Sam Graff - Financial Advisor

01/27/2026

✈️ Against All Odds, Southwest Takes the Crown 👑

2025 was no smooth ride for airlines — from controller shortages to tech meltdowns. But Southwest Airlines soared above the turbulence, landing the top spot in WSJ’s Airline Scorecard, ending Delta’s 4-year streak.

For an anxious flyer like me, I take these reviews to heart.

Fewest complaints ✅
Lowest tarmac delays ✅
Cancellations under 1% ✅

While others scrambled, Southwest streamlined, invested, and executed.

📉 Meanwhile, American & Frontier? Tied for last.

In aviation, resilience is everything.

The winner has spent billions improving its operations—while navigating a corporate shake-up and revising its strategy. And the best airline is…

01/24/2026

Inflation was roughly twice as steep for billionaires than regular folks in 2025, according to Forbes. Since 1982, it has tracked the ultra-luxurious goods and high-end services frequented by the richest of the rich, ranging from Gucci loafers to sailing yachts. Here's how much the prices went up fo...

01/12/2026

🚘 Innovation doesn’t always come from the top. Sometimes, it comes from getting rained on.

In 1986, a Ford engineer named Jim Moylan got soaked at a gas station—and had a simple idea that would go on to impact billions: a tiny arrow on the fuel gauge to show which side the tank is on.

No patent. No credit. Just a memo, a smart solution, and a legacy that lives in nearly every car today.

Moylan passed away at 80, but his quiet brilliance is still pointing people in the right direction.

You probably don’t know the name Jim Moylan. But you might well know the idea that made this unknown engineer who recently died into one of America’s greatest inventors.

01/09/2026

Tax changes are coming in 2026, and they might actually help your paycheck.

The IRS is bumping tax brackets up by 2.3%, and the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act is expanding credits + deductions. Translation: lower taxes for many, and potentially more take-home pay if you tweak your withholding.

Bonus: Low-tax years are a prime opportunity for tax-advantaged planning like Roth conversions or strategic investing. Future you will thank you.

The 2026 tax brackets increased by about 2.3% compared with the year prior, so if your wages don't increase by more than that percentage next year, you should be taxed at the same rate.

01/09/2026

👵🏽👴🏾 America is aging — fast. By 2034, older adults will outnumber kids for the first time in history. That shift is already reshaping everything from retirement savings to health care, housing, and long-term care.

The good news? Retirement account balances are rising. The bad? Not everyone’s keeping up — and poverty rates among older adults are climbing.

This is a wake-up call: Smart planning now matters more than ever. Especially while tax rules still work in your favor.

As the new year begins, savings have hit unprecedented levels, but rising health care costs and growing poverty make retirement unaffordable for many. Here are seven stats that provide insights into some of the key trends shaping retirement in 2026.

01/06/2026

Carbon taxes, climate risk and new ways to account for emissions are set to occupy the minds of sustainability chiefs in the months ahead.

12/15/2025

V***e Clicquot may not have won the taste test—but it owns the branding game. 🟡🍾

I love their bold yellow label, their consistency, and how they’ve turned a bottle into a status symbol.

Even when better-tasting options exist, people choose the brand they trust. That’s the power of emotional branding.

It's not always about what’s in the glass—it’s about what the glass represents.

And isn't taste subjective anyway?

***eClicquot

It’s the Champagne everyone knows, a ‘safe’ gift for the host of a holiday party. But are you paying for the marketing or the quality of the wine itself? Wall Street Journal wine columnist Lettie Teague offers a few outstanding-value alternatives.

12/04/2025

Three years ago, OpenAI released ChatGPT, setting off a mania on Wall Street for all things artificial intelligence. And the stock market hasn’t been the same since.

12/03/2025

Feel confident and happy with a solid financial plan for your retirement years.