Some of the impact of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act will be felt later than January 1.
After nearly a year of trade policy uncertainty, the Supreme Court's ruling that recent tariffs are unconstitutional has reset the policy landscape. Yet, as is often the case in Washington, when one chapter closes, another opens. President Trump has already signaled a switch to an alternative legal framework for tariffs, and markets are still digesting what this means for trade policy, corporate earnings, consumer spending, and investment portfolios.
The health of the economy is important to long-term investors because it drives their portfolios and their financial plans. Recent economic data points have sent mixed signals, leaving some investors unsure of what to make of the current environment.
For many professionals today, equity compensation is not just a nice perk, but a significant source of wealth accumulation over their careers. Whether through restricted stock units (RSUs), stock options, or other forms of company equity, these awards have become increasingly common across industries and job levels.
Fifteen years ago, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously wrote that "software is eating the world." What he meant was that any service that could be written and automated as software, would be. This has proved accurate as cloud computing, software-as-a-service, and digital platforms have reshaped both entire industries and how consumers buy goods and services. As investors, this has important implications and is a major source of recent market volatility.
As the corporate earnings season ramps up, markets are shifting their focus from geopolitical concerns to tangible evidence of how businesses are performing. With the stock market hovering near all-time highs, questions around valuations and the sustainability of recent profitability trends have become increasingly important.
