Mission Financial Group

02/14/2026

Last week, Mission Financial Group partnered with First Trust Portfolios to host a client luncheon at the Halekulani Hotel. We were pleased to welcome First Trust’s Chief Economist, Brian Wesbury, for the third year in a row. Brian is widely respected & has received the Wall Street Journal’s annual award for economic forecasting. He shared a practical outlook for 2026 & emphasized an important point: this is not a market where you can simply “set it and forget it.”

After many years of very low interest rates, heavy government spending, & strong market gains, today’s environment looks different. Markets are likely to be more volatile, mistakes may be more costly, & returns may vary widely from one investment to another. In times like these, how a portfolio is built—& how it’s managed—matters more than guessing where the market is headed next.

Below are a few key takeaways we believe are worth reviewing as we head into 2026:

🔹Growth vs. Value Investing:
Investor interest is starting to move away from a small group of large technology & growth companies & toward more reasonably priced companies, dividend-paying stocks, & smaller businesses. This creates new opportunities—but it can also expose risk if a portfolio has become too concentrated without realizing it.

🔹Interest Rates, Inflation, & the Economy:
Brian explained that years of low interest rates & aggressive economic stimulus significantly increased the money supply & pushed asset prices higher. While this helped markets in the short term, it also increases the chances of bigger market swings going forward. That makes regular rebalancing & risk management more important than ever.

🔹AI & Stock Market Valuations:
Artificial intelligence will likely change many industries, but Brian cautioned that excitement around AI may be driving some stock prices too high—similar to what happened during the late 1990s tech boom. His analysis suggests the overall stock market may be priced above long-term fair value, which reinforces the importance of staying disciplined rather than chasing trends.

🔹Crypto, Gold, & Other Alternatives:
Extra liquidity in the financial system has affected alternative investments as well. Brian noted that gold & silver appear expensive compared to other commodities, while crypto prices remain highly volatile due to both speculation & structural changes in the market.

🔹What This Means for You:
Markets like this tend to reward investors who stay intentional & disciplined—those who manage risk, diversify properly, & make decisions with tax efficiency in mind. As we approach 2026, it’s a good time to review portfolios for hidden concentration, unnecessary risk, & opportunities to improve long-term stability.

If you’re open to revisiting your investment & tax strategy, now through the spring is an ideal time to walk through how your portfolio is positioned & look at ways to strengthen it for the year ahead.

12/24/2025

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas🎄

11/14/2025

On July 4th, a sweeping tax and spending package, the One Big Beautiful Bill, was signed into law. Below is a summary of the bill’s key provisions and some early thoughts on how it could impact financial planning, especially for retirees. We’ve included a reference guide to show you the key financial planning numbers before the Act and how they’ve changed under the new law: https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.contentres.com/media/documents/234c7efe-6e62-4dc1-8e99-fc8b0455c289.pdf.

🔹 Opportunities
Extends the current tax brackets, allowing more income to stay in lower rates before moving into higher brackets.
- Retirees: More room in lower brackets may create opportunities to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) or withdrawals with less tax impact.
- Higher-Income Earners: Extended brackets may make Roth conversions more tax-efficient by keeping conversions at a lower rate.
- Investors: Capital gains harvesting could be more favorable, as more gains can fall into lower brackets before triggering higher taxes.
- Families: Extended brackets can increase the value of deductions and credits by preventing phase-outs at lower income levels.

New deductions: tips, overtime, elder care ($6,000), car loan interest (up to $10,000 annually), and increased child tax credit.

🔹 Risks
- CBO estimates $3.3 trillion added to the national debt over the next decade.
- Long-term deficits may create pressure for future cuts to Social Security or Medicare.

Let us know if you have any follow up question you'd like to discuss.

06/25/2025

Earlier this month, Mission Financial Group had the opportunity to spend a weekend together at Turtle Bay for our 2025 annual business off-site retreat. We focused on effective client engagement and reviewed the mission behind why we do what we do as a firm. We're committed to continuously improving our services and to bringing health and purpose to our clients' financial and personal lives. We're so grateful we have such a solid team to serve alongside and for the incredible clients we get to serve🙏!

06/02/2025

We're thrilled to share that Mission Financial Group has been recognized as a Top 10 Financial Retirement Services Provider of 2024 by Financial Services Review! 🏆 Click on the link for the article: https://www.financialservicesreview.com/mission-financial-group

This recognition celebrates the heart of what we do: helping clients work toward retiring with greater financial peace, security, and purpose. Our firm was built on our commitment to a client-first philosophy, combining personalized financial guidance with our holistic, 7-step Retirement Master Plan.

Our 7-Step Retirement Master Plan is at the core of that mission. It is designed to guide our clients through every critical stage of retirement—from getting organized and building an income strategy, to debt management, investing, tax planning, contingencies, and legacy building. We enjoy working side by side with our clients to develop a plan that reflects their unique values, priorities, and goals.

We’re incredibly honored by this recognition and grateful to every client who makes our mission possible. 🌿

*This award is based on peer nominations. The ranking does not reflect the quality of advice or services provided to any individual client and may not be representative of any individual client's experience. No fees were paid in exchange for this recognition. However, the accompanying article and physical copies of the review publication are a paid endorsement from Financial Services Review.

