Today's Wealth Management Pulse
Turn Excess Market Gains Into Life‑Changing Cash
The S&P 500 has surged roughly 100% over the past 3½ years, far outpacing the historical 10% annual return. The gains are heavily skewed toward the wealthiest, with the top 1% holding about 50% of equities—roughly $29 trillion—and the article shows how investors can convert this “free money” into substantial extra cash.
5 Beneficiary Designation Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Estate Plan
In this episode of the College Investor Audio Show, host Eric discusses five common beneficiary designation mistakes that can undermine an estate plan, such as failing to update beneficiaries after life events, assuming a will overrides designated accounts, neglecting contingent beneficiaries, naming the estate as a beneficiary, and relying on joint accounts. He explains how these errors can cause assets to go to ex‑spouses, trigger probate, create unexpected tax bills, and expose funds to creditors, despite the cost of a well‑crafted will or trust. Real‑world examples, including the Supreme Court’s Egelhoff v. Egelhoff case, illustrate the legal weight of beneficiary forms, which operate outside of wills. Listeners are urged to regularly review and update all beneficiary designations, name contingent beneficiaries, avoid naming the estate, and use POD/TOD designations instead of joint ownership.
Weighing RSUs vs Salary Boost at 35
You’re 35, Software Engineer, San Francisco. $380k income. Married, 1 child. $500k retirement, $450k brokerage, $120k cash. Do you stay for $250k RSUs vesting over 4 years or switch to another company offering a $120k/year cash raise elsewhere?
Shelton Wealth Management Dumps $8.6M IBTG Stake, Signals Shift in Treasury‑ETF Sentiment
Shelton Wealth Management sold all 376,011 shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2026 Term Treasury ETF (IBTG) for an estimated $8.61 million, wiping the fund from its portfolio. The exit, filed on April 28, 2026, reflects the fund’s approaching maturity and may signal broader...
The Illusion of Diversification: Most Canadian Portfolios Are Far More Concentrated than They Appear and That's Not Good
The article warns that many Canadian investors mistake label‑based diversification for true risk spreading. A 2022 market shock showed the classic 60/40 stock‑bond mix can fail when equities and bonds fall together. Typical Canadian portfolios start with a domestic equity...
Should You Relocate to a New State for Retirement? The Ultimate Checklist for Those With a Pension and $1 Million-Plus
Retirees in the “2% Club” – those with a pension and at least $1 million in assets – are weighing whether relocation can improve their financial picture. The article explains that state income tax is only one piece of the puzzle;...
I'm a Financial Planner: These 4 Spending Mistakes Can Derail Your Retirement Plan
Financial planners warn that retirement success hinges on realistic spending assumptions, not just portfolio size. Four common mistakes—relying on estimates, ignoring irregular costs, assuming static spending, and treating all expenses alike—can erode a solid plan over a 25‑30‑year horizon. Using...
ETF Adoption Rises in Canada as Knowledge Gaps Persist, CETFA Survey Finds
Canada’s ETF market is expanding, with 21% of investors now holding at least one fund, a share that rises to 25% among 35‑to‑54‑year‑olds. Younger investors are also more likely to own both Canadian and U.S. listings, especially in western provinces....
Changing Jobs and Tempted to Cash Out Your 401(k)? Read This First (Future You Will Thank You)
The article highlights how today’s mobile workforce—averaging 12 jobs and frequent moves—creates fragmentation in the 401(k) system, leaving millions of accounts inactive or cashed out. Inactive defined‑contribution accounts rose to 29.2% in 2023, and about one‑third of workers cash out...
5 Money Rules Warren Buffett Follows That Broke People Can’t Understand
Warren Buffett’s five money rules emphasize capital preservation, frugal living, contrarian buying, disciplined competence, and using volatility as an advantage. He avoids any investment that could erode principal, lives modestly to funnel cash into income‑producing assets, and purchases quality businesses...
Inflation‑linked Bonds Boost Nominal Returns, Tax on Unrealized Gains
𝗧𝗮𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 😲 To see how RSA Retail Savings Inflation-Linked Bonds work, let’s look at a hypothetical investment of R100,000 over a 5 year period 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝟭𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝟱-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝟰.𝟳𝟱%...
