“Ain’t nobody dope as me, I’m just so fresh, so clean” –So Fresh, So Clean, OutKast, 2000 Gator belts and patty melts. The U.S. stock market remains on one helluva ride in 2025. After starting the year on a December through February consolidation grind, worries about tariffs that eventually were manifested sent the S&P 500 on a -21% tumble through …
Another takeaway from the passage of OBBBA is the way that charitable donations are handled from a tax perspective. Since the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the majority of tax filers are simply using the standard deduction. That is great since it was increased, however, it has lessened the direct tax benefits of making charitable contributions for …
Nothing says monetary tension like a photo op in hard hats. When President Trump and Fed Chair Jerome Powell toured the under-renovation Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington D.C., the visit was more than just a symbolic walkthrough. It marked the latest chapter in Trump’s long-running campaign to pressure the central bank into cutting interest rates. Trump and …
One of the big takeaways from the passage of OBBBA is that the tax brackets that were reset during the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will not revert back to prior levels next year as previously scheduled. The current tax brackets will remain and are now permanent. Also of note on the brackets is that the 10% …
Coldplayed, verb Emotionally disappointed from being caught up in high hopes, only to be let down Being unintentionally exposed while cheating in public Trouble. It’s been a tough week for people having affairs at concerts. A few key themes have risen to the surface in the process. One, there may actually be such a thing as bad publicity after all. Another, key …
On July 4th this year, new legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was officially signed into law. Since our focus here is on providing financial information rather than politics, we will spend some time looking at the various components of the Bill and how they might effect some of the readers. When looking at this Bill, there are …
Market cycles are the natural rise and fall of markets over time. They reflect how investor emotions, economic activity, and businesses interact. Although no cycle is identical, they generally follow four phases: Bottoming – The beginning of a new cycle. This is when markets have hit a low typically following a contraction (last phase of cycle). Valuations are cheap and investor sentiment …
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just science fiction anymore — it’s in your phone, your car, and even your office. But what is AI, really? AI refers to machines or software that mimic human intelligence. That means it can learn, problem solve, recognize patterns, and even make decisions often faster and more accurately than humans. Think of voice assistants like Siri, …
The explosive rise of artificial intelligence has made semiconductors the new oil, but electricity may become the new constraint. As demand for data centers surges, driven by large language models and the companies that are building them, America’s power grid is being pushed to its limits. The U.S. is beginning to face a growing energy crisis, compounded by geopolitical tensions …
Two of the most common retirement savings tools are IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts) and 401(k)s. While they both offer tax advantages, their legal structures and rules differ in key ways. Sponsorship and Setup Legally, 401(k)s are employer-sponsored retirement plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Employers set them up and often include matching contributions. In contrast, IRAs …
