Synergy Group

09/30/2026

We wanted to thank everyone who helped make our Backyard BBQ such a fun and memorable event!

It was a beautiful day filled with delicious food, sweet treats, dancing, and most importantly, great people.

A special thank you to all of our amazing vendors for helping make the day possible. We truly appreciate everyone who played a part in making it such a great event!🍦🍩
Nicassio Fields MISSION BBQ Chris Drum Dance Studio Galaxy Donuts Bruster's Real Ice Cream Z and Z Rental Kamie's Creations Jason Kendall Productions

09/29/2026

Check out this new Morning Star article!

Low concentration doesn’t necessarily mean lower risk.

09/24/2026

Nationwide's 2026 study surfaced three key lessons from parents:

🎯 Not starting early enough.
More than 25 percent of recent retirees wish they had started sooner. Fifteen years of compounding early in a career can make a HUGE difference.

🎯 Not raising the contribution rate as your income grows.
Thirteen percent of recent retirees wish they had contributed more to their savings each year.

🎯 Claiming Social Security at 62.
More than a third of boomers plan to claim benefits the moment they become eligible, even though doing so cuts the monthly benefit by 25 to 30 percent for life.

According to the SSA, waiting past full retirement age adds 8 percent per year, up to age 70.

Across the research, three things seem to matter most:

1️⃣ Starting early
2️⃣ Getting an outside perspective rather than relying on instinct alone
3️⃣ Treating retirement as something that unfolds over decades rather than a single date on the calendar

09/23/2026

Check out this article from Morning Star!!

The US appears to be a nation of investors, but gaps in workplace retirement plan access leave some workers out.

09/22/2026

Happy First Day of Fall!!🍂

09/21/2026

How many years before you are ready to be “retired”?

It’s one of the most important numbers yet.

TIAA's 2026 longevity literacy research found that workers who expect a shorter retirement save less consistently than those who expect a longer one.

That makes sense, but it also means the people who assume their retirement will be short are the same ones who may be building portfolios with shorter time horizons.

Once someone has already reached 65, the numbers shift.

According to Social Security Administration data:

📌 A 65-year-old man has roughly a 24 percent chance of living past 90

📌 A 65-year-old woman's chances are higher, closer to 35 percent

📌 For a 65-year-old married couple, there is about a 50 percent chance that at least one spouse lives past 90

The practical implication is not "assume you will live to 100."

It’s that a retirement income strategy built around the “average lifespan” often assumes a person will die on schedule. Most people do not.

If retirement is on your horizon, the question to ask is, "What happens to my income strategy if I live to 95?"

09/20/2026

Trust & Will's 2026 Estate Planning Report found that 56 percent of adults don't have core documents in place, including:

📝 A will: who gets what, and who is in charge of making it happen

🏥 A healthcare directive (or living will): what you want if you cannot speak for yourself

✍️ Two powers of attorney, one for medical decisions and one for financial decisions, each naming a specific person

📄 A letter of instruction: the practical map to where accounts live, who your professionals are, and what your kids or pets need

The friction is that estate work forces a family to sit with mortality, name specific people for specific roles, and make decisions that feel too permanent to rush.

Without something in writing, though, families are left improvising during one of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Most say they fully intend to get to it, but too many put it off until it's too late.

Don't put it off. Talk to a financial professional who can help.

09/19/2026

Inflation moderated slightly in July, but some categories are still putting pressure on household budgets.

The consumer price index rose 3.4% from a year earlier, down from 3.5% in June.

Energy remained one of the biggest drivers. Energy prices were up 14.7% over the past year, while gasoline prices rose 24.6%.

Airline fares also increased sharply, rising 25.5% year over year.

Other everyday expenses showed more modest changes. Food-at-home prices rose 2.7%, rent of primary residence increased 2.9%, and core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 2.5% from a year earlier.

Some categories moved lower. Used cars and trucks fell 1.9%, motor vehicle insurance declined 4.5%, and medical care commodities dropped 2.7%.

The broader takeaway: inflation is not one single number. It can look very different depending on what households buy, where prices are rising, and which expenses matter most month to month.


Source:

Costs remain elevated for consumers, however inflation is showing some signs of easing, economists say.

09/18/2026

What happens to your cash flow when you stop earning a paycheck?

The 2026 EBRI Retirement Confidence Survey caught something interesting about that shift.

📊 Among workers, 33 percent say they turn to a financial professional for guidance.

📊 Among retirees, that number climbs to nearly 40 percent.

National Retirement Security Week (October 19–25 this year) is a reminder to check whether your strategy is evolving with your lifestyle priorities.

If retirement is within a few years, the practical step is not rebuilding the strategy today.

It's identifying the two or three moving pieces that are no longer theoretical, the day you stop working, and consider working with a financial professional who can help guide you.

09/17/2026

Some financial decisions get a second chance. A handful don't.

▪️ When you actually retire. In EBRI's 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey, 46 percent of retirees left the workforce earlier than they expected.

▪️ Stepping into a parent's finances. A 2026 Care.com report found sandwich-generation caregiving duties typically begin around age 34.

▪️ Receiving an inheritance. Ohio State research found nearly one in five people who inherited $100,000 or more had spent or lost the entire amount within two years.

▪️ Selling a business. For a typical owner, roughly 80 percent of their net worth is tied up in the business itself, per the Exit Planning Institute.

▪️ Writing (or updating) a will. Only 24 percent of Americans currently have a will, down from 33 percent in 2022, according to Caring.com.

None of these moments announce themselves on schedule. The families who handle them well are usually the ones who started talking years before circumstances forced their hand.