Investors' Insights and Market Updates

Higher Oil Prices are Cutting into Consumer Tailwinds Coming into the year, one of the major economic themes was the expected strength of the U.S. consumer. A key reason for that optimism was the wave...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ty Miller explores the growing conversation around cryptocurrency investing and the key differences between owning crypto directly and investing through...

Oil Spikes and What They Historically Mean for Markets One of the most immediate market reactions to geopolitical tension in the Middle East is the surge in oil prices. Since the current conflict bega...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page examines why commercial construction is slowing down and what that means for the U.S. economy. From labor shortages tied to tighter immigrat...

Technical Levels and Market Support From a technical standpoint, the market has shown notable resilience despite geopolitical tension. The S&P 500 is currently trading around 6,845, holding up wel...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page unpacks the slowdown in U.S. job growth and what it signals for the broader economy. From the shift to a “low hire, low fire” environment to...

Tax Refunds and the Consumer Spending Boost There is encouraging news on the tax front. Tax refunds for 2026 are already running approximately $3 billion ahead of last year, reflecting a 17% increase ...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Robert Moody breaks down the Roth 401(k) and how it compares to a traditional 401(k), along with how to know which one may be the best fit for your goal...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Mark Hume breaks down the topic of allowing private investments inside 401(k) plans and what it could mean for everyday investors. Private equity may of...

Market Breadth is Strengthening One of the most important themes so far this year has been the broadening out of the stock market. In recent years, the market’s gains were heavily concentrated in the ...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page breaks down how sports spending contributes to the U.S. economy, and the numbers may surprise you. Depending on how broadly it’s measured, s...

Federal Reserve Policy and the “Height Chart” Theory The Federal Reserve met last week and, as widely expected, made no changes to interest rates. The decision generated little market reaction, largel...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ty Miller discusses Artificial Intelligence and how it is shaping Wall Street. AI is no longer a futuristic concept, as it’s already driving millions of...

Broad Market Participation Signals Improving Market Health After several years of narrow leadership, early signs suggest the market is finally beginning to broaden. Market expansion, measured by how m...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Bobby Norman breaks down the rising cost of eldercare and why it has become one of the most critical factors in long-term financial planning. With month...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page breaks down how a growing majority of small businesses are now using AI and how adoption is accelerating faster than many expected. New surv...

Seasonality and the Midterm Election Effect Seasonality has long played a role in understanding market behavior, and historical trends can help inform portfolio strategy. January has often set the ton...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Bobby Norman breaks down the growing cybersecurity threats facing individuals and businesses, from phishing and ransomware to lesser-known attacks that ...

Volatility, the Fed, and the Productivity Question The year 2026 is poised to be a major inflection point. While 2025 represented a transition phase, toward artificial intelligence adoption and hoped-...

Closing Out 2025: Setting the Stage for 2026 As 2025 comes to a close, the economic landscape offers both reassurance and reason for vigilance as we look ahead to 2026. Inflation has been the defining...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Robert Moody breaks down the latest updates to 529 plans, including new tax benefits, scholarship withdrawal flexibility, and even the ability to roll u...

Corporate Earnings and a Broadening Market One of the most compelling themes as we transition from 2025 into 2026 is the continued strength of corporate earnings. Estimated 12-month S&P 500 operat...

The Fed’s Crucial Role and What Comes Next The Federal Reserve continues to dominate market conversations, and for good reason. Each decision the Fed makes, particularly regarding interest rates, carr...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Ashley Page breaks down why America’s manufacturing sector has slipped from 25% of the GDP in the 1950s to just 9.7% today and why restoring it could be...

Market Volatility, Seasonal Strength, and Key Economic Signals After an uptick in volatility throughout November, attention is now turning to December to determine whether seasonal strength can help s...

The Cost of Thanksgiving Comes Down Each year, the American Farm Bureau releases an estimate of what it costs to feed a family of ten for Thanksgiving, a lighthearted but useful snapshot of price tren...

This week on Innovation Mavericks, we sat down with Jack Hernig, a standout leader known for bold innovation and creative strategy in the entrepreneurial world. From launching a business to future-foc...

