The recent escalation in the Middle East has raised understandable concerns among investors about oil prices, inflation, and the broader economy. In this month’s letter, Judy Rubino, CFP®, looks at the historical relationship between war and markets, explains why energy shocks matter most when they are prolonged, and outlines why discipline—not reaction—remains especially important during uncertain periods.

As we begin 2026, our focus continues to be on delivering thoughtful service and steady guidance in an environment that often feels uncertain. 

In this month’s letter, we outline how to best connect with our team, we share upcoming educational initiatives, and we reflect on a year marked by elevated volatility and uncertainty but resilient economic fundamentals. While headlines dominated much of 2025, corporate earnings, steady consumer spending, and improving financial conditions provided a more durable foundation beneath the surface. 

As always, our role is to help clients stay grounded in the data, aligned with long-term goals, and confident in their planning decisions.

As 2025 draws to a close, several notable tax-law changes are set to take effect in 2026.

In this month’s year-end letter, we highlight key items to keep in mind—whether you’re planning charitable gifts, managing retirement income, or preparing for shifts to deductions, credits, and contribution limits.

We cover Qualified Charitable Distributions, new senior-focused deductions, estate and gifting thresholds, upcoming Roth-only catch-up rules, and more.

Here is a recorded conversation with Jen Tadjedin and Karen Callahan of The Heartwood Collective, based on the webinar that took place on Thursday, November 13, 2025.

Medicare is undergoing some meaningful shifts in 2026, including higher premiums, changes to Medicare Advantage networks, and cost increases for prescription drug plans. 

In this month’s Insights post, we highlight four key updates retirees should be aware of and how they may affect coverage and long-term planning.

A will and estate plan are essential steps in getting your affairs in order — but they don’t capture everything. This month’s article introduces the concept of a “death plan,” a thoughtful way to document your wishes beyond finances.

Don’t let short-term uncertainty push you into long-term mistakes. 

In this month’s letter, Judy Rubino, CFP, explains why it can be very risky to sell because markets feel “too high” or because the political climate is too uncertain. But that’s not the same thing as never selling or doing nothing. Judy explains when it does make sense to make changes, whether for liquidity needs or shifting goals.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has brought sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code—impacting everything from deductions and credits to estate planning and small business incentives. Our 2025 Tax Guide distills the most relevant updates so you can see, at a glance, what might affect your personal or business strategy.

Even financially secure retirees often struggle with spending their money. This article explores why so many are hesitant to enjoy what they've saved—and how planning can help break through the psychological barriers to a more fulfilling retirement.

In a market dominated by a handful of mega-cap tech stocks, it’s easy to forget that leadership rotates. This month’s article highlights how the broadening of market performance in 2025—across sectors, styles, and regions—underscores the enduring value of diversification.

There is not a secret set of tools investors can use to navigate an event-driven, volatile market. Instead, we see it as a critical time to unwaveringly avoid guesswork and to keep focus on broad ownership of assets in a diversified, long-term focused portfolio.

There is heightened uncertainty surrounding U.S. economic policy, foreign policy, and many aspects of the government’s structure and functions. The sheer volume of executive actions and policy changes are difficult to track, and for some readers, the changes may feel overwhelming.

We’re starting the new year with a focus on client service. Specifically, this post will re-introduce all the valued members of the RSMA Wealth Management team, who are here and ready to serve you.

The end of the year is great time for reflection and relaxation, particularly during the holiday season. It’s also a great time to do a little bit of planning. In this piece, we offer four conversation starters for discussing wealth planning concepts with family.

Elections and the policies they produce matter, but they have not been the primary driver of market returns over the long run. Economic fundamentals and earnings matter far more. Many investors understandably have strong feelings about the results, but it’s important not to let those emotions alter or derail your long-term goals--and the plans you’ve put in place for achieving them.

The country’s first state mandated, publicly funded long-term care insurance (LTC) program went into effect last year, in Washington state. Its aim is to address the massive financial burden that long-term care is placing on families, especially those with around-the-clock needs.

The first six months of 2024 featured strong stock market returns with relatively subdued volatility. But then late July and early August happened.

Politics and investment decision-making don’t mix very well. There’s a simple reason why: politics is usually filled with emotionally charged views and stubborn biases, neither of which have been known to serve investors well.

Since most people have just finished filing 2023 taxes, they have a data-rich, comprehensive view of their entire financial picture. That means having information readily available to inform tax mitigation strategies and guide tax-related decisions for the rest of the year.

Learning new technology can be cumbersome and complicated. But at the same time, RSMA Wealth Management is eager to embrace technology that actually improves the overall client experience without making everything harder.

Here are three new tools available to all RSMA clients.