Investors' Insights and Market Updates

Honeymoon with the Fed

22 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Earnings Continue to Lead the Way June is traditionally known as wedding season, and in many ways the market’s relationship with the Federal Res...

Deal or No Deal?

15 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A Critical Week for Global Markets and the Federal Reserve Markets entered the week focused on two major developments: ongoing diplomatic discussions ...

The Fed’s Influence on the Markets

08 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Market Strength Remains Concentrated One of the most important developments in the market this year has been the concentration of returns within a rel...

Wealth vs. Money

04 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most investors think of wealth and money as the same thing, but the distinction can have a major impact on financial markets and personal financial pl...

Behind the Headlines

01 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate Profitability Remains Exceptionally Strong With earnings season now complete, the latest results indicate that the fundamental backdrop for ...

Who is Carrying the Cost of Tariffs?

28 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

New research from several highly regarded institutions suggests that Americans, not foreign nations, are absorbing nearly the full cost of recent tari...

Markets and the Midterms

21 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Markets and elections often create uncertainty, but history tells an interesting story about how midterm election years have traditionally impacted ma...

Earnings Bonanza

18 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Strong Earnings Continue to Support the Market Markets continue to navigate a range of macroeconomic concerns, including rising gas prices and ongoing...

Understanding 530A Accounts

14 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been a lot of buzz recently around the new 530A Accounts, also known as “Trump Accounts,” a savings and retirement vehicle designed spec...

What’s China Got to Do with It?

11 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation, Wages, and the Global Impact of China Economic data released over the past two weeks has provided investors with important insight into the...

Changes in E-Commerce: What Gives?

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page explores why e-commerce delivery trends are shifting from speed to cost savings as risin...

Earnings Blowout

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Federal Reserve Transition and Rising Dissent The most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting marked a significant transition point, as it was t...

GDP and the Need for Enhanced Productivity

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ty Miller breaks down the key drivers of economic growth, explaining how GDP is shaped by population...

Shaking Up the Fed

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Federal Reserve Leadership in Transition A significant shift is underway at the Federal Reserve, placing unusual attention on both policy decisions an...

Good News, Bad News… We’ll See

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Trey Booth shares the timeless story of a Chinese farmer to reframe how we interpret today’s headl...

Will the Market Rally Hold?

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Consumer Liquidity, Market Support, and Federal Reserve Watch As the calendar moves past Tax Day, fresh data provides a clearer view of consumer finan...

Leaving the U.S. & Why It Matters

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page explores a rapidly growing trend of Americans relocating abroad in record numbers and wh...

Energy Prices and Your Wallet

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Technology Sector and Market Valuations Recent market volatility has led to increased analysis across key sectors, particularly technology. For severa...

When to Start Social Security Benefits

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Robert Moody breaks down one of the most important retirement decisions individuals face, which is w...

History, Please Repeat Yourself

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Policy Uncertainty and Market Performance Uncertainty is often viewed as a negative force in financial markets. Periods of geopolitical tension, uncle...

The Rising Cost of Health Insurance

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page highlights the evolving landscape of employer health insurance in 2026, where rising cos...

Tax Refunds and Market Risks

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A Strong Tax Season Boosting Consumers As tax season passes its midpoint, a clear shift typically occurs, from early filers receiving refunds to later...

New Fed Chair – What Lies Ahead?

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ty Miller explores how newly appointed Federal Reserve chairs are often tested early in their tenure...

Fed Decisions, Escalation in War

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Navigating Uncertainty with Clarity In today’s rapidly shifting global environment, investors are faced with an overwhelming amount of information. ...

Correlation and Causation

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Trey Booth explains the critical difference between correlation and causation in investing. While ma...

Oil Tells the Story

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Higher Oil Prices are Cutting into Consumer Tailwinds Coming into the year, one of the major economic themes was the expected strength of the U.S. con...

Crypto ETFs vs Owning Actual Crypto

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ty Miller explores the growing conversation around cryptocurrency investing and the key differences ...

What’s Changed?

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Oil Spikes and What They Historically Mean for Markets One of the most immediate market reactions to geopolitical tension in the Middle East is the su...

Commercial Construction Slowdown

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page examines why commercial construction is slowing down and what that means for the U.S. ec...

“The Truth is the First Casualty.”

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Technical Levels and Market Support From a technical standpoint, the market has shown notable resilience despite geopolitical tension. The S&P 500...

Why Has Job Growth Slowed?

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page unpacks the slowdown in U.S. job growth and what it signals for the broader economy. Fro...

Tariffs, Taxes, and Earnings, Oh My!

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Tax Refunds and the Consumer Spending Boost There is encouraging news on the tax front. Tax refunds for 2026 are already running approximately $3 bill...

Pros and Cons of a Roth 401(k)

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Robert Moody breaks down the Roth 401(k) and how it compares to a traditional 401(k), along with how...

Hold Your Horses

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Mark Hume breaks down the topic of allowing private investments inside 401(k) plans and what it coul...

