Blog

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist October 16, 2026 Mixed Banks, Strong Foundations If you doubt the analysts, listen to the companies. Once again, corporate management teams are signaling their growing optimism...

The Weekly Wealth Watch October 12, 2026 The Markets “The two key things to be successful in this business are to produce the returns while avoiding drawdowns.” — John Paulson, Founder & President, Paulson & Co. U.S. equity markets...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist October 9, 2026 “Catch-22:” Why Economic Growth is Punishing Small Caps A “Catch-22” is a paradoxical, no-win situation from which an individual cannot escape because of...

The Markets “What matters more is having a bold vision and pursuing it with unwavering conviction.” — Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO, SoftBank Group Corp. U.S. equity markets finished the week mixed. The S&P 500 declined –0.26%,...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist October 2, 2026 Yielding to Growth: Why Stocks Have Room to Run Despite all the anxiety about higher interest rates, US large market capitalization stocks are less than 2% below...

The Weekly Wealth Watch September 28, 2026 The Markets “The availability of massive amounts of data and cutting-edge technology only magnifies the power of a scientific approach.” — David Siegel, Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, Two Sigma U.S...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist September 25, 2026 It Would Take an Absurd Level of Rates to Break Stocks Holding trailing 12-month (TTM) operating earnings per share (EPS) constant, what level of long-duration...

The Weekly Wealth Watch September 21, 2026 The Markets “I’ve taken great pleasure in writing programs that do remarkable things.” — Robert Mercer, Former Co-CEO, Renaissance Technologies U.S. equity markets finished the week mixed,...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist September 18, 2026 Earnings Drive Stocks, Rates Make Noise The short-term noise and handwringing about this week’s Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate hike and rising bond yields...

The Weekly Wealth Watch September 14, 2026 The Markets “Asymmetric payoffs in the credit markets. That’s really our funds’ focus.” — Boaz Weinstein, Founder & CIO, Saba Capital Management U.S. equities finished the week lower as...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist September 11, 2026 Surviving CAPE Fear: When to Worry About Valuations “You’re gonna learn about loss.” – Max Cady, Cape Fear (1991) For those who haven’t seen the movie, that...

The Weekly Wealth Watch September 8, 2026 The Markets “The best investments are often those where there is a significant gap between perception and reality” — Mike McGuire, The Marcato Capital Management U.S. equity markets finished...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist September 4, 2026 Equity Valuation: A Compass, not a Stopwatch Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) is a common statistical method used to estimate the unknown parameters in a linear...

The Weekly Wealth Watch August 31, 2026 The Markets “The stock market is the story of cycles and of the human behavior that is responsible for overreactions in both directions.” — Seth Klarman, The Baupost Group U.S. equity markets...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist August 28, 2026 Consumers: Show, Don’t Tell “Show, don’t tell” is a creative technique where a writer replaces complex, detailed explanations with sensory impressions and actions...

The Weekly Wealth Watch August 24, 2026 The Markets “The biggest opportunities often come from identifying change early and understanding which companies are best positioned to benefit from it.” — Alex Sacerdote, Founder, (Whale Rock...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist August 21, 2026 S&P 500: The Tug of War Between Earnings & Interest Rates Investors committing capital to US stocks at all-time highs may have an understandable feeling of...

The Weekly Wealth Watch August 17, 2026 The Markets “Purchase price matters.” — Marc Rowan, CEO, (Apollo Global Management) U.S. equity markets posted strong gains this week, with broad participation across major indexes. The S&P 500...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist August 14, 2026 Anatomy of a Bull Market: Why 2026 Isn’t 2022 Is the US stock market overextended and heading for a crash? No, not in my opinion. While we won’t know the precise...

The Weekly Wealth Watch August 10, 2026 Is It Really Different This Time? “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” — John Wooden The Markets Investors came back from wherever they had been hiding and decided to buy stocks with both hands. The S&P...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist August 7, 2026 Corporate Productivity: The “Flywheel” Is Spinning Every great investment thesis eventually comes down to one question: Can companies keep growing their earnings?...

The Weekly Wealth Watch August 3, 2026 The Markets "The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient." — Warren Buffett It was another constructive week for investors, with the major equity...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist July 31, 2026 Sales: Companies’ Ultimate “Proof of Concept” As my regular readers know, I’ve argued that strong sales tell companies the world wants their products and services....

The Weekly Wealth Watch July 27, 2026 The Markets “The key to successful investing is to stay disciplined, keep costs low, diversify broadly, and maintain a long-term perspective.” — Tim Buckley, Former Chairman & CEO, (Vanguard) U.S....

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist July 24, 2026 The Bond Market Isn’t Screaming – You’re Just Listening to the Wrong People When Treasury yields rise, investors tend to make the same diagnosis: Debt. Deficits....

The Weekly Wealth Watch July 20, 2026 The Markets “The biggest investment opportunities often emerge when investors can distinguish between short-term market noise and long-term technological change.” — Dan Benton, Founder, Andor...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist July 17, 2026 Bank Earnings Ratify the “Tech Enablement” Thesis Corporate management teams are signaling their growing optimism this earnings season. According to FactSet, the...

The Weekly Wealth Watch July 13, 2026 The Markets “Investing isn't just about owning great companies—it's about understanding how they create long-term value for all stakeholders.” — Jeff Ubben, Founder, (Inclusive Capital Partners)...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist July 10, 2026 Did You Say ‘Over?’ In the immortal words of John (Bluto) Blutarsky from the 1978 film, Animal House: “What? Over? Did you say ‘over?’ Nothing is over until we...

