Premiums and surcharges are rising, some Medicare Advantage and drug plans are shrinking, and out-of-pocket costs are shifting. This month’s newsletter explains what’s changing in Medicare in 2026, and how to evaluate your options.

The IRS finalized 2026 limits for workplace retirement plans. Plan sponsors and human resources teams can read more to see what changed, what it means for participant communications and testing, and access a quick checklist to get your plan ready.

The U.S. economy continues to demonstrate resilience, supported by strong corporate earnings, healthy household balance sheets, and rising productivity. Inflation and employment data remain mixed, but the overall trend points toward stability and growth. In this quarter’s review, Ascension Capital Advisors discusses key market themes, the Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut, and why improving fundamentals continue to support a constructive outlook for investors.

Discover the key 2025 tax changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Ascension Capital’s Tax Guide covers new deductions, credits, retirement, estate, and small business provisions.

Markets climbed despite negative headlines, as economic data beat expectations and policy shifts supported growth.

Recent market swings have served as a powerful reminder: long-term success often comes down to two timeless principles—patience and diversification. In this update, we reflect on how staying disciplined through volatility and maintaining a broad portfolio helped investors weather uncertainty and benefit from shifting market leadership.

It has been a challenging start to 2025. While we believe the policy changes of keeping tax rates low, cutting regulations, and looking for ways to reduce government bloat will all boost economic growth over time, the market is clearly responding negatively to the Trump administration’s major announcement on trade.  

Market volatility is unnerving, but it is important to remember how costly it can be to react to short-term losses by taking unnecessary risks or selling at the wrong time. To navigate the uncertainty, focus on economic fundamentals instead.

The economy enters 2025 on solid footing, but the S&P 500 is also trading at a premium. That opens the door for heightened volatility, but we also think pro-growth policies—deregulation, full extension of tax cuts, etc.—could significantly boost business investment and profitability. This could lead to higher-than-expected economic and earnings growth, and provide more upside in equity markets.

The end of the year is great time for reflection and relaxation, particularly during the holiday season. It’s also a great time to do a little bit of planning. In this article, we offer our ideas for high impact planning you can do in the coming weeks, spanning estate planning, investing, taxes, and more. 

Stocks opened the third quarter on a volatile note but rallied to finish the quarter in positive territory, with gains across the size and style spectrum. The S&P 500 index finished the third quarter with a +5.9% gain and is up over +30% in the past twelve months.

The “mega backdoor” Roth IRA strategy allows some investors to contribute significantly more to a Roth IRA and/or Roth 401(k) than IRS contribution limits currently allow.

U.S. stocks as measured by the S&P 500 posted their fifth best start to a year in a quarter century. The S&P 500 rose +15% and reached 32 new all-time highs, while volatility remained relatively subdued.

As we detail in this quarter’s letter, we believe the U.S. economy has far more fundamental strengths than weaknesses, with U.S. corporations, banks, and consumers in overall strong financial shape.

Over time, the stock market responds more to long-term earnings trends and broad-based economic growth, not to changes in political leadership. Politicians come and go, but the desire to grow, innovate, and pursue profit remains a constant.   

The S&P 500 hit 22 new all-time highs in the first quarter alone, with just a 1.7% maximum drawdown. While mega-cap technology and growth stocks in general continued to outperform, positive returns were experienced more broadly across style, size, and sector.

Tax planning is not everyone’s—or maybe anyone’s—favorite thing to do. But I would argue that when it comes to long-term wealth accumulation, tax planning and tax mitigation strategies are right up there with generating income during working years and earning compounding investment returns over long stretches of time.

The stock market is flirting with all-time highs, and that has some investors worried. But the data tell us that all-time highs in the stock market tend to be followed by more all-time highs – a lot more of them.

At the outset of 2023, nearly every economist believed the U.S. economy was headed for a recession. When interest rates rise as quickly as they did in 2022—and the yield curve remains inverted for such a long stretch of time—a recession is what everyone should expect. For many, the U.S. economy was spiraling towards 1970s-style stagflation.

Equity markets told a different story.

In our view, hotter-than-expected economic growth drove bond yields higher—and stocks lower—for the quarter.

Top Hat plans are designed for highly-compensated executives, giving them the opportunity to accumulate enough savings to replace a significant portion of their pre-retirement income.

Current tax law allows executives to defer up to 100% of their compensation without paying income tax on that money until it is withdrawn, generally in retirement. Much like money in a 401(k) plan, the assets can benefit from tax-free growth