UK Ministers Gain Power to Force Pension Funds to Invest in British Companies
UK ministers have been granted new statutory powers to require pension schemes to allocate a portion of their assets to UK‑listed companies. The measure, introduced under recent financial legislation, seeks to channel private retirement savings into domestic businesses and support...
04.29.26 Spring Financial To-Do List / This “Escape” Is Still a Money Trap
In this episode Clark Howard uses the spring cleaning metaphor to urge listeners to audit their recurring expenses, especially hidden subscription fees, and consolidate them onto a single “subscription” credit card for easier tracking. He highlights the financial drain of...
Rachel Reeves’s Tax Shake-Up: Time to Plan Ahead, From Isas to Self-Assessment
The UK Treasury, led by Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, will tighten several tax rules on 6 April 2027. Cash ISAs for people under 65 will be capped at £12,000 (≈ $15,200), forcing any excess into stocks‑and‑shares ISAs, while the full £20,000 allowance (≈ $25,400)...
Invest Assets to Earn Income and Grow Net Worth
Instead of waiting years to build up your savings, smart money uses assets to invest in assets that bring in money and grow over time. When done right, those kinds of investments can cover your borrowing costs while your net...
Consistent Financial Habits Outperform Raw Intelligence
Why habits matter more than brilliance Good financial habits beat intelligence over time. #MoneyMindset #LongTermThinking https://t.co/fYbdmA3XQt
Two Investment Strategies for People Who Are Afraid of the Stock Market
The article outlines two low‑risk investment approaches that rely on buffered exchange‑traded funds, which cap downside losses while preserving upside potential. It highlights how these defined‑outcome ETFs let cautious investors “tiptoe” into equities without fearing market crashes. Innovator Capital Management,...
IRS Sets Larger 2026 Tax Allowances for Expensive Housing Abroad
The IRS released Notice 2026-25, raising foreign housing tax allowances for high‑cost overseas locations in 2026. The maximum housing exclusion climbs to $39,870, with city‑specific caps that reflect local cost differentials. London now qualifies for a $68,600 allowance, while Hong Kong,...
Canada Launches $25 B Canada Strong Fund, Its First Sovereign Wealth Fund
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the Canada Strong Fund, a $25 billion sovereign wealth fund that will invest alongside the private sector in strategic Canadian projects. Finance Minister François‑Philippe Champagne said the seed capital will be financed through low‑cost borrowing, and...
Active ETFs Snag 40% of YTD Flows While Holding Just 12% of Assets
At a Manhattan roundtable, Franklin Templeton’s Todd Mathias said active ETFs, which make up just 12% of total ETF assets, have absorbed 40% of year‑to‑date inflows. The surge reflects growing investor demand for flexible, actively managed exposure amid mixed market...
Don’t Neglect Financial Planning’s Missing Middle
Many fee‑only planners turn away clients who lack defined goals, leaving a large “missing middle” of people without a financial plan. The article argues that the gap can be closed by adding a scenario‑planning step between discovery and solution phases....
Why Paul Tudor Jones Calls Warren Buffett the OG of Compound Interest
Paul Tudor Jones, famed macro trader, praised Warren Buffett as the original master of compounding during a recent Invest Like The Best interview. Jones admitted he once dismissed Buffett’s success as luck, but now acknowledges the power of Berkshire Hathaway’s...
Wealth Managers Double Down on Asset‑Allocation‑Centric Risk Mitigation as Volatility Spikes
Leading wealth managers, including Sam Diarbakerly of Generation Capital Advisors and Pete Alliegro of Sagient, are reinforcing asset‑allocation‑focused risk‑mitigation frameworks as wars, tariffs and AI‑driven market turbulence heighten investor anxiety. Their playbook leans on low‑cost ETFs, cash reserves and tax‑efficient...
Real Estate Leverage Lets $60k Control $300k Asset
$60,000 down on a $300,000 rental property controls a $300,000 asset. That same $60,000 in the stock market controls $60,000. The bank will never offer you that deal on a stock. They've been telling you which asset they trust more for hundreds of...