The Race Between Inflation and Productivity

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Market Breadth is Strengthening One of the most important themes so far this year has been the broadening out of the stock market. In recent years, th...

Sports Spending and the GDP

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page breaks down how sports spending contributes to the U.S. economy, and the numbers may sur...

Walking Tall at the Fed

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Federal Reserve Policy and the “Height Chart” Theory The Federal Reserve met last week and, as widely expected, made no changes to interest rates....

The Use of AI on Wall Street

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ty Miller discusses Artificial Intelligence and how it is shaping Wall Street. AI is no longer a fut...

Market Expansion

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Broad Market Participation Signals Improving Market Health After several years of narrow leadership, early signs suggest the market is finally beginni...

The Rising Cost of Eldercare

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Bobby Norman breaks down the rising cost of eldercare and why it has become one of the most critical...

The Impact of AI on Small Business

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page breaks down how a growing majority of small businesses are now using AI and how adoption...

We’ll See…

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Seasonality and the Midterm Election Effect Seasonality has long played a role in understanding market behavior, and historical trends can help inform...

Online Best Practices

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Bobby Norman breaks down the growing cybersecurity threats facing individuals and businesses, from p...

Expect the Unexpected in 2026

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Volatility, the Fed, and the Productivity Question The year 2026 is poised to be a major inflection point. While 2025 represented a transition phase, ...

Closing Out 2025

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Closing Out 2025: Setting the Stage for 2026 As 2025 comes to a close, the economic landscape offers both reassurance and reason for vigilance as we l...

529 Plans – Overview and Important Changes

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Robert Moody breaks down the latest updates to 529 plans, including new tax benefits, scholarship wi...

We’ve Never Seen…

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate Earnings and a Broadening Market One of the most compelling themes as we transition from 2025 into 2026 is the continued strength of corpora...

Fed Up with the Fed and AI

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Fed’s Crucial Role and What Comes Next The Federal Reserve continues to dominate market conversations, and for good reason. Each decision the Fe...

Manufacturing and the US GDP

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page breaks down why America’s manufacturing sector has slipped from 25% of GDP in the 1950...

Holiday Market Wishlist

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Market Volatility, Seasonal Strength, and Key Economic Signals After an uptick in volatility throughout November, attention is now turning to December...

Thanksgiving Table Topics

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Cost of Thanksgiving Comes Down Each year, the American Farm Bureau releases an estimate of what it costs to feed a family of ten for Thanksgiving...

Innovation Starts with a Bold Mindset: Insights with Jack Hernig

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Innovation Mavericks, we sat down with Jack Hernig, a standout leader known for bold innovation and creative strategy in the entrepreneur...

How High Can It Go?

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate Earnings: A Powerful Undercurrent Despite recent worries, rising credit card delinquencies, increases in announced layoffs, and other soft s...

Innovation Meets Automation: Insights with Elliott Davis

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Innovation Mavericks, we sat down with Elliott Davis, Owner and Operator of Automatic Audio Video, to explore what it really takes to bui...

Shutdown Over: Now What?

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding the Shutdown’s Economic Impact The surprise agreement over the weekend marks significant progress toward ending the shutdown. Lawmaker...

How Smart Businesses are Using AI to Level Up: Insights with Magna5

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is changing the game, and this week on Innovation Mavericks, Greg Powell sits down with Magna5’s Justin Cameron, Jacob Bever, and Jeff Jablonski ...

Creative Destruction

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Trey Booth talks through why innovation can be disruptive, but it’s also a long-term engine for jo...

How About Those Credit Cards?

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Credit Cards Flash a Warning Recent data highlights potential strain within the consumer sector. Three of the eight leading economic indicators we mon...

The Art of Effortless Travel: Insights from Classic Travel by Pam

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our newest episode of Innovation Mavericks, Greg Powell sits down with Pam Smith, owner of Classic Travel by Pam, recently named Hoover’s Best Tr...

These Checklists Don’t Lie

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tracking Economic Health: The Recession Checklist With headlines focused on government shutdowns, slowing consumer spending, and questions about the d...

Discovering How to Lead Yourself in Order to Lead Others: Insights with John Bentley

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode of Innovation Mavericks, Greg Powell sits down with John Bentley, founder of Power 2 Transform, to explore how true leadershi...

Profits and Tariffs: A Deeper Dive

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate Profit Margins and Market Valuations In recent months, market valuations have drawn renewed attention as investors question whether current ...

Market Overvalued? Not so fast…

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding Market Valuations Recent surveys indicate that 91% of fund managers believe U.S. stocks are overvalued, while emerging markets are consi...

October Markets: Trick or Treat?

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Momentum Carries into October September is typically known as a difficult month for equities, yet this year it defied that reputation. The broader mar...

The Triple Tax Advantage of an HSA

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) allow contributions to bypass payroll, federal, and state taxes. Watch this week’s Educational Insights ...

Full House

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Housing’s Key Role in the Economy Housing remains one of the most significant drivers of the U.S. economy, representing roughly 18% of GDP and more ...

