Andrew Feldman Associates, Inc.

09/02/2026

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.

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

09/02/2026

👉 Roughly 56 percent of IPOs bought at the offer price lost money after 3 years.

That's not the headline you see on day one.

You see the first-day pop. The company goes public, and its stock has averaged a 19 percent gain since 1980. Feels like a moment you should catch.

Here's what actually happens:

1️⃣ Institutional investors get the offering price before trading opens.

2️⃣ You buy at market open, after the move.

Then the real story starts.

🔎 This gap is based on research led by Professor Jay R. Ritter, who authored a 2026 report on IPO performance for the University of Florida. His analysis of 9,300 U.S. IPOs is one of the most comprehensive databases available.

Chasing IPOs can provide a thrill, but there are pros and cons.

A sound portfolio should reflect an investor's goals, risk, and time horizon. The risks of an IPO are not for everyone. 🎯

📋 Past performance does not guarantee future results. The return and principal value of IPOs and other stocks will fluctuate as market conditions change. And shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

08/31/2026

Dolly Parton’s legacy reaches far beyond music.

Over the years, she gave millions to causes ranging from disaster relief and medical research to education and children’s literacy. Her Imagination Library alone has distributed more than 330 million books to children across five countries.

After devastating Tennessee wildfires in 2016, her My People Fund provided displaced families with $1,000 a month for six months, no strings attached. She also donated $1 million toward COVID-19 vaccine research and supported schools, scholarships, pediatric care, and communities close to home.

What tied so much of that work together was remarkably simple: trust people, see a need, and respond.

Her example is a meaningful reminder that generosity doesn’t have to follow one formula. It starts with deciding what matters to you and finding a way to make an impact.

Dolly Parton's death is shining a new light on the country music icon's philanthropy. The Library of Congress has called Parton a “titan of children’s literacy” for the millions of free books provided monthly through her Imagination Library.

08/27/2026

Two retirees can earn the same average return and have very different outcomes.

Why?

Because in retirement, timing matters.

An early market downturn in retirement can be more damaging than the same downturn later.

That is the sequence-of-returns risk.

The risk is not simply “the market went down.” It’s “the market went down while income still had to come out.”

A strong retirement strategy should look beyond average returns and address:

🔹 Where income will come from
🔹 How much cash or short-term reserves make sense
🔹 Which accounts to draw from first
🔹 When to rebalance
🔹 How RMDs and Social Security fit into the withdrawal strategy

Sequence-of-returns risk does not make many headlines.

But for anyone entering retirement, it can be one of the most important ideas to understand.

The goal is not to predict the next downturn. It’s about being prepared.

08/26/2026

A pay raise does not always mean a paycheck goes further.

New research found that from February 2021 to June 2022, real wages fell by more than 4% as inflation outpaced many workers’ pay increases. The impact lasted for many households, with 37% of workers in the study earning less in inflation-adjusted terms in December 2024 than they had four years earlier.

Now, a similar squeeze is happening again. In July, the Consumer Price Index rose at a 3.4% annual pace, while hourly wages rose 3.2% over the same period.

When prices rise faster than pay, purchasing power declines. That can make everyday expenses feel heavier, even when income is technically increasing.

When inflation rises faster than workers' wages, it feels like they're getting a pay cut. Companies, meanwhile, benefit.

08/25/2026

There is usually no single moment when the roles begin to shift with aging parents.

A confusing medical bill.
A missed payment.
A scam text that almost got clicked.

When and how do you step in without taking over?

The goal is not to take control.

The goal is to make sure helpful people, information, and safeguards are in place before decisions have to be made under pressure.

One potential conversation starter you could try…

“We are reviewing our own estate documents and realize we should understand where everything is.”

Sometimes, that is enough to open the door.

The families who tend to feel best about how this chapter goes are the ones who approached it as a proactive exercise rather than a response to a problem.

We are glad to be part of that process at whatever stage a family is ready to begin.

08/24/2026

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.

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

As today is National Senior Citizens Day, we wanted to draw attention to something that can sometimes fall through the cracks: the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty.

Most don’t know that if you miss your Initial Enrollment Period (the 7-month window around your 65th birthday), Medicare tacks on a 10 percent surcharge to your monthly premium for every 12 months you delay enrollment.

No cap. No expiration date.

Delay two years, pay 20 percent more. Delay by five years, you pay 50 percent. Every month. For life.

How to manage it?

You are only exempt from this penalty if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

This usually means you delayed signing up because you (or your spouse) were still actively working and had "creditable" health insurance through that active employer.

If you’re concerned, ask your financial professional where to find the most up-to-date Medicare information.

08/19/2026

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.

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