BFSG Blog

Financial Resources & News

Understanding the New Trump Accounts

With the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025, Congress introduced a new class of tax-advantaged savings vehicles for minors known as Trump accounts. Here's a breakdown of the key features. What are they? Trump accounts are custodial savings and investment accounts that can be established for U.S. children under age 18 to encourage long-term financial security. Contributions...

read more

Key Higher Education Changes in the New Tax Bill

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law in July 2025, includes multiple provisions that affect higher education. Key changes include new borrowing limits for students and parents under federal loan programs, streamlined student loan repayment plans, stricter rules on the ability of borrowers to pause student loan repayment, the promotion of workforce training programs, expanded...

read more

I Bonds for Idiots

The recent drop in interest rates for Series I savings bonds (inflation bonds) to 3.8% marks a significant shift that further diminishes their appeal to investors in our opinion. This reduction has made I Bonds less competitive compared to other fixed-income investments available in the marketplace. In 2021 and 2022, we were recommending them, but warned that the high interest rates would not...

read more

Mining Maelstrom: Why Rare Earths Are Making Headlines

Over the past several years, news reports have grown more intense about the precarious global supply of rare earth minerals. Yet outside scientific and national security arenas, many people may not fully understand the importance of rare earths. What are these mysterious materials and why are they receiving so much attention? Essential elements of everyday life Scientifically speaking, rare...

read more

Buffett Takes a Bow: 7 Lessons from an Iconic Investor

At the age of 94, Warren Buffett recently announced his retirement as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the massive holding company he has controlled since 1965.1 Buffett is a venerated investor due to his financial success and long track record of stock market outperformance. The value of Berkshire Hathaway shares grew by 19.9% per year (annualized) over the six decades from 1965 to 2024, compared...

read more

Markets in Review

After a challenging start to the quarter, marred by a tariff-induced sell-off in the first part of April, equity markets staged a remarkable turnaround in Q2 2025. After bottoming out on April 7th, both the S&P 500 Index1 and Nasdaq Composite Index rebounded strongly, surging by 28.3% and 37.8%, respectively, to close out the quarter, reaching new all-time highs in the process. This largely...

read more

En Garde!!! The Challenge With Forfeitures

You may have been reading in the news about the recent uptick in ERISA class action lawsuits relating to the use of forfeitures. This article will be relevant to your plan if you have employer contributions and apply a vesting schedule to those funds. What is a Forfeiture? An Employer may design its retirement plan so that contributions it makes for its participants are subject to a vesting...

read more

Addressing the Challenge of Uncashed Distribution Checks

Uncashed distribution checks present a persistent and often overlooked challenge for retirement plan sponsors. Despite the best efforts of plan administrators, some participants fail to cash their distribution checks, leading to administrative burdens, fiduciary concerns and potential compliance issues. A recent publication by Retirement Management Services (RMS) sheds light on this issue and...

read more

Divorce and the Retirement Plan

When a participant in a qualified retirement plan undergoes a divorce, the participant’s account balance may be an asset that is split with the former spouse. As the plan exists for the exclusive benefit of its participants, a court order is required to transfer the participant’s benefits to the ex-spouse. Once approved by the plan administrator, this court order is called a Qualified Domestic...

read more

Upcoming Compliance Deadlines

September 2025 15th: Required contribution to defined benefit plans, money purchase pension plans and target benefit pension plans. Contribution deadline for deducting 2024 employer contributions for those sponsors who filed an extension for Partnership or S-Corporation tax returns to extend the March 15, 2025, deadline. 15th: Due date for 2025 PBGC Comprehensive Premium Filing for defined...

read more

Social Security and Medicare 2025 Trustees Reports: It’s Time to Address Funding Concerns

Each year, the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds provide detailed reports to Congress that track the programs' current financial condition and projected financial outlook. These reports have warned for years that the trust funds would be depleted in the not-too-distant future, and the most recent reports, released on June 18, 2025, show that Social Security and Medicare...

read more

Monthly Market Update (July 2025): 3 Things You Need to Know

It is unclear if anyone would have expected the equity market to be touching all-time highs if you had told them the economy would be navigating 15%-ish effective tariff rates. Let’s see what August brings. A notoriously difficult month to predict given thin liquidity. Here are 3 things you need to know: U.S. ‘tech-ceptionalism’ made a comeback with the NASDAQ (+3.7%) posting 14 record highs in...

read more

The AI Sushi Chef: Kura Sushi

The Wall Street Journal reported that almost 30% to 40% of the work being done at Salesforce is being done by artificial intelligence (AI) machines. As more companies start to embrace AI, we will see the ramifications of it more clearly. And there is no better example of a traditional business embracing AI than Kura Sushi. 1. Automated Conveyor Belt System Kura Sushi's innovative delivery system...

read more

Benjamin Graham’s Basic Tenets for Being a Successful Investor and Ours Too!

1. Margin of Safety Explanation: The margin of safety principle emphasizes investing in securities priced significantly below their calculated intrinsic value. This creates a buffer against errors in judgment or unexpected market events. Implementation: Determine the intrinsic value using various valuation methods such as discounted cash flows (DCF) or net asset value calculations. Only buy when...

read more

Tax Impact of One Big, Beautiful, Bill

On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) into law, introducing major updates to the U.S. tax code for 2025 and 2026. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have developed a habit of bundling major legislation into large, complex bills to appeal to a wide range of constituents, from moderates to hardline conservatives. They then use budget...

read more

Latest From The Blog

Archives

Our Services

Investment Management

Tailor portfolios to your needs and goals.

Retirement Planning

Investing and saving wisely is vital to success in retirement.

Financial Planning

Navigating the complexities of your financial affairs can be simplified.

Tax Management

Help to increase the amount you “take home”.

Estate Planning

Protect your loved ones and make sure your legacy endures.

Executive Compensation Analysis

Simplify the many options and decision points of executive compensation plans.

Education Planning

Confidently plan for your children’s future.

Charitable Giving

Give in a tax-smart, simple way.

*Please Note: Limitations.  The scope of services to be provided depends upon the terms of the engagement, and the specific requests and needs of the client. BFSG does not serve as an attorney, accountant, or insurance agent.  BFSG does not prepare legal documents or tax returns, nor does it sell insurance products.  Please Also Note: Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk.  Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by BFSG) or any financial planning or consulting services, will be profitable, equal any historical performance level(s), or prove successful.

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

(They're great, we promise)

Connect With Us

Financial Services Group BBB Business Review