The retirement plan industry is witnessing a concerning trend: major recordkeepers are pushing private market investments into 401(k) plans, claiming they'll enhance participant outcomes. However, as a Retirement Plan Advisor with years of experience helping participants build secure retirement futures, I believe this development represents a significant threat to the financial security of everyday American workers.

Earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee unveiled its draft tax legislation, effectively a competing version of the House’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” While much of it mirrors House proposals, there are several key differences that could have lasting impact on families, business owners, and high-income earners. The bill is still under negotiation and it is going to be a tough slog reconciling the Senate bill and the House bill, but here’s a high-level breakdown of what’s on the table from the Senate Finance Committee as of mid-June 2025.

Dear Readers, I hope this message finds you well as we begin June. Each month, our Chief Investment Strategist, Eric Stein, and his team at East Bay Investment Solutions prepare a report summarizing the performance of various market indexes. This document offers a clear snapshot of market activity worldwide. I find it interesting and valuable, and I believe some of you may as well. To summarize a few things…

And how to take back your free will (and sanity). We like to think of ourselves as rational decision-makers. We compare, evaluate, and choose what’s best. But the truth is, most of the decisions we make, especially as consumers, are not fully ours.

April was a wild ride. The U.S. flipped its trade policy upside-down, markets swung like pendulums with historic trading days, and uncertainty hung heavy. I tackled the new tariffs in two blog posts last month, weighing their pros and cons. Now, with May here, I want to look ahead at the evolving trade landscape and President Trump’s actions, channeling the spirit of my Italian father and grandfather’s favorite Spaghetti Westerns: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I also want to address year-to-date market activity globally and why diversification means a worldwide allocation, while also touching on recession fears (yet again).

Changing generational norms and learning talking about money only benefits us all.

The recent Cornell University 401(k) lawsuit (Cunningham v. Cornell University) underscores vital fiduciary responsibilities for retirement plan sponsors, business owners, and key decision makers. The court ruled that Cornell breached fiduciary duties by failing to prudently manage fees and investments, resulting in significant reputational damage and compliance costs.

In last week’s post, I outlined to the benefits of tariffs and their downsides. I am generally opposed to tariffs arguing they are a costly and imprecise tool better avoided in favor of free trade. The recent tariff implementation in the first week of April has prompted me to further contemplate this stance. Billed as reciprocal measures to mirror foreign trade barriers, these tariffs have been poorly executed and inconsistently explained. This post critiques the rollout, explores compelling arguments in favor of tariffs from economists and geopolitical strategists outside the administration, and reflects on whether my free-trade convictions need adjustment in light of current realities.

Tariffs, taxes on imported goods, have long sparked fierce debate in economic policy, and that fire has only intensified with the Trump Administration thrusting them into the spotlight. This week, new tariffs take effect, and it remains unclear whether these are reciprocal tariffs, national security tariffs, or something else entirely.

When it comes to managing 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans, it's easy to get caught up in numbers like participation rates, deferral percentages, and investment returns. But behind each of those metrics is a real person, each with different goals, backgrounds, and concerns.