Check out our Quarterly Market Review - 2025 Q2 featuring world capital markets and a timeline of events for the past quarter.
Quarterly Market Review 2025 Q2
Try a Mini Retirement for ROL
A mini-retirement is a planned, intentional break from your normal work schedule that can help you recharge and rethink your career trajectory.
Your mini-retirement might mean downshifting to a four-day work week. It could be an extended stay-at-home vacation. Or it could be a longer break from work, like a sabbatical. Older workers who are nearing the "traditional" retirement window might also use mini-retirement to test drive their vision of what life without work will be like.
Use this three-step process to plan your mini-retirement and make the most of the experience:
What Does Financial Independence Mean to You?
According to a recent poll of 2,000 U.S. adults, "financial independence" equates to earning $94,000 per year, or about $20,000 more than the median income in 2023.
Some folks might feel like they're just a promotion or two away from achieving that kind of independence. Others might not feel like $94,000 is enough to feel truly free. And still others might wonder how they'd ever spend that much money in the first place.
That's because true financial independence isn't a number. It's feeling confident enough in your money to do things that will improve your Return on Life, such as:
What Makes a Good Life?
You have a steady job that pays the bills and puts your abilities to good use. You have loving relationships with your spouse, your children, extended family, and close friends. Your house provides enough space and security. Your golf league gives you a chance to unwind. Your volunteer work improves your community.
The specific details might vary, but most people would consider this scenario the basis for a pretty good life. Yet many of us who do check these boxes often feel like there's something missing.
A fascinating new study published by Affective Science asked nearly 4,000 people from 9 countries what kind of life they wanted. The results suggest that there's an important dimension to improving life that many of us may be overlooking.
Student of the Market - June 2025
Stay ahead of the markets with timely insights by uncovering the latest on the global economy, geopolitics and retirement, among other timely investment ideas - Student of the Market - June 2025
5 Creative Ways to Teach Children Money
Most parents can relate to the challenges of teaching their children about money—whether it’s explaining the difference between wants and needs, encouraging them to save, or helping them understand the value of a dollar.
Learning about money doesn’t have to be complicated or fraught with conflict. Some of the best financial lessons come from everyday experiences, playful challenges, and hands-on activities. By weaving money lessons into daily life, you can help your children build healthy financial habits and grow into responsible adults.
Here are some creative ways this can happen.
Lessons in Buyer’s Remorse
We’ve all been there—you make a purchase, and then, almost immediately, doubt starts creeping in. Maybe you spent more than you intended, or perhaps the item doesn’t live up to your expectations. That sinking feeling? It’s called buyer’s remorse, and there are a variety of reasons why we experience it:
Impulse Purchases: Buying something on a whim without thinking it through.
Overspending: Stretching your budget more than expected.
Comparison Regret: Finding a better deal after making the purchase.
Emotional Spending: Stress, excitement, or boredom led to a poor choice.
Unmet Expectations: A product or service that didn’t live up to expectations.
The truth is, buyer’s remorse isn’t all negative—it can be a powerful learning tool and help you make better decisions in the future. Here are some time-tested strategies to consider.
When Adult Children Move Back Home
School is out, and perhaps your college graduate is trading in the dorms for their old room - back at mom and dad’s house. The rising trend of adult children moving back in with their parents—often called “boomerang children”—is reshaping family life and financial dynamics. Driven by high housing costs, inflation, and mounting student debt, this arrangement can provide a much-needed safety net for the child, but it can also create challenges for the household. The following tips can help you support your children while maintaining healthy boundaries.
Graduation Gifts for Long-Term Return on Life (ROL)
As your college graduate prepares to move into a new phase of their adult life, one thing they probably don't need is more stuff to move. Parents can still commemorate their child's achievements with less-traditional gifts that won't take up space in the moving van.
Including, of course, cash.
But before you stick a check in a greeting card, consider some alternative ways to celebrate your grad and also set them up for success.
Student of the Market - May 2025
Stay ahead of the markets with timely insights by uncovering the latest on the global economy, geopolitics and retirement, among other timely investment ideas - Student of the Market - May 2025