Introducing our New Marketing Manager

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are thrilled to welcome Lexie Watts to the Fi Plan Partners team as our new Marketing Manager. In this episode of Team Strategies, she sits down wi...

966 Days

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Navigating Today’s Bull Market The current bull market, which began on October 12, 2022, has now run for 34 months, well below the historical averag...

Hidden Tax of Market Volatility

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Market ups and downs don’t cancel each other out the way you might think. Watch this week’s Educational Insights episode as Trey Booth explains th...

Fed Meeting? Government Shutdown?

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Reserve’s Decision and Market Impact The Federal Reserve is scheduled to meet on September 16–17, with markets largely expecting a 25-...

Rates are the Story

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Falling Rates and Market Implications Recent jobs data came in weaker than expected, which pushed long-term interest rates lower. The 10-year Treasury...

Fed Comments, Market Response

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fed Hints at Rate Cuts Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell made statements last Friday that strongly hinted at a potential interest rate cut in Sep...

Out-Earning Inflation

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Labor Market Resilience Recent updates on inflation highlight important trends for consumers. While headline inflation remained relatively tame in Jul...

Life Estates

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Blended families can present unique estate planning challenges, especially when it comes to housing. Watch this week’s Educational Insights episode ...

Outperforming Expectations

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Outperforming Expectations in a Volatile Market Market volatility remained a dominant theme last week as investors continued to process the ongoing ne...

Decisions and Deadlines

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Insights on Tariffs and Market Movement Last week was a heavy one for markets. As we noted earlier, there was significant potential for volatility dri...

Charitable Giving Strategy

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A provision in current tax law allows individuals to make qualified charitable distributions directly from their IRAs before reaching their required m...

How Soon We Forget

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consumer Confidence and Household Resilience This week brings several important economic indicators, and consumer confidence is the top among them. De...

How Women are Impacting Wealth Transfer

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As generational wealth shifts hands, new priorities and perspectives are rising to the forefront. Watch this week’s educational episode where Ashley...

Charts You Need to See

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Small Business Boost Recent legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, has introduced significant tax incentives for small and medium-sized busi...

Retirement Plan Options

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Retirement plans aren’t one-size-fits-all and choosing the right one can make a big difference for your future. Watch this week’s educational epis...

Second Half and Earnings

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate Earnings: What to Watch and Why It Matters Earnings are always a major driver of the stock market, but this season carries even greater weig...

How Large is the US Debt?

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch this week’s educational episode where Trey Booth unpacks a surprising perspective on America’s $50 trillion debt. You might be shocked at ho...

Not Just a Bill

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Investors’ Insights, we break down the newly passed legislation that’s making headlines, and the under-the-radar debt ceiling implica...

Market Strength in July?

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the Senate’s sweeping new tax bill to July’s historical market strength, this week’s vlog breaks down the key headlines worth watching. Wit...

Taxes, Oil, and Technicals

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Investors’ Insights, we break down the key forces shaping the markets: tax reform, oil prices, and technical signals. With the Se...

Mid-Year Outlook

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Adam Vansant and Sonja McGittigan break down smart, proactive strategies to get ahead of key year-end planning items like RMDs, IRA c...

Facts Not Emotions

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Investors’ Insights, we cut through the noise with facts, not emotions, on market reactions to geopolitical tensions, historical data, ...

Behind The Curtain

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, the Portfolio Team pulls back the curtain on market momentum, revealing why the data paints a more optimistic picture than the headli...

Selling a Business: External Options

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Educational Insights, Bobby Norman, CFP®, AIF®, CEPA®, and Robert Moody, CFP®, CEPA®, explore external exit strategies for bus...

Better Than Expected

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, The Portfolio Team reveals a surprising $225 billion stimulus flowing to small businesses and breaks down how strong earning...

Selling a Business: Internal Options

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Educational Insights, Bobby Norman, CFP®, AIF®, CEPA®, and Robert Moody, CFP®, CEPA®, dive into key internal exit options for ...

Confidence Building?

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, the Portfolio Team unpacks the $300 billion shift in U.S.-China trade talks, its impact on market momentum, and key updates on the ne...

Hot off the Press

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Investors’ Insights, the Portfolio Team breaks down the latest developments from the U.S. and China trade talks and what the 90-d...

Market Resistance

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The market can’t ignore the signals the Fed is sending, and we’re unpacking what the data really means. In this episode of Investors’ Insights, ...

Understanding Bonds

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this educational episode, Ty Miller explains what bonds are, how they are rated, and how they can serve as a strategic asset in certain portfolios....

It’s All Relative

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From global tariffs to U.S. corporate earnings, our Portfolio Team breaks down the key market forces they’re tracking and explains how history may b...

Numbers Behind the Noise

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The tax deadline brought more than just returns—it triggered a major shift in liquidity that could ripple through the markets. In this week’s epis...

Recession Checklist

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week was one of the most volatile for markets in years, but we’ve got some encouraging news on inflation and valuable insights from our recessi...

Don’t Panic

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, the Portfolio Team breaks down the chaos and uncertainty in today’s market, offering valuable insights on navigating the t...