03/11/2025

🔶We want to share some helpful information that the IRS has released significant tax thresholds, limits, and figures for 2025. These numbers can serve as informative reference points as you navigate through your financial planning process in 2025.
🔸To view a downloadable PDF of a supporting document reflecting the 2025 numbers, navigate to the following link and let us know if you have any questions we can help with:https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.contentres.com/media/documents/dae5d511-3640-42e6-a9b3-6219553f2074.pdf

03/04/2025

📈We recently had the privilege of hearing from economist Brian Wesbury from First Trust, who shared his perspective on the economy, market trends, and government policies. His insights were eye-opening, and below are some key takeaways that may impact your financial outlook.

🔷A Tale of Two Fish – The Balance Between Growth and Intervention:

-Wesbury used a simple island economy example to illustrate the tension between innovation and government intervention.

-Imagine a small island where 10 people each need two fish per day to survive. One day, two individuals build a boat and catch 20 fish in a single day—enough to feed everyone. This newfound efficiency allows others to focus on tasks like cooking, shelter-building, and improving the island’s overall quality of life.

-But then, a debate arises. Some argue that the fishermen shouldn’t have all the fish, and the group votes to tax and redistribute the catch. While the intent is fairness, the unintended consequence is that it eliminates the motive for innovation—why build a boat if the reward is taken away?

-Wesbury draws a parallel to government policies: well-meaning intervention can dampen the incentives that drive economic progress.

🔷The Economy’s “Withdrawal” Phase:

-During the COVID crisis, government stimulus acted like morphine, keeping the economy afloat despite shutdowns. Now, as those stimulus measures fade, the economy is feeling the effects—like a patient going through withdrawal. This adjustment period may bring short-term discomfort, but Wesbury believes it’s a necessary step toward long-term stability and growth.

🔷Is the Stock Market Overvalued?:

-Wesbury’s analysis suggests that the stock market may be priced too high. Using the Capitalized Profits Model—a valuation approach also favored by Warren Buffett and Alan Greenspan—he noted that for current stock prices to be justified, either corporate profits must rise significantly, or interest rates must drop. Without these factors shifting, we could see a market correction or even a recession on the horizon.

🔷Bonds Are Back in the Picture:

-For years, Wesbury believed bonds weren’t offering enough return to justify investment. But with today’s higher interest rates, he now sees bonds as a more attractive option than in the past decade.

🔷What This Means for You:

-Economic uncertainty and market fluctuations can be unsettling, but history shows that staying disciplined is key to long-term success. Our financial planning service is designed with these cycles in mind, and we remain committed to helping to navigate the road ahead with confidence.

12/24/2024

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Mission Financial Group!

03/08/2024

Social Security has been a fact of retirement since1️⃣9️⃣3️⃣5️⃣.
How much do you really know about it❓
Click on the image below to watch a short video highlighting five facts about Social Security that might surprise you📽️.
For a further look into the importance of Social Security, included is a helpful article (Read Time: 8 MIN) that goes over some key information we recommend you be aware of📖:
https://www.library-messages.com/11980daa-6349-4ef6-a543-d068b4f2d522/resource-center/retirement/social-security-5-facts-you-need-to-know
If you have any follow up questions we can assist with, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Here are five facts about Social Security that might surprise you.

02/26/2024

We had the pleasure of hosting some guests to hear a distinguished keynote speaker, Brian Wesburry, share his views and expertise on our economy. Brian is one of the leading economists in the country, and we've been learning from him for many years because of his remarkable ability to understand and explain market trends.

Here are 3 key points from his presentation:

◼️Money supply benefits are waning: To cope with the economic impact of COVID, the government issued $6T of new money. This was like a temporary morphine for a severely injured patient. The patient might feel better, but his condition has not improved. Likewise, the US economy still faces many challenges and the painkiller effect is fading away.

◼️Inflation will continue to rise: Most of the new money created during COVID has not yet entered the economy but remains in banks. This means that inflation could rise even more as the money starts to circulate.

◼️Stock market overpriced and might reverse downward: Brian’s team has a model that predicts the general direction of the stock market. The model has been accurate in forecasting a strong and rising market for the last 15 years. However, the model now indicates that the market is due for a reversal and a downward trend.

Brian's main message was that there are economic storm clouds on the horizon. However, with an understanding of the challenges ahead and careful planning, our goal is to guide our clients through this next cycle successfully.

For a video recap of our main takeaways, click on the following link (run time: 8min 23sec): https://youtu.be/gY4CJWnrt9M

Brian Wesburry, Mission Financial, and IFG are unaffilaited. The market indexes discussed are unmanaged and generally considered representative of their respective markets. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss.

01/29/2024

For those of you who were able to attend, thank you for joining us for the blessing of Mission Financial Group's Ward Village office at the iconic IBM Building! We had a great turn out and it was a fantastic opportunity to connect with the new community.

We also want to extend our sincerest gratitude to Pastor Billy Lile for the very personal and thoughtful blessing and prayer to firmly establish our new office as a place of service. We are excited for the opportunities and growth that this workspace will bring and are dedicated to providing the best service possible to our clients and community.

12/28/2023

With the New Year fast approaching, we'd like to share some helpful information. The IRS has recently released significant tax thresholds, limits, and figures for 2024. Included below is a link to a downloadable PDF that reflects the 2024 numbers. Should you have any questions, please let us know and we'll be happy to assist.

Click the link to view "2024 Important Numbers":https://a525a6fc-7791-4963-bca6-5d588e008e75.usrfiles.com/ugd/a525a6_0cdb97741b6d4c3ba375f89346feff7c.pdf

Independent Financial Group (IFG) does not give tax advice. IFG Registered Representatives (RR) do not give tax advice while acting as an RR. These matters should be discussed with your tax professional.