This data shows we’ve just experienced one of the biggest periods of financial turbulence in the last 20 years, but are we, as financial professionals, acting accordingly and showing our clients enough support?

One of the most important roles of a financial advisor is to help retired clients determine how much they can afford to spend each year. It might be a good idea for advisors to ascertain whether their client’s spending goals are actually consistent with a retirement paychecks approach.

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) delivered a widely anticipated 25-basis-point rate cut at its final meeting of the year. In the press conference that followed, Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that monetary policy is now much closer to neutral and that the central bank is likely nearing the end of its rate-cutting cycle.

Dividends offer a powerful dual benefit: they provide an immediate, consistent stream of passive income, while also being an incredible tool for long-term wealth building through the magic of compounding when reinvested. The yield is the essential metric that measures this horsepower, allowing investors to effectively compare and manage their income-generating investments.

ClearBridge Investments expects a broadening of market participation that should benefit more diversified portfolios in 2026.

A generation ago, a single income could support a family, buy a house and pay for a vehicle or two in the driveway. Today, even two high earners are struggling to purchase a new home.

Investors are gravitating to dollar bonds to ride the rally in emerging-markets, and have poured the most money in two years into a fund tracking the asset class.

Researching lesser-known economic indicators on the thinkorswim® platform is a low-effort way to potentially elevate an investor's game.

Despite rapid growth, including significant trading volume increases, the company faces major challenges from competitors like Robinhood and Interactive Brokers, an ongoing association with gambling, and regulatory pushback regarding its classification as a financial-derivatives exchange.

Chief Economist Eugenio J. Alemán discusses current economic conditions.

Our year ahead explores what could challenge the consensus outlook, how rate-cut expectations shape market behavior, and why quality, dividends, and broader opportunities may matter more than investors realize.

The Federal Reserve delivered a "dovish version of the hawkish cut," confirmed by the market's rally, new equity highs, and subtle shifts in leadership. The surprising effective end of Quantitative Tightening and a softening inflation framework underscore a clear turn toward accommodation and ample market liquidity.

LPL will explore current industry developments, share best practices for demonstrating fiduciary responsibility, and offer ways to support your growing practice. Learn how to discover opportunities at the growing intersection of retirement and wealth planning.

It pays to know what financial storms — and especially their underlying meteorology — look like. This reviewer has not come across a volume that accomplishes this as well — and as entertainingly — as Andrew Ross Sorkin’s 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History — and How It Shattered a Nation.

The flood of big money into the RIA space is a tribute to what the pioneers created. But it also represents a step backward. The new masters are profit-driven capitalists, not creative, client-focused entrepreneurs.

Clients with large, concentrated stock positions, often from vested Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), face undiversified risk and a huge potential tax bill. This article introduces two new, complex methods that defer capital gains.

While the Federal Reserve is expected to cut short-term interest rates next year, these reductions are predicted to have minimal effect on long-term rates, such as the 10-year Treasury yield.

China has figured out the US strategy for allowing it to buy Nvidia Corp.’s H200 and is rejecting the AI chip in favor of domestically developed semiconductors, White House AI czar David Sacks said, citing news reports.

A flare up in high-profile corporate buyouts is likely to spread into 2026, spurring demand for leveraged financing that could double by some estimates, according to debt managers.

Emerging market carry trades, a popular strategy that returned about 17% in 2025, are widely expected to continue yielding gains in 2026 due to persistent interest rate gaps and a weakening US dollar.

It’s been three years since OpenAI set off euphoria over artificial intelligence with the release of ChatGPT. And while the money is still pouring in, so are the doubts about whether the good times can last.

As someone who views corporate finance through a pragmatic lens, I’ve been closely watching the current surge in capital expenditures (capex) tied to artificial intelligence (AI). When a company spends massive amounts of free cash flow and takes on increasing debt, does that lead to a positive outcome for investors?

Today we’ll look at government debt as a global problem because that’s what it is. Some governments are somewhat less profligate, but very few have clean hands on this. All of us are in the mud.

We expect the US economy to remain resilient in 2026, providing a constructive backdrop for risk assets, as well as corporate and municipal credit. But the mix of macro uncertainty, policy division and elevated deficits could widen the range of potential outcomes and increase rate volatility—especially as the Federal Reserve approaches the neutral rate.

