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Your First Quarter Statement Might Surprise You
It is often said that markets dislike uncertainty, which was certainly in abundance during the first quarter of 2025. In January, the incoming Trump administration wasted no time bringing swift and dramatic changes to trade, regulatory, immigration, and fiscal policies. While many of these policy shifts had been expected, the speed and extent of the […]
Make Informed Financial Decisions by Learning Investing Concepts
Investing can seem complicated, but understanding a few core principles can make all the difference. At Elevate Wealth, we believe that by mastering key investing concepts, you can make more informed financial decisions and build lasting wealth. Risk and Return: The Core of Investing One of the most important principles in investing is the relationship […]
Can You Over-Contribute to a 529 Plan?
Owning an “overfunded” 529 college savings account is probably not the worst problem you can imagine. Still, it is a real concern for some parents facing highly uncertain college costs in the future. If the costs of a college education turn out much lower than expected, either through need-based aid, merit-based aid, or just choosing […]
Market Wrap: Five Key Takeaways from 2024
Happy New Year! The beginning of January is traditionally a time to review and reflect over the past calendar year. As we know, a lot can happen over the course of a full year and 2024 was no different. This month, we will try to highlight some of the key events and main takeaways from […]
Are US Stocks Expensive?
Last week, the S&P 500 made another new all-time high, its 53rd of the year so far. US stocks are up nearly 30% year-to-date, which comes on the heels of a strong 2023, in which US stocks returned +26%. US markets are also doing well on a relative basis, broadly outperforming most other asset classes, […]
Will the Election Have Consequences for Your Portfolio?
While votes are still being counted as I write this post, it appears that the GOP has swept in the 2024 elections, capturing not only the White House and the Senate, but very likely the House of Representatives, as well. If so, an undivided government could pave the way for the incoming Trump administration to […]
Updated 2025 Tax Brackets and Your Retirement Plan
As the IRS announces its annual inflation adjustments for the 2025 tax year, there are key updates that pre-retirees and retirees should be aware of, especially when planning for retirement. At Elevate Wealth Advisory, we emphasize the importance of lifetime tax planning, which plays a critical role in making sure your retirement savings can go […]
How Will Interest Rate Cuts Affect the Stock Market?
In the past few months, the U.S. labor market has started to show unmistakable signs of softening; the unemployment rate has ticked up from a recent low of 3.4% to 4.2% today. Growth in monthly payrolls has slowed from an average of approximately 250,000 to below 150,000. These statistics have gotten the Federal Reserve’s attention; […]
Bonds are Working Again
Investors could be forgiven for feeling a little frustrated in early 2023 when they reviewed their year-end statements. Stocks, bonds, and real estate investments all produced negative returns in 2022, impacted by an aggressive rate hiking cycle implemented by central banks around the world. The sharp rise in interest rates led to painful corrections across […]
Worried about the National Debt?
Concerns about the gross national debt, perennially in the background, have taken on a new urgency recently. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, total federal debt levels in the United States have been rising rapidly and are on track to exceed a record $35 trillion by the end of this year. This […]
Mortgage or Money Market?
How to prioritize the order of savings is one of the most common questions that financial planners are asked. The list of possibilities is long: 401(k) or brokerage account? Roth IRA or Traditional IRA? Health Savings Account or College 529 plan? Sometimes the answer is relatively straightforward (e.g. pay off high interest debt), but many […]
Why Didn’t 5% Rates Kill the Economy?
For the past several quarters, economic growth in the US has continued to surprise to the upside. While the economy tends to expand in most years, many analysts had assumed that growth would falter last year in the face of rapidly rising interest rates. In fact, by the end of 2022, the consensus view on […]
Cognitive Biases in Investment Decisions
This month we have been discussing behavioral finance at Elevate, which is the study of how human psychology affects investment decisions. Behavioral finance may not have quite the rich history as the study of “rational” financial decisions, but it has nonetheless become a serious and well-supported academic discipline in top business schools across the country. […]
Investing 101: Back to Basics
Welcome to Investing 101! This month we’re taking a step back to the basics of investments. Let’s delve into what investing is, explore various investment approaches, and uncover insights gathered over the years for a successful investment journey. First off, why do people invest? Well, it’s not just about making money, although that’s a significant […]
Tax Planning Basics
Back To Basics With Tax Planning A truly comprehensive financial plan is the sum of many parts. While investments are an important component of any plan, tax planning can sometimes be overshadowed by investment planning, and it’s not hard to see why. Behind every potential stock investment is a company with a story, and people […]
How To Keep Up With Inflation
One of the many lessons we’ve learned in the post-pandemic era is that people really dislike inflation. In poll after poll, respondents describe how inflation feels like an unfair tax levied upon them (whereas wage gains are something they have earned or deserve). Although the rate of change in prices has slowed dramatically from the […]
The Allure of Cash
Earning interest on cash savings is back in fashion again. After being starved for yield for more than a decade, investors are flocking to money market funds, CDs, and short-term Treasury bills that are paying interest rates above 5% today. Cash yields are even more impressive when compared to inflation; after subtracting the annual rate […]
Unlocking the Power of Donor Advised Funds
We recently welcomed guest speaker William (Bill) Hewitt, an Enterprise Account Executive at TIFIN, to walk us through the benefits of Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) in an informative Webinar. In case you missed it, here are some key takeaways. TIFIN is an AI and innovation platform delivering personalized next-gen solutions for advisors, wealth managers, and […]
Year End Planning: Changes for 2023 and Beyond
There are only a few weeks left in 2023, but there’s still plenty of time to make some smart moves before the end of the year. Many of the planning tips we shared last year are valid for 2023, as well, but there also are some new updates this year related to SECURE Act 2.0. […]
October Declared Financial Planning Month in Georgia
The State of Georgia recently declared October 2023 as “Financial Planning Month.” This move underscores the critical importance of financial planning in achieving financial stability and success for individuals and families across Georgia. “Financial planning is a systematic process that involves setting clear financial goals, creating a roadmap to achieve them, and making informed decisions […]
Has Modern Monetary Theory Failed?
Economics is not generally considered one of the “hard” sciences, like physics; assumptions are almost always oversimplified, and theories are difficult to test because you can’t run multiple controlled experiments with identical starting conditions. You also can’t avoid the human element, and if you study economics long enough, you’ll find significant overlap with psychology and […]
Cash or Bonds?
As unique asset classes, cash and bonds have some similarities but occupy different spaces within your portfolio. While bonds historically have provided higher returns than cash, today’s interest rate structure is unusual and may impact the conventional wisdom with regard to the optimal balance between cash and bonds in a portfolio. How should investors approach […]
Will Stock Returns Always be this High?
US stock market performance was exceptionally strong in the last decade. For the ten-year period ending June 30, 2023, the S&P 500 index returned 235% which is almost 12.9% per year. This is well beyond the long run average annual return of about 10% since 1926 and much higher than the 5.1% annual returns in […]
Are You Maximizing Your HSA?
When it comes to confusing lexicons, the finance industry must be one of the worst offenders. As one example, just consider the types of investment accounts available to savers: there are IRAs, Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457s, 529s, TOD INDs, SEPs, SIMPLEs, UTMAs… and there are many more. Fortunately, nearly all of these accounts can […]
