Beyond the Bell Archives | Page 8 of 28 | Fee-Only Retirement Planning in Rochester NY

The Fog of War—and Finance: Navigating Uncertainty in Breaking News

Dylan Potter June 13, 2025

Australian Field Marshal William Slim, who commanded troops in World Wars I and II, said, “In battle, nothing is ever as good or as bad as the first reports of excited men would have it.” As a young Army officer, I learned a simpler version: “The first report is always wrong.” This is generally true and something I was guilty of many times. When an event like an enemy attack occurs, subordinates report up the chain of command, but initial reports are often inaccurate.

Letter of Last Instruction: What It Is and Why It Is Important in Estate Planning

Andrea Gray June 7, 2025

A letter of last instruction is an often-overlooked piece of an estate plan. To be honest, lawyers rarely provide a template for you. A letter of last instruction is a document completed by you creating a roadmap for your fiduciary (executor or trustee) or trusted loved ones after you have passed away. This roadmap gives a list of what to do after your death and provides essential personal and practical information. While it is not usually an essential piece of an estate plan, it plays a powerful supporting role in handling practical matters and administering your estate.

Making Sense of Food Inflation and What You Can Do About It

Jordan Eich May 30, 2025

I want to deviate from the tariffs, administrative policy, and stock market volatility that have dominated headlines in 2025. Instead, let’s revisit our old friend inflation, particularly as it relates to food prices.

Sunflower with raise of sunshine peaking through

Street$marts: Enhancing Your Charitable Giving–The Role of Donor Advised Funds and Qualified Charitable Distributions

Dylan Potter May 23, 2025

Today we’ll be discussing donor advised funds and qualified charitable distributions, which are two popular methods of charitable gifting. If you are one of the many individuals that donate to charity on a regular basis, you may find yourself wondering what your options are outside of the usual cash donation. Donor Advised Funds and Qualified Charitable Distributions are two methods of charitable giving that allow an individual to be strategic and thoughtful about how and when their donations are made.

Major Trade War Breakthrough: 90-day Tariff Pause with China

Ryan Tomko May 16, 2025

A timeline of the current administration’s trade and tariff policy in 2025 is extensive with many daily and weekly changes and updates. Heading into this past weekend, the total tariffs on China were 145%, including the 20% fentanyl tariffs. Additionally, prior to this announcement, China increased its tariffs on American goods to 84%, a retaliatory response to the U.S. The 90-day pause in tariffs marks a significant shift in U.S.-China trade relations, especially considering that just last month, on April 12th, many, including the Washington Post, feared a full economic break between the two countries. At that time, fears of escalating tariffs and retaliatory measures

sail boat leaning with shipping boat in the distance out on the open seas

2025 Retirement Guide Navigating Market Volatility with Confidence

Eric Udvari May 6, 2025

2025 has been a wild ride for investors, especially the month of April. Volatility is normal for stock market investments but the tranquil markets of 2023 and 2024 had lulled some investors to sleep as the market seemed to reach new highs every day. Stocks should be viewed as long-term investments and as investors we should not worry about daily swings in the market. Every investor is different, especially when it comes to retirement spending goals. For some investors nearing retirement or entering retirement, the market volatility begins to feel different as their time horizon begins to shrink before they need the money to fund their retirement.

Stock Market Volatility April 2025: Tariffs and Fed News Explained

Brian Lester April 25, 2025

In recent weeks, U.S. stock market volatility has spiked to levels only reached during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (Spring 2020) and the global financial crisis (2008-2009). This heightened volatility reflects investor reactions to rapidly changing political and economic developments concerning trade policy and Federal Reserve independence.

Person walking up steep rocks using rope guide

Navigating 2025 Market Volatility: Financial Strategies for Investors

Michael Carrico April 17, 2025

Watching stock prices fall is an uncomfortable experience for investors no matter the circumstances under which it occurs. It can feel uncontrollable and make us feel powerless over something so incredibly important to our futures. It’s perfectly reasonable to dislike that experience. As I’m checking in with my clients, I want to hear how they are feeling right now. No matter what emotions you are experiencing, it’s healthy to share that experience and maybe to get another perspective. There is some common wisdom which circulates widely in times like these, “just don’t look.” That can certainly be good advice for the right kind of person, but it might not work for everyone. Sometimes having something to do can help us feel a sense of agency in turbulent times and alleviate some discomfort. With that in mind, I want to share with you my list of action items for periods of market volatility. Hopefully, you will find a tip or two to help you feel empowered.

Market Outlook Spring 2025

Macroeconomic Committee April 11, 2025

In our outlook for 2025, we wrote about the following factors that we thought would impact investment returns this year: Artificial Intelligence Investments and Commercialization of AI Applications, Labor Market Conditions, Inflation, and Fiscal and Monetary Policy. We provide our latest thoughts on each of these topics in this update, after a quarter characterized by a lot of market-moving news and a corresponding increase in stock market volatility.

Trump’s 2025 Tariff Plan: Market Impacts and Portfolio Strategies

Sarah Swan April 4, 2025

We’ve spoken with so many clients who are feeling completely uneasy about recent market volatility and the political landscape, and for good reason of course. So many of you have weathered market storms before, but as I said in last week’s Insights piece, it’s one of those things that unfortunately doesn’t get any easier just because you have past experience with it. We empathize with the angst and uncertainty you’ve likely felt the past month but of course particularly over the last two days regarding tariffs—and more than empathy, we feel this weight on your behalf.

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