Investing, Student of the Market
Ryan Weiser
Student of the Market - May 2025
Student of the Market - May 2025

Most Investors Perceive Losses as More Impactful

Most Investors Perceive Losses as More Impactful

When managing personal finances and investments, people frequently exhibit irrational behavior for different reasons. If you’re one of these folks, be fair to yourself: It doesn’t even take a spate of market zigzags like we saw recently to prod you into questionable decisions.

Everyone makes choices about money nearly every day – how to earn, spend, save, invest and so on. Sometimes you pick wisely, sometimes harmfully. Some decisions, particularly those regarding when and where to invest, whipsaw from wise to harmful and back, depending on when you reached your conclusion and when you took the plunge.

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How Will You Create Your “ART” in Retirement?

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How Will You Create Your “ART” in Retirement?

A hammock on the beach. Your favorite chair in the living room. Waking up when you feel like it. A blank calendar. Doing what you want when you want. Doing nothing if that’s how you feel that day.

After a lifetime of working 40 hours per week, this scenario sure sounds appealing to many soon-to-be retirees. But the surprising reality is that a life of unstructured leisure can create stress, strain spousal relationships, and lead to feelings of uselessness and depression.

When today’s successful retirees stop working, they learn the “ART” of retirement. It’s about Activity, Relationships, and Time. They experiment. They try new things. They make new connections. And eventually, they create a new daily routine focused on the people and passions that make their lives fulfilling.

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Five Things That Get Better With Age

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Five Things That Get Better With Age

Planning Financially For Retirement Can Help Make Aging More Comfortable

Yes, there are some good things that often come with being old such as increased happiness, less stress, better marriages and deeper friendships. You don’t always hear these things however since people tend to focus on the negatives of aging.

How old is “old?” Is 60 the new 40? 80 the new 60? I think this question is relative to how someone feels and perceives themselves. Still, I am old enough to know from personal experience that the body begins to slow down and fall apart as we age. I also know from working with clients that aging can be expensive. One of the biggest threats to your retirement nest egg, besides the possibility of outliving it, is the high cost of care for increasing health needs. Here are 5 things that actually get better with age:

Five Questions to Ask When Considering to Retire

Five Questions to Ask When Considering to Retire

Normal Retirement Age Used to be 65, but Things are Much Different Today

You might be thinking about retiring, but how do you know when you are really ready for it mentally and financially? For decades, the common retirement age was 65. This is also the same age you become eligible for Social Security and Medicare. But things are different today. Answer these five questions to find out how, when, and if you should retire:

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Obtain the Best Return on Life When Retiring at a Different Time than Your Spouse

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Obtain the Best Return on Life When Retiring at a Different Time than Your Spouse

Married couples don’t always plot retirement on the same timeline. According to a recent study by Fidelity, 43% of couples disagree about what age they plan on retiring. For other folks, circumstances like an unexpected job loss or health issue push spouses onto separate retirement schedules. This also commonly occurs when there is an age difference between spouses.

When one spouse retires and the other keeps working, it's important that the couple understands the effects on their finances, their schedules, and their long-term goals. Here are three important conversations that couples should have about syncing two retirements to a shared Life-Centered financial plan.

Hobbies That Improve Health and Happiness

Hobbies That Improve Health and Happiness

One of the major perks of retirement is that you're free to devote as much time as you want to your interests and hobbies. On the other-hand, one of the challenges is that not everything you've enjoyed doing in your free time while working will be good for you full-time in retirement. Too much of the same thing might get boring. For example, too much time alone on the couch could be bad for your health. Daily golf tee times or lunches might get expensive, and seeing all that remaining blank space on your weekly calendar might feel overwhelming.

It's important to have some structure in retirement. Having many hobbies and activities can help with keeping things exciting, while getting you moving and providing opportunities to connect with lots of other people. If you're not sure where to start, here are six suggestions that could improve your Return on Life.

How to Minimize Taxes During Market Downturns

How to Minimize Taxes During Market Downturns

Market downturns, like the one we’re currently experiencing this year, could be a good time to adjust your investment portfolio to minimize the tax bite. Here’s how it works.

Investments in taxable accounts held longer than one year are taxed as a long-term capital gain. The rates are either 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your income.

If held less than a year, then the sale is a considered a short-term capital gain and taxed as ordinary income based on your marginal tax bracket.

When calculating net capital gains taxes, you should first evaluate all short-term and long-term transactions separately: