Special Needs Financial Planning

Access to private equity, private credit, private infrastructure, and private real estate assets can potentially improve long-term investment outcomes for participants.

Explore the new 529 rules, including Roth IRA rollovers, the grandparent loophole, and higher K-12 limits.

For business owners, your company is more than an asset; it’s your livelihood, your legacy, and often your largest source of wealth. Yet too many owners delay succession planning until it’s urgent, limiting options and potentially eroding value. A well-structured exit isn’t a last-minute decision; it’s a multi-year strategy.

Global equity markets entered 2025 with a familiar narrative. U.S. leadership remained firm, supported by strong earnings, AI-driven optimism, and a market structure increasingly dominated by a narrow group of large-cap companies. For many investors, the path forward seemed clear: stay anchored to what worked.

In a recent Market Outlook Symposium we hosted at VettaFi, we learned that 2026 has marked the return of fixed income as a strong contributor to an investor’s total return. We also learned that the biggest theme in fixed income investing this year is dispersion. Where you are putting your money to work matters.

For many investors, wealth is about more than financial outcomes. It represents values, aspirations, family priorities, and a desire for a meaningful future. Aligning your investments with personal purpose means that your financial strategy reflects not only what you want to achieve financially but also the priorities that guide your life and legacy.

For much of 2025, the U.S. dollar looked vulnerable: expensive, less supported by the exceptionalism narrative and heading toward a weaker regime. Then the war in the Middle East changed the picture. Energy prices rose, risk sentiment shifted and the dollar reclaimed its safe-haven role.

The Iran conflict has turned energy markets into a moving target, with oil prices adjusting as expectations around Strait of Hormuz supply risk shift.

Back-and-forth developments over the weekend around the Strait of Hormuz have added near-term volatility to energy markets. That uncertainty is feeding into oil prices and reinforcing questions about how persistent energy-driven inflation pressures could become, particularly if disruption risks continue to ebb and flow.

For ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, wealth brings opportunity, but also extraordinary complexity. Multi-generational estate planning, concentrated equity positions, private investments, tax-efficient strategies, philanthropic structures, and family governance decisions all intersect in ways that demand thoughtful oversight.

The S&P 500 reached another all-time high this week, supported by easing concerns around geopolitical risk.

As transition activity increases, what was once seen as a step between portfolios is becoming part of the outcome itself. Execution is now more closely tied to how portfolios are reshaped, particularly as restructures grow larger, more frequent, and more complex.

The conflict in the Middle East remained a key driver of market sentiment this week, with rapidly shifting headlines contributing to heightened volatility.

Geopolitical volatility is not only increasing investor demand for infrastructure assets; it is urgently reshaping where and how capital is deployed. As energy security, supply chain resilience, and digital sovereignty rise up policy agendas, infrastructure investments that expand capacity and relieve bottlenecks are becoming critical.

If you’re not sure what direct indexing means, you’re not alone. Even after the recent growth, direct indexing remains relatively unknown. As our risk review team never fails to remind us, you can’t invest directly in an index. So what exactly is direct indexing?

Your financial requirements are multifaceted, necessitating strategies tailored to your specific needs. Tailored lending can be a valuable addition to a high-net-worth individual’s financial plan, helping you optimize cash flow, maximize tax efficiency and realize important estate planning goals.

The U.S. middle market has hit $25 trillion. Discover why Cerulli says the advisor shortage and shifting demographics make early engagement a necessity.

Geopolitical headlines rarely arrive quietly. The recent escalation in the Middle East is a reminder of how quickly tensions can feel destabilizing.

Industry experts at Exchange 2026 explored why only a quarter of advisors have formal succession planning in place and what it takes to execute well.

A properly functioning Strait of Hormuz holds the keys to clarity around the growth, inflation, and market shock that has stemmed from the war in the Middle East.

Engaging with client family members may seem tricky, but it can start with simple questions to the client first. In fact, asking your client about the personalities and desires of their loved ones may be a way of deepening your understanding of your client’s financial needs.

Outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) relationships have evolved dramatically. What once teed up primarily as a solution for smaller institutions seeking a roadmap to improving their governance, strategy and execution is now being adopted by much larger asset owners.

Corporate pension sponsors don’t enjoy unwelcome surprises, particularly those that create financial strain. Many experienced significant financial stress following the Global Financial Crisis and the prolonged decline in interest rates that followed.

For families with loved ones who have special needs, tomorrow often arrives sooner than expected. Many families instinctively plan for today: therapies, education, medical care, and navigating government benefits.

The ongoing conflict involving Iran and the disruption to energy markets has moved beyond headline risk and is now influencing expectations for growth, inflation and policy. As of March 9, oil prices briefly breached the $100 per barrel threshold — a development that shifts the macro conversation compared to last week.

Energy markets drove this week’s market volatility, with the conflict in Iran triggering a sharp rise in oil and natural gas prices. Through Thursday’s close, West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up roughly 17% from last Friday, pushing prices close to $80 per barrel.

February ended with a sharp escalation in conflict involving Iran, putting geopolitical risk back on investors’ radar and unsettling energy and emerging markets. But for most of the month, performance was driven largely by continued rotation tied to AI disruption and shifting earnings expectations.

