Equanimity Wealth Management

10/16/2026

Fidelity's 2025 wealth transfer study found that roughly 67 percent of parents age 55 and older have never told their adult children what they will inherit, or whether they will inherit anything at all.

About 33 percent would prefer the kids are kept in the dark about the amount.

Their reasons should feel familiar:
✔️ Worry that a specific number will dampen a child's drive
✔️ Discomfort talking about money at all

The same study found:

Most adult children say they are ready to handle whatever they inherit and would rather shape things while their parents are still around to explain the "why" behind decisions.

Families who have inheritance strategies share some similar habits:

💬 Kids know who the financial professionals are and how to reach them
💬 Everyone knows where the estate documents are
💬 They try to manage any surprises well ahead of time

So, do you tell your children or not?

There's no single right answer here.

Sharing exact numbers isn't necessary, but most families find that a broad discussion can help with priorities and expectations.

10/14/2026

Your child may already have a Trump Account. That doesn’t mean it’s set up.

The Treasury Department says automatic enrollment now covers every eligible child with a valid Social Security number. But a parent or legal guardian still has to formally activate the account, either at trumpaccounts.gov or through the program’s app.

📌 Babies who are U.S. citizens with a Social Security number and were born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, may qualify for a one-time $1,000 government contribution once the account is claimed.

A few details families are weighing: Yearly contributions are capped at $5,000, though government and charitable contributions don’t count toward that limit. The money generally can’t be touched until a child turns 18, and earnings are taxed when withdrawn. That’s a key difference from 529 accounts, which grow tax-free but are limited to education costs.

Which account fits best depends on what a family is saving for, and that’s a conversation worth having with a financial professional.

Your child may be enrolled in a “Trump Account” whether you realize it or not. Rolled out earlier this year, the Trump Accounts program allows parents to claim special investment accounts for children who are 18 years old or younger.

10/14/2026

A mother in California picked up the phone and heard her daughter's voice, panicked, saying she'd been kidnapped and needed money immediately.

What she'd heard wasn't her daughter. It was an AI-generated clone of her voice.

In a 2025 study, scientists found that when people heard a cloned voice, they correctly identified the voice as AI-generated only about 60 percent of the time.

The FBI attributed more than $890 million in 2025 losses to AI-enabled fraud, and voice cloning is one of the main drivers behind that number.

It is not only older adults being targeted. Younger family members get these calls too, often framed as a sibling or friend in trouble. Older adults just tend to lose the most per incident.

Two ways to protect your family.

🔐 Agree on a private code word or question with the people a scammer is most likely to impersonate (kids, parents, spouse)

📞 If a call like this comes in and you have not set up a code word yet, hang up, then call the real person back

When in doubt, slow down and verify.

10/13/2026

Small businesses are like a good garden—steady care adds up over time. 🌱

Today’s shoutout: Endeavor Retirement (women-owned), led by Bonnie Treichel.

Endeavor Retirement is a consultancy that equips retirement plan advisors with practical training and tools to help support clients and simplify plan complexities. Their governance framework is designed to help advisors save time, manage risk, and build stronger processes—plus create clear documentation that can help plan sponsors prepare for IRS and DOL audits.

What do you love most about Endeavor Retirement (or another women-owned business you recommend)? Drop it below. 💬

10/12/2026

🌌 Astronomers just detected the most distant blazar ever observed, and its light has been traveling toward us for 8 billion years.

Known as Blazar OP 313, it’s powered by a supermassive black hole feeding on surrounding material and launching jets of plasma at nearly the speed of light. Because one of those jets points almost directly toward Earth, we see an especially intense burst of energy.

The light reaching us today shows the blazar as it existed about 5 billion years after the Big Bang, when stars and galaxies were forming at an extraordinary pace.

🔭 By studying its high-energy gamma rays, researchers can learn more about how supermassive black holes accelerated particles and shaped their surroundings during an earlier chapter of cosmic history.

Eight billion years later, that ancient signal is still teaching us something new about the universe. ✨

"Around 11 billion years ago, the universe experienced a period of peak activity known as the 'Cosmic noon,' characterized by an intense rate of star and galaxy formation."

10/12/2026

For some, the second Monday in October marks Columbus Day, a commemoration of exploration and its role in shaping American history.

For others, it's Indigenous Peoples' Day, a time to honor the cultures, histories, and contributions of Native communities.

Both observances point to something worth sitting with: how differently history can be remembered and how many perspectives make up a single story.

10/10/2026

⚠️ Money is one of the most consistently cited sources of stress in America.

For caregivers, that weight often increases! 😮

Having a clearer picture of where things stand can help ease some of the uncertainty that makes financial stress feel heaviest in the first place.

There's no clean solution to money stress.

Most of it is caused by the unknown. The uncertainty.

World Mental Health Day recognizes just how deeply finances can impact our well-being (and vice versa).

If financial stress has been sitting in the background of your life this year, a conversation with a professional can go a long way, be it a mental health professional or a financial professional. Pursuing comfort, understanding, and compassion is a team sport.

10/09/2026

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to prioritize health.

Early detection through regular screenings is one of the most effective tools we have in the fight against breast cancer.

Here are a few small things we can do this October:

✅ Schedule your annual screening if you haven't yet

✅ Educate yourself and others on risk factors and preventative lifestyle habits

✅ Support research and organizations dedicated to advancing breast cancer prevention and care

Taking charge of your health today makes all the difference for tomorrow. 🎗️

10/08/2026

🎨 Some of the art world's most extraordinary paintings are about to return to the public eye after nearly half a century.

On November 18, Sotheby's will auction 12 Impressionist and post-Impressionist artworks in New York. The collection, assembled by Argentine collectors Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and Carlos Pedro Blaquier, is valued at approximately $450 million.
Among the highlights:

🌳 Vincent van Gogh's Chestnut Trees in Flower: Estimated at $180 million, the landscape was painted in 1890, shortly after the artist left a psychiatric asylum.

🖼️ Paul Cézanne's Arlequin: Estimated at $120 million, the portrait depicts the artist's son dressed as a harlequin.

🖌️ Works by Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Pissarro: The collection also includes Parisian cityscapes, a horse-racing scene, and a boating scene.
The collection has been largely unseen for about half a century, making this a rare look at works that have spent decades in private hands.
With Sotheby's anticipating international interest, the November auction could also set new records for the artists.
Which of these masterpieces catches your eye? ✨

A dozen Impressionist and post-Impressionist artworks valued at almost half a billion dollars are going up for auction.

10/06/2026

It’s Women-Owned Small Business Month. 🌟

This week, we are spotlighting local, women-owned businesses that keep our community strong.

Today’s feature: Capitol Macintosh (owned by Amara Clevenger), a locally owned & operated Apple-authorized service provider & reseller in Eastside Lansing (between MSU and downtown). They’re Lansing’s only woman-owned computer store—offering help with Macs, PCs, game consoles, networking, education, consultations, and on-site support for homes and businesses. 💻

Bonus: stop in to say hi to Moxie, the shop dog and fan favorite. 🐾

Drop a favorite women-owned business below so I can add it to the list.