstarInc) More curated articles on investment planning this #WeekendReading: https://t.co/L80cXNYxuT
Wealthy individuals increasingly turn to debt as a strategic tool rather than a liability. By borrowing against real estate or securities, they avoid triggering capital‑gains taxes, preserve compounding returns, and diversify cash exposure. Newer options‑based structures such as box‑spread loans...
