Choice Wealth Advisors

10/13/2026

🛠️ The richest person in your town probably isn't a tech founder or someone in finance. It's more likely the dentist running four offices, or the owner of the HVAC company whose trucks are everywhere.

New research from economists Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick, based on IRS and Treasury data, found nearly 5 million U.S. households worth at least $5 million, holding combined wealth more than 13 times that of the Forbes 400.

A few patterns stood out:
➡️Most started their business themselves rather than inheriting it
➡️Most run ordinary, brick-and-mortar businesses rather than tech or finance
➡️Independence mattered more to them early on than getting rich ever did

🌭 Case in point: Dick Portillo started a hot dog stand in 1963 with just $1,100. Decades later, he sold the business he'd built for $1 billion.

Building wealth often looks much more ordinary and attainable than the headlines suggest. If growing or eventually stepping back from a business is part of your picture, that's worth talking through together.


Source:

Getting rich in the U.S. is still possible, but the most common path to wealth doesn't involve working for other people, according to a new book.

10/09/2026

Stocks finished the third quarter mixed. The S&P 500 gained 2.03%, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.47%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 2.70%. Halloween is next on the calendar, with U.S. consumers expected to spend \$13.5 billion USD this year and 6.26 million Canadian children in their trick-or-treating years.

Quarterly Market Insights | October 2026 U.S. and Canadian Markets Stocks were mixed in the third quarter as economic, geopolitical, and corporate earnings news pushed the broad market higher while weighing on the Dow Industrials. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 2.03 percent, while the Nasd...

10/09/2026

Stocks finished the third quarter mixed. The S&P 500 gained 2.03%, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.47%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 2.70%. Halloween is next on the calendar, with U.S. consumers expected to spend \$13.5 billion USD this year and 6.26 million Canadian children in their trick-or-treating years.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index advanced 2.62 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 3.93 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, adding 1.34 percent. The S&P/TSX rose 2.96 percent.1,2

10/06/2026

🌴 More Americans are deciding that enjoying life now matters just as much as making financial progress for later.

A recent SoFi survey found that 72% of Americans would be willing to make slower progress toward their financial goals so they can spend more time with family, travel more, and prioritize meaningful experiences.

That doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning long-term goals. In fact, 59% of respondents said enjoying life is how they define financial progress, compared with 27% who pointed to owning a home.

The challenge is finding a balance between what matters now and what matters later. ✈️ That can mean making room for a vacation, concert, or family event while still keeping an eye on retirement savings and debt.

But charge that trip to a credit card and carry a balance, and interest can turn a two-week memory into a much longer bill.

What does financial progress look like to you: reaching the next milestone, enjoying more of life now, or some mix of both?


Source:

SoFi found 72% of Americans are willing to make slower progress on financial goals to prioritize family, travel and meaningful experiences.

10/02/2026

Credit cards get a lot of attention in conversations about identity theft.

They’re not the whole story.

Someone could use stolen personal information to file a tax return, claim a refund, get employment, use health insurance, receive medical care, or fill prescriptions.

That’s why tax records, medical documents, insurance cards, Medicare information, and Social Security numbers deserve the same care as bank and credit card details.

A few everyday moves can help lower risk:
Keep sensitive documents in a safe place.
Shred paperwork you no longer need.
Be careful with unexpected calls, emails, or texts asking for personal information.
Review medical bills and Explanation of Benefits statements for care you didn’t receive.

Identity theft can show up in more than one part of life. Knowing that makes it easier to watch the right places.



Sources
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026

10/01/2026

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We take this time to honor the strength of those who have faced a diagnosis, support those currently going through it, and recognize the families and communities who stand beside them.

Awareness matters. Support matters. Presence matters.

We stand with you.

10/01/2026

Credit freezes and fraud alerts can both make it harder for someone to open new credit accounts in your name.

But they don’t work the same way.

A credit freeze limits access to your credit report. While it’s in place, no one can open a new credit account in your name, including you, unless you lift the freeze.

A fraud alert tells businesses to check with you before opening a new credit account in your name. There are different types, including initial fraud alerts, extended fraud alerts, and active-duty fraud alerts for service members.

The setup is different, too. To place a credit freeze, you contact all three credit bureaus. For an initial fraud alert, you only contact one bureau, and that bureau must tell the other two.

Both are free. Both can be useful. And both are worth understanding before something feels urgent.



Source
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026

09/30/2026

A teenager may not be thinking about credit yet.

That’s exactly the problem.

A child’s personal information can be valuable because it may sit unused for years. No credit card applications. No apartment checks. No loan paperwork. No obvious reason for anyone to notice something is wrong.

The FTC notes that children under 18 generally won’t have credit reports. If they do, it could be a sign of identity theft.

That makes this worth talking about before they’re filling out financial aid forms, opening first accounts, applying for jobs, or heading out on their own.

Not as a scary lecture. As a normal part of growing up financially.

Which details stay private?
Which forms matter?
Which links deserve suspicion?
Why is a Social Security number not just another school-form field?

Their credit history may not have started yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged.



Source
FTC Consumer Advice, August 6, 2026

09/29/2026

Identity Theft Awareness Week is a good time to look twice at the details most people skim past.

A bill stops showing up.
A withdrawal looks unfamiliar.
A new account appears.
A charge doesn’t match anything you bought.

None of those are things to panic over on their own. But they are worth checking.

The FTC says bills that stop arriving, charges you don’t recognize, unfamiliar withdrawals, and unknown accounts on a credit report can all be signs that someone may be using your information.

A few regular habits can help: review statements, open account notices, check bills, and look through your credit reports for anything that doesn’t belong.

If something looks wrong, IdentityTheft.gov can help you report identity theft and find recovery steps.



Sources
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026

09/24/2026

Read the latest issue of Financial Watch here:

When you know where your money is going, it can be easier to make sure it's going toward the things that matter most to you. In this month's Financial Watch,…