Fiduciary Rules

Even in the event that the Middle East conflict eases and shipping resumes as usual through the Strait of Hormuz, it would likely take time for the global economy to normalize after one of the largest oil supply disruptions in decades.

Behavioral finance is the study of how emotions, cognitive biases, and human behavior may influence financial decisions, often in ways that can conflict with logic, data, and long-term goals.

U.S. headline employment rebounded strongly in March, posting the largest monthly gain since late 2024. The jobs rebound, which was broad-based across industries, was a welcome sign after February’s data showed a sharp decline not usually seen outside of recessions.

Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues, and Congress considers addressing growing concern over prediction markets.

A SEP IRA offers small businesses and sole proprietors a flexible, tax advantaged way to fund 2025 retirement savings. With high contribution limits, simplified administration and deadlines extending through tax filing, it can provide a practical solution for boosting long term financial security.

The Federal Reserve held the policy rate steady in March at 3.5%–3.75%, a widely expected outcome as policymakers navigated an unusually complex macro backdrop.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday invalidated tariffs that President Donald Trump had imposed under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Most of the administration’s 2025 tariffs will therefore be rolled back, and importers should eventually receive refunds.

Move over, Taylor and Travis. This Valentine’s Day, the real power couple financial advisors should be swooning over is the one between their wealth practice and the retirement market.

Private assets are gaining traction in many portfolios, as investors seek new frontiers given a more challenging market landscape. Returns of traditional asset classes in the years ahead are likely to be lower on an inflation-adjusted basis, and public markets offer fewer options for diversification today, at a time when managing risk is becoming increasingly important.

In our latest “Alternative Allocations” episode, Matt Katz of Fiduciary Trust International explores the unique structural advantages of the middle market and shares tactical insights on using secondaries and due diligence to navigate today's evolving private equity landscape.

Barely a month into 2026, markets have already weathered multiple bouts of rolling, event‑driven volatility. Geopolitical surprises and policy pivots have triggered sharp price moves from the U.S. to Japan to Europe, from sovereign bonds to currencies to mortgages.

Corporate pension funding continues to improve. Market moves over the last five years, both in yields and equity returns, have corporate pension plans at funding levels not seen since before the Tech Bubble.

Private credit has grown from a small niche market to a major slice of the financial asset pie. Not many people outside of institutional finance talked about it twenty years ago.

Last week in our latest Cyclical Outlook, “Compounding Opportunity,” we argued that beneath the economy’s broad resilience lies a stark divergence. U.S. policy pivots combined with the surge in adoption of AI technology have created winners and losers.

Each year on January 28, Data Privacy Day underscores the global imperative to protect personal information in an increasingly digital environment. For high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families, this responsibility carries exponential weight.

South Korea has been the top performer in 2025 in emerging markets equities through December 15, generating a 70.9% return in U.S. dollar terms. It has outperformed peers as well as developed markets, including the U.S.

LPL Financial explores trending retirement policy shifts topics, including Trump Accounts and private equity’s expanding role in 401(k)s.

Many U.S. companies now find their defined benefit (DB) plan in surplus and are exploring practical ways to use that excess funding. While emerging legislation may one day allow transfer from DB to defined contribution (DC) plans, some sponsors are already taking creative action.

November ended with modest index gains masking a deeper rotation beneath the surface, as markets wrestled with December Fed cut odds, AI fatigue, and how to position portfolios into year end.

In today’s complex financial landscape, taxable US institutions face unique challenges in balancing their investment objectives with tax efficiency. They simply cannot afford to overlook the impact of taxes on their portfolios.

My friend David Bahnsen wrote a brilliant analysis in his weekly Dividend Café of the private credit market a few weeks ago and it really took off. I got his permission to share it with you today. This is a basic primer on the risks in the private market and something as an investor you should be familiar with.

Despite the increasing need for retirement income security, many defined contribution (DC) plan sponsors hesitate to adopt new lifetime income solutions due to concerns over fiduciary liability and plan flexibility.

Financial planning helps families organize, save, and invest intentionally. It turns goals into a roadmap, budgeting for major purchases, setting aside for retirement, and aligning investments with life milestones. But at some point, the question shifts from how to grow wealth to how to protect and structure it.

At Vanguard, we are always working to make our target-date funds (TDFs) better. That means regularly reviewing our glide-path design and diving into specific asset allocation topics to ensure that our strategies evolve with the market and continue to meet our clients' needs.

Retirement planning shouldn’t be defined by “needs” but by the lifestyle you want to sustain. This piece reframes retirement as a phase for living fully—balancing taxes, inflation, and income sources to enable abundance.

The ongoing U.S. government shutdown has policymakers – and investors – operating without much of the timely official data that usually inform their decisions. This could have a tangible impact on Federal Reserve policy in particular.

Over nearly every meaningful time frame, Bitcoin has dramatically outperformed traditional asset classes. In the last 3 years, it has returned an astonishing 79.2% annualized, compared to 18% for the S&P 500, 24.4% for gold, and just 2.6% for the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.

One of the most fundamental decisions facing fixed-income investors is determining the optimal maturity for their Treasury holdings.

Evan Harp sat down Axon’s Brady Lochte to talk about his practice, the Exchange conference, and the challenges facing advisors and their clients today.

As I detailed in August, our most reliable valuation measures – based on their relationship with actual subsequent S&P 500 total returns across a century of market history – suggest that the expectations of investors for long-term market returns are wildly misaligned with the returns implied by discounted cash flows.

For years, mainstream investment gurus have steered clients away from gold. But with the yellow metal gaining more than 87 percent since January 2024, it’s getting hard to ignore the yellow metal.

This article breaks down the five main reasons financial advisors overwhelmingly prefer using crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) rather than recommending direct purchases of Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other tokens.

Overfunded pension plans don't have to die—they can live on in a 401(k) plan.

The latest read on the US labor market will be out this Friday, October 3, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases September nonfarm payrolls, unemployment, average hourly earnings and other metrics.

Business owners who sponsor 401(k) and other defined contribution plans will soon be faced with another decision: whether to offer alternative-investment options among a plan’s investment options.

In recent years, pension funded status has markedly improved, with average funded ratios surpassing 100%.

401(k) Day, celebrated annually on the Friday after Labor Day, is more than just a reminder to check your retirement account.

Director elections can be a powerful tool for investors to weigh in on ineffective boards.

Market volatility can feel like an emotional yo-yo: sudden drops, sharp rebounds, and the unsettling feeling of not knowing what’s next. Feeling anxious, unsettled, or even tempted to take swift action to protect your investments is natural. But often, the best move is the one you don’t make.

In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses his latest recommendations around portfolio positioning in anticipation of a potentially more volatile fall.

Three summers ago, single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs hit the market when AXS investments rolled out the first such fund in July 2022.

The first step toward offering participants lifetime income is to address misperceptions.

You’ve probably seen versions of these headlines this summer. They’re all designed to grab your attention by sounding the alarm, then close with a hand-wringing quote from someone who probably missed the last bull run.

This article breaks down the five main reasons financial advisors overwhelmingly prefer using crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) rather than recommending direct purchases of Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other tokens.

In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses resiliency in the tech sector and why he believes adding further to core positions in the space is justified.

The degree to which growth in Europe slows, along with inflation developments, will be key in determining the path ahead for the European Central Bank.