RIAs Gain Crypto Access via DWP Sub‑Advisor Partnership
RIAs with clients wanting crypto exposure can partner with DWP as a sub-advisor. Fee sharing is built in. DWP sets up managed accounts under the RIA's instance with sub-accounts per client. Both parties have oversight. Cash comes over, gets invested...
Retirement Pessimism Spurs Surge in Advisory Planning Services
A sharp drop in retirement confidence among workers and retirees is prompting a rush to advisory planning services. Advisors anticipate that 54% of investors will receive full‑service financial planning by 2027, up from 48% today, as they race to meet...
New Bill Would Autofill Tax Forms
Rep. Bill Foster (D‑Illinois) introduced the “Autofill Act,” a bill that would let taxpayers download tax forms already filled with data the IRS receives from employers, the Social Security Administration and financial institutions. The pre‑populated forms would be available both...
How Mortgage Revenue Bonds Can Boost Your Portfolio
The article explains how state and local housing finance agencies issue mortgage revenue bonds (MRBs) to fund affordable single‑ and multi‑family housing, detailing their structures, credit quality, and market dynamics. It highlights that MRBs, backed by government‑pledged assets and often...
Why High Income Doesn’t Guarantee Financial Security
Physicians earn among the highest salaries in the U.S., yet many lack financial security because of massive student debt, delayed earning power, and lifestyle inflation. The average medical‑school debt of $217,000 and resident salaries around $68,000 push wealth‑building back a...
Garry Marr: Are Young FHSA Savers About to Get Duped Again?
Canada’s First Home Savings Accounts (FHSA) have surged to roughly $8.07 billion CAD (about $6 billion USD) by the end of 2024, with an average balance of $8,000 CAD (~$5,900 USD) per holder. Meanwhile, the housing market remains soft, with average home...
The Fiduciary Question Nobody Is Asking About Life Insurance
Hundreds of thousands of seniors surrender life‑insurance policies each year without considering the secondary market. A life settlement—selling the policy to institutional buyers—can fetch two to ten times the cash‑surrender value, with the market handling $4‑5 billion annually across 43 states....
HSAs: Tax‑Free Growth, Lifetime Benefits, Retirement Flexibility
Why we love Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) in 2026: 1️⃣ Tax-deductible contributions (lower your taxable income) 2️⃣ Tax-free investment growth 3️⃣ Tax-free withdrawals for medical bills 4️⃣ Your balance never expires and stays with you if you change jobs. 5️⃣ At age...
How Financial Advisors Track Their Clients’ Alternative Investments
Alternative investments have moved from niche to mainstream, with nine‑in‑ten financial advisors now allocating to them and nearly half assigning more than 10% of client assets to alternatives, according to the fourth CAIS‑Mercer survey. Advisors need reliable tracking systems to...
Seeking Fixed Income Solutions? Give Municipals a Chance
Advisors are urged to reconsider municipal bonds as a core fixed‑income allocation amid a volatile macro backdrop. With a new Federal Reserve chair expected later this year, the prospect of additional rate cuts could depress cash yields, making tax‑exempt muni...
How to Find the Best Sector ETFs 2Q26
The article highlights the overwhelming number of sector ETFs—403 across 11 sectors, averaging 36 choices per sector—making selection increasingly complex. It stresses that ETFs can differ dramatically, with technology funds ranging from 21 to 2,495 holdings, leading to varied risk...
Costs Vs. Retirement: The Case for TIPS ETFs
Fidelity’s 2026 State of Retirement Planning Study found that roughly one‑third of Americans are unsure they can ever retire, with 42% believing retirement is unaffordable. The top competing priority across generations is the rising cost of living, a pressure that...
3 Stocks to Buy From a Prospering Electronics Components Industry
The Zacks Electronics‑Miscellaneous Components industry is riding a wave of automation, AI adoption, and IoT‑driven demand, delivering a 35.3% total‑return over the past year—far outpacing the S&P 500’s 14.2% gain. Analysts have lifted earnings estimates 9.4% since mid‑2025, and the sector’s...
