Leah Woodford 00:00 Hi, and welcome to Retire Smart Austin. I’m Leah Woodford, and with me today is Phil Capriotti Sr and John Solyman CRPC of Empower Wealth & Tax. Welcome back
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Retirement planning changes once the paychecks stop. In your working years, the goal is usually growth. In retirement, the goal becomes reliable income, tax efficiency, and protecting your lifestyle—all while navigating market
When people think about “financial planning,” they often picture investing—choosing funds, watching the market, or trying to pick the right time to buy. But a truly well-rounded financial plan is bigger than
Retirement planning in 2026 isn’t just about “saving more.” It’s about building a reliable income plan, keeping taxes predictable, and making sure your money is positioned to handle inflation, market swings, and
Investors endured a volatile week on Wall Street as 4th quarter earnings continued to roll in. Concerns about massive capital expenditures resurfaced after Amazon and Google announced $200 billion and $185 billion
Markets ended the week mixed. With just over a third of the S&P 500 having reported fourth-quarter earnings, this earnings season appears much better than anticipated. That said, despite better-than-expected results, many
Global equity markets finished the week mixed, with US markets posting their second straight week of losses. Geopolitical concerns and trade tensions were top of mind for investors as global leaders met
US financial markets ended the week with mixed results as investors assessed the first week of fourth-quarter earnings. Earnings results from the banks initially prompted selling, but this may have been due
US equity markets notched new highs in the second week of the new year, even as geopolitical tensions increased in several regions. The new highs came on a broadening out of the
US markets ended the New Year holiday-shortened week with losses. Mega-cap Technology issues sold off on low volume, as did Financial and Consumer Discretionary sectors. That said, the S&P 500 posted its
The Christmas-shortened week produced gains across all major US indices, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones hitting record highs. Mega-cap Tech assumed its leadership role with the semiconductor sector having relative
US markets finished the week mixed, with a late-week rally in technology mitigating early-week losses. Micron Technology’s third-quarter results were excellent and helped propel technology stocks after the announcement. Western Digital, Seagate,
The Federal Reserve, as expected, cut its monetary policy rate by twenty-five basis points to 3.50%-3.75% and tempered expectations for further cuts in 2026. The decision was not unanimous, as a divided
Apprehensive investors pushed markets higher this week, with the small-cap Russell 2000 hitting a new all-time high, while the S&P 500 closed just 50 points below its October all-time high. Economic data,
The holiday-shortened week saw global financial markets trade higher. Increased optimism for a December rate cut, along with some constructive news on the AI front, catalyzed buying across risk assets. Several Fed
