News and Commentary

Most employers that are publicly traded companies offer employees the ability to buy company stock within their retirement plan. If this happens to be an option within your company 401(k) and you decide to take advantage of it, beware of your distribution options when you decide to retire. Many soon to be retirees make the mistake of rolling over the entire balance of their 401(k) into an IRA before fully understanding the options available to them. This is often done out of ignorance for the rules or lack of working with a qualified financial planner, and the consequences can be costly.

The creation and preservation of wealth go hand in hand with reducing ones tax burden. However, avoiding current taxation in hopes of being in a lower tax bracket in retirement may not work out as many expect. The top federal income tax bracket in 2019 is only 37%. You may believe 37% is not low, but it has been much higher in years past. According to the Bradford Tax Institute, the top federal income tax rate was above 60% from 1932 all the way to 1981. Why worry now? The primary driver of future tax increases will be the escalating federal debt, and that figure is ever increasing due to a mismatch in government spending versus revenues.

In this issue we look at AI and its impact on productivity, how executive policy drove the market in 2025, and the January effect and stock market seasonality.