The One Big Beautiful Bill Act affects charitable giving. Discover ways itemizers can maximize impact with DAFs and QCDs.

Explore the key One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) tax changes most likely to affect you now.

In this updated blog, learn the complex IRS rules for "inherited inherited IRAs" in 2025, including RMDs and the 10-year rule for successor beneficiaries.

Receiving extra Social Security payments? Learn how lump sums could impact your taxes and ways to avoid unexpected penalties.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been signed into law, although as with all tax legislation there are many details to be ironed out. 

Large cap U.S. stocks had an outstanding quarter with the S&P 500 up 11% driven by strong corporate earnings and optimism about tax cuts.

“Will I run out of money in retirement?”  It’s a question that’s at the heart of the financial planning process. 

The markets and economy proved resilient in 2024. Despite numerous headwinds, stocks climbed to new highs and risk assets broadly performed well.

For many years, we have helped our clients with government pension plan around two policies that reduced or completely eliminated their Social Security benefits. 

Since Eclectic’s inception in 1984, investing in stocks has been a pillar of most (if not all) financial plans we put together for our clients with long term goals. We find it helpful to periodically step back and review the assumptions underpinning our long-term investment philosophy which is what follows in this article.

We hope this article presents a realistic view that falls somewhere in the middle.  We also should clarify that by “pay 1%”, we mean a fee-only financial advisor who charges an annual fee starting at 1% of the amount they are managing.  We don’t mean brokers or commission-based advisors who get paid from sales and transactions.

As we celebrate 40 years of serving our clients this year, we reflect on all the ups and downs we have experienced in the financial markets since Eclectic Associates was founded in 1984. While the world around us has evolved, our investment philosophy has remained consistent.

Have you seen advertisements for title lock insurance and felt scared about having your home title stolen? We have had clients ask us about whether they should purchase title lock insurance and where one might purchase it.

At Eclectic, we focus on the long-term and not the short-term. We think it is impossible to predict the future. We value diversification.

Stocks ended the quarter at a new high, with the S&P 500 up 6%, led by dividend payers and utilities while tech stocks cooled off.

We want to make sure the new federal Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report to FinCEN is on your radar, if you are required to complete it.

Our founder, Bill Camp, originally was a farmer in the Central Valley of California before he changed careers and started Eclectic Associates. Farming is not easy: the days are long, it takes a lot of hard work, a crop is often totally dependent on the timing of rain, and sometimes the difference between success and failure is a narrow margin. Farming also teaches you things, whether you want to learn or not. 

The vast majority of retirees say that they would like to stay in their own home for the duration of their retirement.  This is often called “aging in place”.  But for many people, there comes a point where they need to make hard decisions about their living situation and the future.  

“Being fee-only planners, we believe we offer our clients objective advice. We never receive commissions on anything we recommend.”

-Letter to a potential client from Bill Camp, December 1985 

Stocks were mixed during the quarter, with the S&P 500 up 4%, led by tech stocks. The utilities sector has also posted remarkably good performance as investors expect strong electricity demand to power data centers for artificial intelligence (AI).