Investing, Student of the Market
Ryan Weiser
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

Student of the Market - May 2025

Budgeting

Lessons in Buyer’s Remorse

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.

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When Adult Children Move Back Home

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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.

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The Importance of Balancing Saving and Spending for Doctors and Dentists

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The Importance of Balancing Saving and Spending for Doctors and Dentists

Doctors and dentists often find themselves on very different $Lifeline trajectories than friends and family members who don't work in health care. While many folks in their early 20s might be earning real money at their first jobs or getting married, you might still be in school. Your friends might be buying houses while you're still working through a low-paying residency. And once you're an M.D. or D.D.S., it can be very tempting to treat that high salary you've worked so hard for like it's a jackpot.

Use these three tips to balance responsible spending and saving so that you can earn more Return on Life throughout your career…

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Should I Pay Off My Mortgage?

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Should I Pay Off My Mortgage?

Being unsure whether to pay off your mortgage or not is a good problem to have. It means you have significant savings and have afforded yourself some choices. While the idea of being debt-free is appealing to many, there are also compelling reasons to keep your mortgage. Let’s explore both sides of the debate to help you make an informed decision.

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Social Media’s Impact on Your Money Mindset

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Social Media’s Impact on Your Money Mindset

There are a variety of viewpoints on how social media influences our society - both good and bad. After all, some people are spending hours a day on these platforms and we need to be aware of their impact. From our vantage point, we’re paying close attention to how these networks influence our clients’ spending, saving, and investing habits.

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Should You Buy or Build Your Dream Home?

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Should You Buy or Build Your Dream Home?

The choice between buying and building a house hasn't become much easier in 2024. While the housing market has cooled off a bit this year, high building costs and interest rates are helping to support high home sale prices. According to Forbes, the average cost to build a new house is around $329,000 - not including the cost of land.

We can help you run some numbers on the money part. There’s a lot more that goes into a true "dream home" other than money, especially if you're thinking about living there through retirement. Discussing these three questions with your family can clarify what a home really means to you, and how the journey to your next home could impact your Return on Life (ROL).

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5 Ways to Incorporate Unexpected Cash in Your Financial Plan

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5 Ways to Incorporate Unexpected Cash in Your Financial Plan

Receiving an unexpected sum of money can be a welcome surprise, but deciding what to do with it can be a challenge. Should you save the money or pay down debt? Invest the funds or donate to charity?

While rushing to book a vacation with proceeds from a windfall may be tempting, it might be more rewarding to use the funds to shore up your finances for the long run. Here are five strategies to consider:

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Unmasking Mortgage Gimmicks: The Truth Behind the Hype

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Unmasking Mortgage Gimmicks: The Truth Behind the Hype

Mortgage rates have been rising steeply since 2021 and are now commonly found in the neighborhood of 7%. This is significant as you might remember rates in 2021 were often below 3%. The run-up has cooled the housing market considerably. Now, lenders are having to get creative to drive new business. They’re offering more incentives to find new buyers and to undercut the competition. Let’s take a look at some of these strategies (gimmicks if you’re a pessimist), to help you and those you know make smart lending decisions.

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What Do You Think it Really Means “To Be Rich?”

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What Do You Think it Really Means “To Be Rich?”

If We Set Unrealistic Expectations for Ourselves, We Never Reach True Wealth.

What does it mean to be rich? Some people live by the balance sheet, some die by it. Others don’t even know what a balance sheet is. How do you define wealth for yourself? A recent article on CNN reported that “a whopping 70% of those with at least $1 million in assets that are invested or available to invest, excluding home values, don’t consider themselves to be wealthy – only when they hit the $5 million mark (did) millionaires begin to feel wealthy.”

Our feelings about wealth stem more from our life decisions and social circles than from the numbers we see on our statements.

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Feeling wealthy means feeling you have enough, of wanting what you have rather than being consumed with what you want.

Is Money a Supporting or Driving Element?

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What Your Kids Won’t Learn in School

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What Your Kids Won’t Learn in School

It's back-to-school season, which means it might be a good idea for parents to think about something their kids won't be learning in the classroom this year: how to manage money.

While there has been a growing movement in some states to include financial literacy as a high school graduation requirement, most kids head into adulthood without a good understanding of money and don’t have the knowledge to create good financial habits. Finance is often a taboo topic for many parents. They may not want their kids to worry about money or get a distorted view of the family's wealth. Sometimes parents don’t have very good money management skills themselves.

Our advice: start small. Here are three easy ways that parents can teach children the value of a dollar and start them on a path towards a greater Return on Life.