Year: 2026

By the time you’re reading this on Wednesday, you’ve probably had a couple days to process the weekend headlines. Maybe you glanced at them once and moved on. Maybe you read every update.
Either way, when geopolitical tension ramps up quickly, it creates that familiar feeling in your stomach. Not fear perhaps, but certainly tension.
So let me start with the part that matters most. We’re not scrambling. And more importantly, we don’t need to.

Tax season has a way of sneaking up on people. One minute it’s January and everyone is easing into the year, and the next minute your inbox is full of tax forms, “important documents,” and well-meaning reminders to file early. Every year, I see smart people feel rushed, confused, or worried they’re missing something.

If you’ve spent any time around retirement conversations, caregiving discussions, or estate planning chatter, you’ve almost certainly heard some version of this sentence: “We’ll just put everything in a trust so Medicaid pays for the nursing home.” It sounds clean. It sounds decisive. And unfortunately, it’s usually missing about half the story.

New calendar. Same nerves. After a year that started with tariff drama and ended with fresh market highs, investors are stepping into January 2026 asking the only question that really matters: now what?