While most eyes right now are on the tax year 2023 deadline, we believe it is worth reviewing the changes coming for next year’s taxes, filed in 2025. Scroll down for our overview of this information, which could have a big impact on your financial game plan! On that note, now is an excellent opportunity…

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In the May CPI report, year-over-year headline inflation cooled to 3.3% from 3.4% – down one decimal, yet the median FOMC rate forecast for 2024 moved higher by half a percent. As widely anticipated, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to leave the Federal funds rate unchanged at a target range of 5.25%-5.50% at…

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HIGHLIGHTS STOCKS SOURCE: Factset and Vann Equity Management Research Team “The S&P 500 hit a new all-time high last week thanks to more AI enthusiasm and mostly Goldilocks economic data.” What is Outperforming: Defensive sector, minimum volatility, and sectors linked to higher rates have relatively outperformed recently as markets have become more volatile.What is Underperforming:…

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Federal courts have described fiduciary responsibilities under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) as the “highest known to law.” On April 23, 2024, the DOL announced updates to the investment advice fiduciary regulation (formally known as the Retirement Security Rule), which brings many more financial professionals under the ERISA fiduciary umbrella. The determination of…

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HIGHLIGHTS Initial Thoughts on the Iranian Strikes on Israel? Geopolitical tensions rose even further over the weekend as Iran launched several hundred missiles and drones at Israel, reflecting the biggest increase in tensions in the Middle East in decades. The immediate impact on markets would be as we would expect given rising geopolitical risks: Higher…

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Author: Trevor Jennewine, The Motley Fool Brisk inflation on the tail end of the pandemic led to a historic 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits in 2023. Retired workers hadn’t received a pay raise that large in four decades. Yet, the 2023 Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) conducted by the non-profit Employee Benefit Research Institute…

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Despite recent strong housing completions, homeowner and rental vacancy rates have hardly budged off their multi-decade lows. The housing sector was one of the hardest hit areas of the economy when the Fed began raising rates, but there are signs activity has turned a corner. The “mortgage lock” effect, where households that had locked in…

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