Markets are responding primarily to uncertainty, with oil prices rising and equities volatile. The economic impact will depend largely on energy supply disruption, particularly whether oil prices remain contained or move sharply higher.

January is a time to revisit financial plans, make changes, and ensure objectives are being met. This review isn’t about exposing bad financial plans, but instead finding what is outdated and revising.

A guide to helping HNW investors align tax efficiency with philanthropy, retirement strategy, and multi-generational wealth transfer planning.

From real estate to multi-generational planning, learn the key strategies high-net-worth individuals use to maximize wealth and legacy.

Artificial intelligence-themed companies certainly propelled the stock market to greater heights in 2025. Near the tail of end of the year, however, market experts questioned whether certain companies benefiting from the AI theme had the underlying fundamentals to support their lofty valuations.

The U.S. is on the back end of fourth-quarter earnings season, and the overall tone from corporate management teams has been constructive. For the S&P 500 Index, earnings growth tracked close to 15% year-over-year, marking a fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

2026 offers plenty of opportunity in tech investing once again following a breakout year for tech AI tech in 2025. Inventors want that tech upside, but this year could behoove investors to diversify outside of AI hyperscalers.

For years, affluent families planned under the assumption that the federal estate and gift tax exemption would “sunset,” forcing a return to lower thresholds and triggering a race against time. That urgency has shifted.

For families navigating public benefits, long-term care planning, and lifetime financial sustainability, this change represents both an opportunity and a planning strategy worth considering. While ABLE accounts can be powerful tools, they are most effective when coordinated thoughtfully with benefits, trusts, and broader financial strategies.

As of February 10, 2026, Victory Capital managed $20 billion in ETF assets, with an impressive $9 billion of new money flowing in during the past 12 months.

Diversification seeks to help manage risk, smooth portfolio outcomes, and improve the likelihood that clients stay invested and on track toward their long-term goals.

Global equity markets posted modest gains to start the year, driven by selective strength in technology and cyclical areas as leadership rotated. Beneath the surface, performance diverged across companies, sectors, and regions. While macro uncertainty continues to unsettle markets, outcomes are increasingly shaped by company fundamentals.

The year is young, but already, a clear theme is emerging: investors are looking to add international equities exposure to their portfolios. ETFs already offer a wide variety of options for investors to get that exposure, but which fund or funds make th

The year is young, but already, a clear theme is emerging: investors are looking to add international equities exposure to their portfolios. ETFs already offer a wide variety of options for investors to get that exposure, but which fund or funds make the most sense?

Blended families are built on love, resilience, and second chances. They are also financially complex, particularly for high-net-worth families with substantial assets, business interests, and multigenerational goals.

For high-net-worth individuals, investing success is not singularly defined by returns. Taxes, often the single most considerable drag on long-term wealth, play an equally critical role. As tax policy continues to evolve, the difference between a reactive approach and a coordinated, tax-aware strategy can be substantial.

Vanguard CIO Lauren Wilkinson shares a strategic roadmap for RIAs curious about AI integration for their practice.

Client demand for tax planning is high, yet many advisors may still fall short of meeting expectations. Direct indexing can offer tax benefits such as the potential for tax-loss harvesting but remains underutilized across the advisor community.

February arrives quickly, and for many high-net-worth individuals and families, tax preparation may still be sitting on the to-do list. If your financial life includes multiple income streams, investment accounts, business interests, trusts, or philanthropic strategies, tax season is not something to rush.

At its January meeting, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) voted to pause its rate-cutting cycle, a move that aligns with recent signs of stabilizing labor markets and easing inflation pressures.

Estate planning often sounds like something only wealthy families need to worry about. The federal estate tax exemption increased in 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)—now shielding estates under $15 million for individuals and $30 million for married couples.

According to Baiocchi, advisors are reevaluating portfolios and recognizing gaps in exposure to companies driving major market themes.

Ultra-affluent families face risks that differ significantly from those of the general population. Complex structures, such as multiple entities, trusts, K-1s, and investment partnerships, create more opportunities for sensitive information to be shared across advisors and custodians. Large refunds and tax payments represent enticing entry points for criminals.

It was a volatile week in financial markets, largely driven by geopolitical developments. Last weekend, the U.S. administration proposed new tariffs on several European countries linked to tensions around Greenland.

Investors were thrown another tariff curveball, with the U.S. administration declaring that unless a deal for the U.S. to acquire Greenland can be reached, a 10% tariff will be imposed on eight European countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland) effective Feb. 1.

LPL Financial LLC announced today that financial advisors Jeffrey J. Wilson, CFP®, and Michael Sadowski, CFP®, of Wilson Peak Wealth Management Inc. have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer and Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) platform and will be leveraging Private Advisor Group’s infrastructure for the next stage of their growth.

Major tax legislation passed in 2025 represents the most sweeping changes to the tax code since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017. In addition to extending current tax brackets and rates and introducing new tax deductions, the law creates new savings accounts for minors known as Trump Accounts.

Investors have flocked to the evolving income ETFs space in recent years. The arrival of the ETF rule in 2019 helped launch countless new and intriguing ETF offerings aimed at adding income to investor portfolios.