Market Note: Welcome to Fall, where the Economic Chill Always Arrives Early
September is a bad month for stocks. In fact, it’s the worst month, on average, for every U.S. stock index. Going back to 1928, the S&P has lost an average of 1.1% in September, and it ended the month in negative territory more than half the time.[1] This is not to suggest any market timing […]
Private placement life insurance draws ultra-wealthy interest
Mallon FitzPatrick, Head of Wealth Planning at Robertson Stephens Wealth Management, LLC, was featured in InvestmentNews, where he shares his perspective on growing interest in Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) and how ultra-high-net-worth families use the strategy for tax-efficient investing and long-term estate planning. Click here to read more.
Robertson Stephens Wealth Management, LLC Named In Barron’s Top RIAs 2026
Proud to share that Robertson Stephens Wealth Management, LLC has been named to Barron’s Top RIAs 2026 — our third consecutive year on the list (2024, 2025, 2026). This recognition reflects the trust our clients place in us and the dedication of all of our employees every day. Thank you to Barron’s, our clients, and […]
The Trouble With an All-Pre-Tax Retirement
For years, the standard retirement advice was simple: max out your traditional 401(k), take the upfront deduction, and let Uncle Sam wait to tax your Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) in retirement. Watching your taxable income shrink on your W-2 can feel like an immediate win. But if you follow this path for decades, you may arrive at retirement with a less welcome discovery: a portfolio that is almost entirely pre-tax is not a nest egg so much as an income tax bill in waiting. On top of that, if your heirs are non-spouses, they’ll likely face the 10-year distribution rule on any pre-tax IRA they inherit, often during their own high-earning years.
Rising Rates, Resilient AI: Markets Face a Pivotal Fed Moment
The S&P 500 returned -0.8% as a jump in oil prices and two hot inflation gauges drove bond yields higher. Mid-cap stocks (-1.7%) and small-cap stocks (-2.4%) both fared worse than large caps. Within the S&P 500, energy (+2.1%) and communication services (+1.1%) were the only sectors with gains; healthcare (-3.5%) and materials (-2.7%) were the worst performing. EAFE markets returned -1.4% with losses in Europe (-1.7%) and the U.K. (-1.6%), while EM markets returned -0.2% with gains in Korea (+4.1%) offset by losses in China (-2.8%) and India (-2.8%).