The Weekly Wealth Watch July 6, 2026 The Markets “Successful investing requires discipline, thoughtful diversification, and a long-term perspective. Markets will fluctuate, but resilient portfolios are built to weather those...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist July 2, 2026 Market Memory: What Past Performance Implies About Future Results Every investment professional – including me – is familiar with the ubiquitous compliance...

The Weekly Wealth Watch June 29, 2026 The Markets “The market is constantly weighing probabilities, not certainties. Successful investing comes from recognizing when expectations have become disconnected from reality.” — Lee Ainslie,...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist June 26, 2026 Mid-Year Outlook: “Dynamic Optimism” in a Non-Inflationary Equilibrium How can advisors balance the structural tension between protecting and growing their clients’...

The Weekly Wealth Watch June 22, 2026 The Markets “You can’t predict. You can prepare.” — Howards Marks, (Oaktree Capital) Markets closed out a shortened trading week on a positive note as investors navigated a lighter calendar ahead...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist June 19, 2026 Why Infinite Space May Not Equal Infinite Value A couple of weeks ago, I explored some thoughts and related research questions about the space economy. While it’s a...

The Weekly Wealth Watch June 15, 2026 The Markets “Investing is about finding opportunities and having the patience and discipline to let them develop over time.” — Abigail Johnson, (Fidelity Investment) U.S. equity markets continued...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist June 12, 2026 Signal vs. Noise: Cool “Core” CPI, Hot “Headline” CPI What Happened: As expected, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS’) Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban...

The Weekly Wealth Watch June 1, 2026 The Markets The key to long-term success is not being right all the time—it’s managing risk when you’re wrong.” — Michael Platt, (BlueCrest Capital) U.S. equity markets pulled back this week as...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist June 5, 2026 A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Space Economy It’s time-minus seven (T-7) days and counting until the SpaceX (SPCX) initial public offering (IPO), which is targeting a...

Market Strategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist May 29, 2026 Treasury Yields: Water Finds Its Own Level In my June 4, 2025, Market Strategy Flash, “Why bond yields have increased around the world,” I argued that rising yields...

MarketStrategy by Talley Leger, Chief Market Strategist May 22, 2026 Software vs. Semis: Skate to Where the Puck Is Going Since April 2025, I’ve consistently opined about information technology, which remains a bright spot on the US...

The Weekly Wealth Watch June 1, 2026 The Markets “I’ve always believed that prices move first and fundamentals come later.” — James Simons (Renaissance Technologies) U.S. equity markets extended their advance this week, with gains...

The Weekly Wealth Watch May 25, 2026 The Markets “The first step toward getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” — John Pierpont Morgan (J.P. Morgan) U.S. equity markets moved higher this week, with gains...

401(k) Benchmarking

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Monday, June 1, 2026

Every 0.01% Impacts Participant Outcomes How can 401(k) benchmarking help plan sponsors manage 401(k) plan fees, meet fiduciary responsibilities, and improve retirement outcomes? When managing a workplace retirement plan, attention is...

Employee Burnout Solutions That Work

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Employee Burnout Solutions That WorkTaking Your Company from Bare-Minimum Monday to Everyday Excellence You may be familiar with Bare-Minimum Mondays, Take-It-Easy Tuesdays, Let’s-Not-Work-Too-Hard Wednesdays, and No-Think Thursdays....

Stronger Lineup, Smarter Outcomes: Your 401(k) Investment Review Playbook

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

8 Essential Steps for Your Next Investment ReviewFollow this guide to align your investment menu with participant needs. Here’s what to focus on:Start with your investment framework.Review the investment menu structure.Use consistent...

3 Creative Ways to Unlock Company Savings

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Monday, April 13, 2026

Explore high-impact, low-disruption strategies to reduce costs while keeping your benefits competitive.We are often asked how companies can reduce overhead without sacrificing employee satisfaction. Did you know that your retirement...

Plan Sponsor Newsletter: Navigating 2026 with Confidence

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Monday, March 9, 2026

Digital Communications are different types of promotional copy you will use to promote a specific piece of content. We provide digital communications with all Retirement Plan Marketing content.

Understanding the 2026 Roth Catch-Up Rule for High Earners

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Friday, March 6, 2026

Learn how the 2026 Roth catch-up rule affects higher-earning employees and what plan sponsors need to know to prepare payroll, systems, and plan processes.Beginning in 2026, a new rule will change how some employees make catch-up...

Generational Shifts and Your Workplace 401(k) Plan

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Every day, roughly 11,400 Baby Boomers turn 65, ushering in a historic retirement wave known as “Peak 65”. As this generation steps into retirement, the makeup of the workforce is changing fast. Baby Boomers, once the largest group on...

Ultimate Financial Goals Planner

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Ultimate Financial Goals PlannerEveryone has financial goals. Some are short-term, like paying down debt or building an emergency fund. Others are long-term, like buying a home or saving for retirement. The Financial Goals Planner...

Litigation Updates for Retirement Plan Committees

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Litigation Updates for Retirement Plan Committees Notable case highlights and what to expect. It’s been an exciting year for 401(k) plans, with court decisions shaping what’s expected of plan sponsors and fiduciaries.

What Every Plan Sponsor Should Know for 2026

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Monday, January 5, 2026

Stay ahead of 2026 retirement plan updates. Learn key SECURE 2.0 changes, new Roth rules, eligibility shifts, and fiduciary trends plan sponsors need to know.

The new Retirement Plan Contribution Limits are official!

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

The following limits are going up for 2026: Maximum contributions for 401(k), 403(b) and 457 increased to $24,500 Maximum contributions for highly compensated employees stayed the same at $160,000 Maximum contributions for SIMPLE...

Advanced Tax Strategies for Employers

Darrin M Conrad, AIF®, CPFA

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Explore 5 advanced tax strategies that help employers reduce taxable income, boost retirement savings, and retain top talent through optimized plan design.