Keen Wealth’s Q2 Market Update: Who’s Driving Market Moves and How Should Investors React?
Release Date: 05/07/2025
Keen on Retirement
"This sounds too good to be true, but you’ve got to believe in those that are looking at it for you and trusting in the people with Pacific Life email addresses that are sending you the documents." So many stories of financial fraud and mismanagement boil down to statements just like this one. All too often, the folks who are losing large sums of money are hardworking folks working 9-to-5s who don't have a team of professionals looking out for them, and whose finances may never recover. But, in this case, the quote above is from racecar driver Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup...
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"Risk" and "uncertainty" are similar concepts. But your financial plan has to be prepared to cope with both. I think that mix is what’s making some folks a little uneasy right now. In addition to the typical risks that all investors accept, we're also dealing with uncertainty around the government shutdown and what the effects on the economy will be until our leaders get back to the negotiating table. And, despite strong market returns this year, some observers are uncertain about the outsized impact that big tech companies might be having on portfolios. On today's show, we try to clear away...
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Change is in the air every fall – not just in the leaves and weather, but in your financial planning. At this time of year, the federal government announces some important rate adjustments that affect tax planning and retirement benefits for the year ahead. And complicating matters this fall is a government shutdown that has many seniors worried about the benefits and services that they’ve earned, and that they rely on. On today’s show, we answer questions from some very astute listeners in the Keen on Retirement audience who are already looking ahead and wondering what...
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In 1988, William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery. A year later, he was $1 million in debt. First, he splurged: houses, cars, a plane. Then a former girlfriend sued him for a third of his winnings. His brother was arrested and convicted for hiring a hitman to kill Post and his then-wife in hopes that he'd inherit a share. And after sinking money into a failing family business, Post spent time in jail for firing a gun over the head of a bill collector. In the end, Post said he was happier living quietly on $450 a month and food stamps than he was when he was...
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Charitable giving is a cornerstone of many comprehensive retirement plans. It's also a cornerstone of our mission at Keen Wealth Advisors. Our whole team takes great pride in serving as active members of our community, whether we're making monetary grants or lending a hand to projects around the greater Kansas City area. And through the efforts of the Keen Wealth Foundation, we're able to identify causes where we can have a high impact and share what we've learned about effective giving with friends and clients of the firm. On today's show, I'm honored to welcome the director of...
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Married couple "Mark" (62) and "Lisa" (60) want to retire together in the next year. They shared their financial plan and their goals with two financial advisors. One advisor said they could retire. The other said that they should keep working. So ... Who's right? On today's show, we try to split the tie and help Mark and Lisa set the best course for a successful retirement.
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If you're only judging based on what's happening in the world and the financial markets, there's never a "perfect" time to retire. But 2025 is throwing a bunch of extra variables at seniors that are adding more complexity to an already complicated decision. Businesses are changing. The rules around investing are changing. And, most importantly, your life is changing. Your financial plan has to be flexible enough to keep pace while also maintaining focus on the best path towards your personal long-term retirement goals. On today's show, we discuss two listener questions that touch on...
info_outlineKeen on Retirement
Last week, I discussed how Keen Wealth's comprehensive planning process might assess a multi-million-dollar nest egg. I think these hypotheticals, including some back-of-the-napkin math, are useful in illustrating how retirement planning can work, and also the limits of focusing exclusively on your numbers. However, in the Keen Wealth offices, we don't work with hypotheticals. We work with real people, their real savings, their hopes, dreams, worries, and goals for the future. Every day, we help hardworking folks navigate complex financial issues that touch every part of their lives....
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According to a report from the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023. That's why episodes like this one are among my least favorite to record and also among the most important. We’ve all heard about so many folks losing large sums of money because they answered the wrong phone call or clicked on the wrong email link. The greed, cruelty, and, yes, ingenuity of today's fraudsters is only growing along with the technology available to them. Keeping our audience updated on the latest scams is an important part of Keen...
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Well ... we were wrong. During our previous discussion about The One Big Beautiful Bill, we predicted that the final law would probably pass with a different name. But, instead of the acronyms we're used to seeing lately, like the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement), President Trump and Congress stuck with the original title. For the most part, the final bill also maintains the big picture tax policy objectives that President Trump has been discussing since the start of his second term. On today's show, we focus on the portions of the One Big...
info_outlineMatt Wilson, Chief Investment Officer and President of Keen Wealth, sure had a lot to work with when he put together his 2025 Q2 Market Update Webinar! It's been an eventful few months for the economy, and Matt delivered a clear analysis of everything from growth trends and interest rate expectations to the potential impacts of tariffs.
On today's show, we complete our Q2 outlook by discussing some of Matt's broader points and answering follow-up questions from webinar attendees.