The Biggest Drag on Investor Returns Is Behavior
Investor behavior, not market fundamentals, is the biggest drag on portfolio returns, according to Morningstar’s annual “Mind the Gap” study. The research shows that the more frequently investors trade, the larger the gap between fund performance and their personal outcomes,...
These Adviser Fees Are a Hit to Your Portfolio — Here Are 2 Questions to Stop Them
Financial advisers often charge a visible advisory fee, but many hidden costs can silently erode client returns. Cash held in money‑market funds may be subject to expense ratios of 0.11%‑0.37% and an additional advisory charge of around 0.50% on idle...
How to Incorporate Rising Political Risk Into Investment Management
The article outlines how investment managers can systematically embed rising political risk into portfolio construction and oversight. It highlights the shift from ad‑hoc news monitoring to quantitative scenario modeling, stressing the need for granular country‑level exposure data. The piece also...
How Looking Back One Year Can Transform Your Small Cap Returns
A new Bridgeway Capital paper shows the small‑cap premium is alive but hidden by stocks that only recently became small. By excluding "fallen angels"—large caps that fell into the small‑cap bucket—and fresh IPOs, the annual premium jumps from 1.3% to...
Inheritance Tax on Pensions Set for 2027 Spurs Shift to Annuities and Estate Planning
The UK government will extend inheritance tax to unused pension funds and certain death benefits starting April 2027, a change announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the 2024 autumn budget. Savers are already moving away from pure retirement income products...
Stanley Druckenmiller Dumps SanDisk, Shifts to Bloom Energy as AI Power Demand Soars
Stanley Druckenmiller sold his entire SanDisk holding of 166,235 shares after a single quarter and redeployed the proceeds into Bloom Energy, a fuel‑cell maker that has rallied more than 800% since its 2018 IPO. The move signals a thematic shift...
NZX Debuts S&P/NZX 20 Futures, Closing 30‑Year Derivatives Gap
The New Zealand Exchange (NZX) launched the S&P/NZX 20 Index Futures, the country's first liquid equity futures contract in three decades. The product lets investors hedge and gain exposure to the 20 most liquid New Zealand stocks, ending a long‑standing market void.
Inflation Eats Savings; Invest to Preserve Wealth
$100k today is worth the same as: - $82k in 2021 - $73k in 2016 - $68k in 2011 - $61k in 2006 - $54k in 2001 "Saving" is an oxymoron... So here's the easiest (and safest) way to invest your money:
Equity Hedging and Commodities Boost Portfolio Performance
I recently had the pleasure of appearing on Dean Curnutt's excellent AlphaExchange podcast. The goal was to detail how a carefully designed combination of equity index hedging and long commodities can meaningfully improve the performance of a traditional asset allocation...
For Many Pro Athletes, Post-Career Financial Worries Loom Large
Professional tennis player Mackenzie McDonald, 31, has earned over $7 million in prize money but faces mounting financial pressure after his ranking fell from a career‑high No. 37 to No. 125. In 2025 he collected $710,040 despite a modest win‑loss record and early...
Stress‑Free Investing Redefined in New Book Release
I'm very pleased to announce that my new book, THE AWESOME PORTFOLIO, will be released on September 8th, 2026. It's a stress-free approach to investing, and it blows to smithereens the conventional wisdom about saving for retirement. Pre-order here: https://t.co/2ADIy8Jfh7
For Richer, For Poorer: 37 Years of Compounding
A hypothetical $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 on the writer's 1989 wedding day would be worth about $492,000 today, illustrating the power of long‑term compounding. The portfolio grew modestly to $16,500 after five years, surged to $56,759 by 1999,...
ARK Venture Fund Lets Retail Investors Buy Into SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic
Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has launched the ARK Venture Fund (ticker ARKVX), an interval fund that gives retail investors exposure to private‑company leaders SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic for as little as $500. The fund holds 68 private and public firms,...
Money Management Beats Earning: Teach Capital Skills Now
When it comes to money, capital management is the most important thing. It's shocking it isn't taught in school. Anyone can make money, but not everyone can keep it. So many people I know who "made it" are now moving back with their...