Corporate Earnings: A Powerful Undercurrent Despite recent worries, rising credit card delinquencies, increases in announced layoffs, and other soft spots across the economy, corporate earnings contin...

This week on Innovation Mavericks, we sat down with Elliott Davis, Owner and Operator of Automatic Audio Video, to explore what it really takes to build a business at the cutting edge of audio and vid...

Understanding the Shutdown’s Economic Impact The surprise agreement over the weekend marks significant progress toward ending the shutdown. Lawmakers have reached the 60-vote threshold in the Senate t...

AI is changing the game, and this week on Innovation Mavericks, Greg Powell sits down with Magna5’s Justin Cameron, Jacob Bever, and Jeff Jablonski to explore how businesses are turning AI into real-w...

On this week’s episode of Educational Insights, Trey Booth talks through why innovation can be disruptive, but it’s also a long-term engine for job creation. While new technologies can feel thre...

Credit Cards Flash a Warning Recent data highlights potential strain within the consumer sector. Three of the eight leading economic indicators we monitor are signaling concern, and one area drawing p...

In our newest episode of Innovation Mavericks, Greg Powell sits down with Pam Smith, owner of Classic Travel by Pam, recently named Hoover’s Best Travel Agency and Best Travel Agent 2025. Pam shares h...

Tracking Economic Health: The Recession Checklist With headlines focused on government shutdowns, slowing consumer spending, and questions about the direction of the economy, now is the perfect time t...

In this week’s episode of Innovation Mavericks, Greg Powell sits down with John Bentley, founder of Power 2 Transform, to explore how true leadership begins with self-leadership. After 21 years ...

Corporate Profit Margins and Market Valuations In recent months, market valuations have drawn renewed attention as investors question whether current price levels are sustainable. A closer look, howev...

Understanding Market Valuations Recent surveys indicate that 91% of fund managers believe U.S. stocks are overvalued, while emerging markets are considered undervalued. Historically, market pullbacks ...

Momentum Carries into October September is typically known as a difficult month for equities, yet this year it defied that reputation. The broader market ended the month up 3.1%, supported by strong e...

Did you know Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) allow contributions to bypass payroll, federal, and state taxes. Watch this week’s Educational Insights episode as Mark Hume outlines how HSAs work, who is ...

Housing’s Key Role in the Economy Housing remains one of the most significant drivers of the U.S. economy, representing roughly 18% of GDP and more than one-third of consumer spending. Because of this...

We are thrilled to welcome Lexie Watts to the Fi Plan Partners team as our new Marketing Manager. In this episode of Team Strategies, she sits down with our President and CEO, Greg Powell, and our COO...

Navigating Today’s Bull Market The current bull market, which began on October 12, 2022, has now run for 34 months, well below the historical average of 59 months for bull markets since 1928. Although...

Market ups and downs don’t cancel each other out the way you might think. Watch this week’s Educational Insights episode as Trey Booth explains the “hidden tax” of volatility and why focusing on downs...

The Federal Reserve’s Decision and Market Impact The Federal Reserve is scheduled to meet on September 16–17, with markets largely expecting a 25-basis-point rate cut. While the size of the cut may al...

Falling Rates and Market Implications Recent jobs data came in weaker than expected, which pushed long-term interest rates lower. The 10-year Treasury yield dropped from around 4.3% to below 4.1%, a s...

Fed Hints at Rate Cuts Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell made statements last Friday that strongly hinted at a potential interest rate cut in September. This would mark the first rate cut since D...

Labor Market Resilience Recent updates on inflation highlight important trends for consumers. While headline inflation remained relatively tame in July, the Producer Price Index (PPI) told a different...

Blended families can present unique estate planning challenges, especially when it comes to housing. Watch this week’s Educational Insights episode as Mark Hume explains how a life estate strategy, tr...

Outperforming Expectations in a Volatile Market Market volatility remained a dominant theme last week as investors continued to process the ongoing news around tariffs. Despite these headwinds, one cr...