3 things I'm thinking about this week...

 
1 - Data Makes the World Go Round. Earlier this month, President Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) head. Not a huge deal since their work is done more at the staff level. But market participants of all political stripes should care about what this move (and others like it) might signal to global markets. Markets run on data that is never perfect but can be trusted…as do a lot of other inflation-driven things laid out in this WSJ article.

2 - Smart Ways to Give Back. Retirement can be a time to give back as much as it is to step back from work. Something we hear from clients is that they want to know that the causes they support will be effective stewards of their contributions. This article points out one way to do this due diligence is to spend time personally volunteering for an organization you are considering donating to. And if and when you do decide to give financially…after age 70.5… consider the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Up to $108,000 can be contributed directly from your IRA in 2025 without raising your adjusted gross income. Many aren’t aware of QCDs, but they can be a smart move – always consult your tax and financial advisers. Remember, tax planning isn’t something to wait until 2026 to do….think about it all year long. 

3 - Blue Health. Sounds a bit like a health insurer, doesn’t it? And reminiscent of Blue Zones – areas of the world where people have been shown to live longer, healthier lives. Blue health is a way of describing something we all intuitively know…water’s power to restore and calm us. Being by the water encourages us to move, reduces stress and our ability to feel pain. One reason why: what this article calls “effortless attention” – interesting enough to keep our focus while mellow enough to let us daydream a bit. Helping cut off “mental chatter.”

Photo by Megan Swanson on Unsplash

...and one more thing

Our family is dropping our youngest son off at college in North Carolina. We’ve become fluent in Cook Out, Biscuitville and other “fine dining” establishments. Green grass and new possibilities await.