Jeff Brindley, RWS Financial Group

09/04/2026

Nearly 30 percent of ultra-high-net-worth families have experienced a cyberattack.
As your digital footprint grows, your security habits must evolve too. Securing your wealth is about more than just monitoring your portfolio. It is about building a proactive approach that covers your entire digital life.

Small steps like freezing your credit or segmenting your home network can significantly reduce your risk. These high-value habits are easy to implement and provide a stronger layer of defense for your family assets.

It may be time to revisit how your digital security fits into your broader financial strategy.
Reach out to your financial professional today to discuss a comprehensive approach to securing your digital wealth.

Sources:
JPMorgan.com, January 23, 2026
Risk-strategies.com, 2025
Toplinecu.com, March 18, 2026
Fidelity.com, 2026

09/04/2026

For many Gen Xers, retirement is starting to feel less like a distant milestone and more like a looming financial reality.

The oldest members of the generation will turn 62 next year, the earliest age to claim Social Security. At the same time, many are approaching retirement with limited savings and fewer pensions than previous generations had.

The median Gen X retirement savings balance is about $107,000, while members of the generation estimate they’ll need roughly $700,000 for retirement. Social Security may also become an increasingly important source of income, with 41% of workers over 55 saying they expect it to be their primary source in retirement.

That gap is prompting some Gen Xers to rethink when they’ll stop working, how much they may need to save, and what retirement could realistically look like.

If retirement is getting closer, this may be a good time to review your savings, expected Social Security benefits, and other sources of retirement income.


Source:

Millions of Generation X Americans expect to depend on Social Security as their main — or only — source of retirement income.

09/01/2026

Living longer doesn’t automatically mean living better.

Healthy Aging Month is a reminder that how we age is shaped by more than just time. Staying active, mentally sharp, and socially connected all play a role—and so does the ability to support those lifestyles over time.

Small, consistent habits—both physical and financial—can influence what those years look like.



Sources
World Health Organization, Ageing and Health, October 2025
American Medical Association, What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About Healthy Aging, September 2025
Stanford Medicine, Five Healthy Habits for Successfully Aging, January 2026
EBRI/Greenwald, 2025 Retirement Confidence Survey, April 2025

08/28/2026

Trending Higher

08/25/2026

A personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine is showing promise in a late-stage melanoma trial.

Merck and Moderna said the individualized vaccine, paired with the existing immunotherapy Keytruda, significantly reduced the risk of cancer returning or spreading in high-risk melanoma patients whose cancer had been surgically removed.

Earlier Phase 2b data showed a 49% reduction in melanoma recurrence after surgery and a 59% reduction in the cancer spreading to distant organs.

The vaccine is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Regulators still need to review the full data once it has been collected and submitted.

For now, the results mark another step in the study of mRNA technology for cancer treatment.


Source:

Merck and Moderna announced Wednesday that a personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine succeeded in a large, late-stage trial among patients with melanoma.

08/21/2026

Early estimates for the 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment have moved lower as inflation moderates.

New projections suggest the 2027 COLA may fall between 3.4% and 3.6%.

The official adjustment has not been announced yet. The final number will depend on inflation data for July, August, and September.

Social Security COLAs are calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, known as CPI-W.

July data showed CPI-W rose 3.4% over the past 12 months. The broader consumer price index also rose 3.4% year over year.

One estimate from AARP suggests a 3.5% COLA would raise the average retired worker’s benefit by about $73 per month.

For retirees and near-retirees, the COLA is an important reminder that inflation can affect income, purchasing power, household expenses, and long-term financial decisions.


Source:

New estimates show just how much Social Security benefits may increase in 2027, based on new government inflation data.

08/18/2026

Some hospitals and medical providers are asking patients to pay more before receiving non-emergency care.

The trend comes as deductibles, coinsurance, and other out-of-pocket costs continue to rise.

Traditionally, many patients received bills after treatment. Now, some providers are collecting preservice deposits based on their estimate of what a patient may owe.

A KFF Health News report noted that the average deductible for employer-sponsored family coverage is $3,762 per person. The average deductible for Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage rose 37% this year to $3,786.

For patients, upfront payment requests can create confusion, especially when insurance networks, deductibles, and estimated costs are unclear.

Emergency care has different rules. Hospitals that accept Medicare funding cannot demand upfront payment before stabilizing a patient who arrives at an emergency room.

For non-emergency care, it may be worth asking for an itemized estimate, confirming network status, and checking with the insurance company before making a large payment.


Source:

Hospitals and other medical providers are increasingly asking for payment before providing care, collecting more of what patients might owe.

08/15/2026

🌞 Did you know schools in the South tend to start the school year the earliest? 🌞

📚 As the back-to-school season approaches, approximately 54.1 million K-12 students and 5.7 million teachers are gearing up to head back to classrooms this fall. 📚

🍎 Teachers are the largest group among the nearly 10 million individuals employed in the country's elementary and secondary schools, which also include principals, school bus monitors, teaching assistants, and janitors. 🚌👩‍🏫



Information from the U.S. Census Bureau

08/14/2026

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men, and also one of the most treatable when it's caught early.

This September, during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we're encouraging the men in our lives, and ourselves, to make time for the conversations and checkups that matter.

A quick conversation with your doctor could make all the difference. Here's to catching it early.

08/11/2026

A record number of U.S. adults under 35 are living with their parents, according to a recent Realtor.com study.

In 2025, 25.2 million adults under 35 lived at home, a higher share than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many are working, but wages are not always keeping up with the cost of living. Among adults ages 25 to 34 who live at home, roughly 7 in 10 have jobs.

Housing affordability is a major factor. Higher home prices, elevated mortgage rates, rent, student loan payments, car payments, and everyday expenses can make living independently harder to sustain.

For some families, moving back home may be a way to reduce expenses, rebuild savings, or create more breathing room before taking the next step.

The broader takeaway is that financial independence does not always follow a straight timeline. Cost-of-living pressures are reshaping what adulthood, housing, and household decisions look like for many families.


Source:

One woman in her mid-30s said her $60,000 annual income wasn't enough to cover all her bills after a breakup, leading her to move back home.