Each December, those of us in the investment business lay out our expectations for the coming year. We do so with the knowledge that no one has a clear crystal ball (it’s one of the reasons I like Oprah’s quote).

Pioneered by Harry Markowitz's Modern Portfolio Theory, the classic 60/40 portfolio allocates 60% to stocks for growth and 40% to bonds for income and risk mitigation. This strategy is predicated on the idea that these two asset classes, when combined, should have a less-than-perfect correlation to optimize risk-adjusted returns.

Once considered a tactical niche product for nervous investors, buffer ETFs are reshaping how financial advisors approach risk management.

Investors are navigating not just uncertainty, but an unstable environment influenced by tariffs and inflation, among other factors. While volatility may increase, there is likely room for another solid year in 2026, especially for fixed income and international stocks

The economic narrative last week was shaped by a highly anticipated Federal Reserve rate cut, which came against a backdrop of conflicting signals in the labor market.

This year has witnessed some of the most significant policy shifts in recent memory. Economic, strategic and fiscal norms have all been challenged, creating a level of uncertainty that has been hard keep up with.

Imagine headlines flashing news of 20,000 jobs lost each month from US payrolls. Consumer and investor sentiment would crater and the pressure on the Federal Reserve to keep cutting interest rates would be intense.

Around this time, most mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) providers release estimates of their upcoming distributions. We track and aggregate these early numbers to help you better prepare for what to expect.

The Federal Reserve announced a new round of quantitative easing (QE) on Wednesday. It also cut the federal fund rate by another 25 basis points.

The Federal Reserve lowered its policy interest rate by 25 basis points, as widely expected. However, Fed Chairman Powell hinted at a pause ahead, and there were several dissents.

Oracle's recent earnings report offered little comfort for those concerned about the cost of AI infrastructure, revealing unwelcome surprises like a $10 billion quarterly cash burn and significantly increased capital spending.

In their latest SPIVA report, S&P discussed the underperformance of active funds relative to index blends across various assets.

The Treasury Department is preparing to release a corporate tax workaround that would deliver large tax savings to companies including Salesforce Inc. and Qualcomm Inc.

Foreign corporate insiders would have to reveal when they buy or sell company stock under a provision included in the House-passed defense authorization bill, a move backers describe as closing a loophole that hurts US investors.

The dueling suitors for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. have had a rough week. Will this rule out an auction? Don’t count on it.

Oil held near its lowest close in almost two months, as concerns about an oversupply offset bullishness in wider financial markets.

With Elon Musk’s SpaceX eyeing an initial public offering that could value the company at over $1 trillion, investors looking for exposure to the space industry can turn to a space ETF that has already delivered outsized returns in 2025.

The Federal Reserve delivered a widely expected 25-basis-point (bp) rate cut in December, then signaled a more data-dependent path ahead. Barring an economic shock, we probably won’t see another rate cut until the second half of next year.

Value seems to be having a moment — over the last six weeks value style and value factor indexes (a subtle but real nuance, as we will show) are outperforming representative broad market and a representative growth style index.

ClearBridge Investments believes the outlook for infrastructure in 2026 remains robust, driven by the accelerating demand for power and data fueled by AI.

Silver jumped for a fourth day, as exchange-traded fund inflows, momentum-following and physical market tightness pushed the white metal toward its best year since 1979.

International stocks could be poised for another strong year in 2026 due to accelerating global growth, attractive valuations and the potential for dollar weakness.

Signed into law in 2022, SECURE 2.0 legislation pursued many of the key themes of the original SECURE Act from 2019, including expanding access to retirement accounts and promoting plan participation.

After a "mini swoon" in November driven by AI bubble concerns, market tranquility has returned this December as investors await the Fed's widely anticipated 25 basis point rate cut and Chair Powell's subsequent remarks.

U.S. equities edged higher last week, approaching all-time highs, fueled by steady consumer spending reflected in strong Black Friday retail sales, though data indicated consumers are increasingly prioritizing value.

The Federal Reserve concluded its last meeting of 2025 with another quarter-point rate cut, while maintaining its outlook for only one cut in 2026.