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
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The Backdoor Roth IRA

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The Backdoor Roth IRA

How to Contribute to a Roth IRA Even if Your Income is Too High

Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) are attractive investment accounts because of the tax-free income that they provide with qualified withdrawals. However, many higher-income earners are not eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA.

Fortunately, there is a strategy to navigate around this – often referred to as the "Backdoor Roth IRA". The process involves opening a traditional IRA, making your desired contribution - up to the annual maximum amount, and then later convert the funds to a Roth IRA…

Should You Change Your Investing Strategy

Should You Change Your Investing Strategy

With the market volatility over the past 3 months, many investors are asking, "Should I be changing my investments?

There is no one-size-fits answer, but some tweaks might make sense.


Disciplined investors create a diversified portfolio of investments that are not all directly correlated to each other. Wise investors take this one step further and adjust their portfolios as market cycles shift. A consistent buy-and-hold strategy might be far more risky than one that involves tactical shifts according to the season.

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Bounded by Covid-19 & Stay-At-Home? Learn Money Mindfulness

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Bounded by Covid-19 & Stay-At-Home? Learn Money Mindfulness

Use money to enhance your life and the lives of those around you

Money matters are complex and even scary. How you choose to approach finances mentally is key to mastering them.

Financial advisors call this “money mindfulness.” And it’s a mentality that can be worked on while we’re following the current “stay-at-home” orders of our local and federal government.

It is difficult to deal with your finances on your own because the technical aspects can be bewildering. Investment options, taxes, interest rates and securities transactions in general are overwhelming for folks outside of the finance industry. Few of us understand the math necessary to handle our own money, even at a minimal level.

Plus, there’s a real element of danger about finances. Nearly everyone has been ripped off at some point. Many of us are wary of trusting anyone, even family members, with our money.

It Start with Our Behavior…

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2020 Contribution Limit Changes & the Secure Act

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2020 Contribution Limit Changes & the Secure Act

Understanding the changes for 2020 so you can maximize your retirement

With the new year comes some new changes to retirement plans starting January 1, 2020. Between the Internal Revenue Service announcing cost-of-living adjustments for tax year 2020 and the new Secure Act, there is a lot to digest.

Here are the highlights:

IRS Cost-of-Living Adjustments

Detailed in Notice 2019-59 and posted on IRS.gov, the IRS is increasing the contribution limits to 401(k) and other retirement plans starting January 1, 2020, including: