A 529 plan can play a strategic role in estate planning, especially for families looking to reduce taxes while saving for education. Contributions to a 529 plan may be excluded from your taxable estate, potentially lowering future estate tax liability.
Alex Veroude, Global Head of Fixed Income, believes fixed income investors can prepare for an uncertain journey by recognising trends and diversifying across different assets.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale, co-founder of FAST Graphs, aka Mr. Valuation presents a detailed analysis of Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), a midstream master limited partnership (MLP) known for its high income potential, offering investors a stable and growing dividend yield.
Gold plays a distinct role in the global monetary system. Simply put, it’s perceived as money, and its function as a store of value makes it arguably the world’s most popular hedge against inflation.
Head of EMEA and Asia Pacific Equities Lucas Klein and Head of Americas Equities Marc Pinto argue that progress on the trade impasse, further monetary easing, pro-growth reforms, and an innovation revolution should all prove supportive to equities over the mid term once the market moves past near-term volatility.
BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, boosted its annual revenue target for 2030 and set its first-ever firmwide target for private-markets fundraising at $400 billion by then.
While crypto’s roots are libertarian and anti-state, stablecoins could serve to entrench the existing tech and monetary order dominated by the US, as 95% of them are dollar-denominated.
The first half of 2025 has been driven by headlines that have caused volatility in both the stock and bond markets. While tariff negotiations have commanded the most attention, we are now pivoting to the federal budget deficit, which feels like a perpetual headline over the last 15 years.
A new culture of reform at Japanese companies offers exciting potential for equity investors.
US Treasuries surged as easing US consumer inflation prompted traders to increase their wagers on more than one Federal Reserve interest-rate cut this year.
Underlying US inflation rose in May by less than forecast for the fourth month in a row, suggesting companies are largely holding back on passing higher tariff costs through to consumers.
The global economy is continually evolving due to inflation, interest rates, and geopolitics. How could these and other factors influence the major asset classes over the coming decade?
Long-time Kestra ecosystem firm SilverStar Wealth Management combines with existing Bluespring partner LifeBridge Financial Group, strengthening Texas-based presence
Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.
In recent years, “buying the dip“ and more vulgar variations have often been equated to “dumb money” or retail investors, who are presumed to always make a mistake. However, as investors, we need to rethink how we view “buying the dip” because the whole goal of investing is to “buy low and sell high.”
Diversification of portfolios using international equities can reduce volatility and enhance risk-adjusted returns, especially given recent geopolitical shifts that decrease correlations between U.S. and international markets. Despite some investor skepticism, and as we discuss below, the benefits of international diversification can be significant and should be considered in investment strategies.
Small-cap stocks tend to offer greater growth potential than their large-cap peers, but those returns have yet to materialize consistently. What will it take to turn the tide?
The Fear Trade is what most Western investors are familiar with. It’s the flight to safety during times of uncertainty, driven by concerns over inflation, interest rates, geopolitical risk and more.
Here’s the blunt truth: Many great investment strategies fail because of poor implementation. Robust capabilities in trading, transition management, overlays and currencies are critical to executing a strategy.
Investors may revisit international exposure in their portfolios amidst reduced market reactions to tariff announcements, uncertain U.S. policy and lagging U.S. stock performance.
For the first time in five months, gold-backed ETFs globally reported modest outflows in May as investors took profits.
As small business clients look toward ambitious growth, advisors have the chance to offer something foundational: a term life insurance strategy that turns ambitions into a legacy.
Stablecoins and the concept of digital money represent a significant shift from the current system. While there are many risks with digital money, there is also promise.
Three months after the Chinese artificial intelligence developer DeepSeek upended the tech world with a model that rivaled America’s best, a 28-year-old AI executive named Alexandr Wang came to Capitol Hill to tell policymakers what they needed to do to maintain US dominance.
Today we’ll continue our SIC highlight series featuring a relatively new face who is now indispensable, plus some new ones who were crowd favorites.
It would seem evident that most investors would understand that consumer spending drives economic growth, ultimately creating corporate earnings growth. Yet, despite this somewhat tautological statement, Wall Street appears to ignore this simple reality when forecasting forward earnings.
For four decades, the USA has relied on debt-financed consumption and a service-heavy economy to mask an unsustainable model.
A new line of yield-chasing crypto funds is forcing the Securities and Exchange Commission to confront unresolved gaps in its regulatory framework, just as the Trump administration eases oversight of digital assets.
In the last three months tariff news has whipped financial markets around remarkably in response to President Trump’s ever changing tariff policies. The most pronounced reactions were concentrated in the US stock market.
On the trade front, investor uncertainty eased for a short time as President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs seemed to lose traction. Several key developments contributed, including a 90-day tariff pause with China, the signing of a US-UK trade agreement and progress on negotiations with other partners, including Europe.
America’s holiday from history is over: Debt matters again. It is not just that the national debt is so big it cannot be ignored.
US job openings unexpectedly rose in April in a fairly broad advance and hiring picked up, indicating demand for workers remains healthy despite heightened economic uncertainty.
U.S.-Europe negotiations involve more than just tariffs.
Market leadership is shifting and the once-dominant Magnificent 7 may no longer be so magnificent. Our latest report reveals why broader opportunities are emerging across sectors and regions, with quality, value, and growth converging in unexpected places.
As investors grapple with nagging macro uncertainty, market volatility’s likely to continue. But we also see reasons for optimism — and new opportunities.
VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the iShares US Thematic Rotation Active ETF (THRO) on this week’s “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.”
This article presents a different perspective on the question of why bond yields are rising. I focus on the difference between narratives and fundamentals.
Wall Street banks are reinforcing their calls that the dollar will weaken further, hit by interest-rate cuts, slowing economic growth and President Donald Trump’s trade and tax policies.
It doesn’t take much to understand that Ray Dalio, a hedge fund titan, is like every other human being and is prone to error. I will not dismiss Dalio entirely, as his track record of managing money at Bridgewater is nothing to be scoffed at.
House prices are falling, and it’s no longer just a Florida and Texas story. Rising inventory across the country and still reluctant buyers mean that those looking to sell face the prospect of more competition and lower prices next spring if they don’t close on a deal soon. For buyers, holding out can mean a better price.
It’s been a tough few months for believers in the currency market version of Pax Americana.
A dollar is a dollar, whether spat out by an ATM or digitally issued on the blockchain. That’s the promise of Circle Internet Group Inc., one of the biggest issuers of stablecoins designed to emulate fiat money like the greenback or the euro, primarily for the purpose of cryptocurrency trading.
Sell in May and Go Away? This old market saying tends to resurface around Memorial Day, suggesting investors should scale back their equity exposure ahead of what’s perceived as a seasonally weaker stretch for stocks.
529 plans do not earn interest like a traditional savings account. However, they offer strong growth potential through a range of investment options.
Given the uncertainty of what potentially happens next, the recent rally is an excellent opportunity to adjust portfolio risks to navigate the next leg of this market cycle.
Moody’s finally downgraded US government debt on May 16th to Aa1, its second highest rating. With the US $36 trillion (and rising) in debt, it’s not hard to see why. But Moody’s was late to the party with S&P and Fitch (the other two major ratings agencies) having done so long ago.
There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the direction of the US economy right now.
There’s a lot to like about the travel industry right now from an investment standpoint. You just have to know where to look.
Keep your market perspective in check, avoid anchoring, and focus on your investment goals rather than market volatility.
