Silicon Valley moves fast. Founders build startups in garages that turn into billion-dollar companies. Tech employees rack up stock options and investment portfolios before they hit 40. But even the most forward-thinking professionals often put off one of the most important decisions they’ll ever make — planning what happens to their wealth when they’re gone….
Global Market Performance Equities got off to a solid start in the second half of 2025, with most major indexes finishing July in the green. The S&P 500 climbed 2.2%, the Nasdaq outperformed with a 3.7% gain, and even the Dow managed a modest 0.2% lift. The only outlier was international developed markets (EAFE), which…
Market Commentary June closed out the first half of 2025 on a high note. Equities ripped higher, clawing their way out of earlier-year correction territory: the Dow jumped 4.5%, the S&P 500 gained 6.2%, and the Nasdaq led the pack with a 5.9% advance. Technology was the clear standout once again—eight of June’s top-10 S&P…
Global Market Performance May 2025 delivered a robust rebound for U.S. equities, with the Nasdaq soaring 9.7%—its strongest monthly gain since late 2023—driven by a resurgence in semiconductor and industrial stocks. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones also posted solid gains of 6.3% and 4.2%, respectively, marking a broad-based rally across major indices. Global markets…
Global Market Performance April was a bit of a mixed bag for U.S. equities. The technology sector kept things afloat, but some of the big blue chips dragged down the broader indices. The Nasdaq inched up 0.88% thanks to strength in AI and chip names, while the S&P 500 dipped 0.68%. Sector-wise, it was a…
Global Market Performance U.S. equity markets continued to decline in March, extending the downward trajectory observed in February. The persistent weakness was largely driven by investor concerns surrounding the newly announced U.S. tariffs, which have intensified uncertainty across sectors. During March 2025, the Dow Jones index declined 4.1%, the S&P 500 fell 5.6%, and the…
The DeepSeek event last week revealed groundbreaking insights into the latest development in artificial intelligence, highlighting how rapidly the technology is advancing. Here are our five key takeaways: 1. Global collaboration in AI research benefits all of humanity – Many of the techniques used in Deepseek’s model—such as Mixture of Experts, Multi-head latent attention,…
YEAR IN REVIEW 2024 2024 felt like a sequel to 2023, with strong gains across most asset classes. The standout, though, was the uneven rally in stocks. US equities dominated, delivering nearly five times the returns of non-US stocks (in dollar terms). The Dow climbed 15%, the S&P 500 jumped 25%, and the Nasdaq led…
Since March 2022, the Fed has embarked on a series of interest rate hikes with the aim of moderating economic growth and curbing inflationary pressures. Presently, the Federal Reserve’s target range for the federal funds rate rests between 5.25% and 5.5%. Looking back, the highest-ever recorded federal funds rate occurred in March 1980, reaching a…
If you’ve recently been laid off, you’re probably concerned about the tax implications of your severance pay. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the process. Severance pay is taxable in the year that you receive it. So, if you’re receiving three-months’ worth of pay, you’ll need to factor in taxes to that…
