After months of discussion over interest rates throughout 2025, the “great rate debate” reached a pivot point this week as the Federal Reserve cut the Fed Funds rate by 0.25% (the first such cut in 2025). This takes the Fed’s target rate range to 4% – 4.25%. As a reminder, the Federal Reserve has been […]

I talked with a client this week about things to consider as interest rates being to move lower after the Fed’s first cut in 2025. Here’s a quick recap of what we discussed. Note: It’s important to remember that many of these actions were taken months ago for our clients as we anticipated that rate […]

We received two new insights into inflation this week with the release of August inflation data. The Producer Price Index (PPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) were of added importance this week after last week’s weak jobs number as these data points may help determine if (and by how much) the Federal Reserve may […]

There has been a decent amount of attention given to small cap stocks recently. A client asked what exactly makes a stock “small cap” and why some believe they are well positioned in today’s environment. Market Capitalization Before looking at small cap stocks, let’s look at the word “cap” – which is short for capitalization. […]

Labor Day fell on the earliest day it can (September 1) this year and for some reason, I feel as though it cut summer short. Fall is upon us here in Wisconsin and we are now in the final stretch of 2025. Let’s take a look at the data that came out this week and […]

In the US, a primary way to save for retirement is via employer-sponsored retirement plans. The primary type of these plans is the 401(k) – named after the tax code that established these plans. 401(k)s are in the news these days and a client reached out asking what I thought about the latest hot topic […]

I’ve been writing about the US Federal Reserve (America’s Central Bank) quite a bit as of late. This week, the institution responsible for monetary policy in this country, found itself in the headlines for two major storylines. Powell’s Jackson Hole Speech On Friday August 22nd, Fed Chairman Powell gave a speech at an annual symposium […]

I’ve written about 529 plans (tax advantaged accounts used for education savings) a few times in the past (you can find those posts by searching archives on the blog if interested). This week, I talked to a client about how to best invest funds within those accounts. Reminders Before Diving In Just a reminder about […]

This Friday (August 22) Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will give a speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium. There is intense speculation concerning what Chair Powell will say and whether or not he will signal upcoming rate cuts. The path forward is anything but certain and the increased pressure from the administration to lower rates […]

At the risk of saying what many of you are probably thinking – “where has the year gone?” It will be September in less than two weeks! With four months left in a very interesting year for investors, I thought it was worth taking stock of where we’ve been and where we may go from […]