Each new season brings the possibility of new adventures and milestones such as engagements children and grandchildren and career opportunities Although such events may be unforeseen at this time one thing that we know is we are continually moving towards the next stage of our lives For many it will be retirement which has the potential to be longer for us than past generations When the Social…, Given increased longevity and improvements in health today’s retirees have a greater number of lifestyle options that may be difficult to choose from Studies have shown that modern day retirees are seeking activities that they find fulfilling such as mentoring or starting a business versus activities that just fill their time during the day Although many look forward to a life of leisure and…, Define who you want to be in retirement, Mindfulness and reflection on the activities you like and dislike are helpful in forming a vision and setting goals to become who and what you want in retirement In our youth we spend time figuring out what career is right for us Similar thoughtfulness should be used as we prepare for increased longevity, Determine if your employer is open to new ideas, Is your employer open to you proposing new ways for you to add value on your terms There are cases where retired teachers have become tutors carpenters have become instructors and executives have taken non-profit assignments sponsored by their companies The opportunity to have the role you desire may have to be proposed by you, Consider volunteer work, If you are seeking volunteer work but are unaware of organizations that share your interests here are a few to consider, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, You can use the volunteer portal to search for individual volunteer opportunities throughout Chicago neighborhoods, Cradles to Crayons,  (Chicago and , Bernie’s Book Bank,  (Lake Bluff Both of these organizations offer simple turnkey volunteer opportunities sorting and preparing donated goods in warehouse settings, Chicago Cares, This organization matches volunteers with opportunities to serve If you are looking to make a deeper dive via one-on-one mentoring , Chicago Scholars,  and , One Million Degrees,  are excellent options Your retirement can become the new adventure you’ve always dreamed of Its never too soon to start thinking about what your unique experience will be, Published January 2025, 1 http//www100yearlifecom/the-book 2 https//wwwprnewswirecom/news-releases/half-of-mature-us-workers-will-wait-until-at-least-age-70-to-retire-or-wont-retire-at-all-300432256html Some Mesirow employees serve on the non-profit organizations named here 

Having a baby is one of the most exhilarating and awe-inspiring moments in most people’s lives truly a time of profound emotion and personal joy However that joy also comes with additional financial complexities that can be dealt with by planning ahead Below are some planning tips to maintain financial stability for the expecting family  , Health insurance coverage , The most immediate expenses to address are the Medical costs associated with pregnancy Even with existing health care coverage these expenses can add up to quite a large out-of-pocket sum Having a child in 2024 differs by state but ranges between $6000 to over $13000 1   With the addition of regular insurance premiums and co-pays for prenatal check-ups the total cost can be unexpectedly high…, Create a “baby budget” , Once you understand the budget for medical you should begin to look ahead and plan for the one-time and ongoing costs with your baby Getting a grasp on what these expenses look like before your child arrives will help to ease this transition from your existing budget Below are just a few of the important considerations to make Maternity / Paternity Leave Check with your Human Resources department…, Create a Will    , While it isn’t pleasant to think about tragedies can occur to one or even both parents Ensuring that your child is protected in the event of an untimely death starts with having the proper legal documents in place  At the basic level you’ll want to create a will that designates a legal guardian for your child Doing so will guarantee your child will be cared for as per your wishes and avoid…, Life Insurance, Purchasing life insurance can help provide resources for your child in the event of the passing of one or both parents When deciding how much insurance to buy factors to consider include the loss of your income for 18-20 years covering outstanding debts such as a mortgage and the cost of college tuition just to name a few  , Disability Insurance, If an illness or injury prevents you from working for long enough your company may stop paying your income  Obtaining long-term disability coverage either through work benefits or on the open market can help to cover up to 60% of your income in such an occurrence This type of protection is especially important as the increased expenses associated with your child are often essential and cannot be…, Published  January 2026,  1  https//wwwfoxnewscom/lifestyle/how-much-money-costs-have-baby-2024-report  2  https//wwwbankratecom/finance/credit-cards/summer-childcare-survey/  3  https//wwwforbescom/sites/andrewrosen/2023/02/16/the-secure-act-20-and-your-529-plan/sh=6217252b6a8b

On July 4 2025 the President signed into law an omnibus tax and budget package which Congress titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA The legislation made key changes to several tax provisions as well as making permanent many of the provisions from 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA that were set to expire at the end of 2025 Below is a summary of select tax law changes that impact…, Income Tax, Tax rates The OBBBA makes permanent several of the tax provisions from the 2017 TCJA that affect individuals These items will remain permanent going forward First individual income tax rates will remain permanently as provided in the table The OBBBA provides that the 10% and 12% brackets will get one additional year of inflation adjustments before the brackets thresholds are locked in Capital…, Tax type, Single, Married filing jointly, Ordinary income tax brackets ,     10% $0–$11925 $0–$23850 12% $11926–$48475 $23851–$96950 22% $48476–$103350 $96951–$206700 24% $103351–$197300 $206701–$394600 32% $197301–$250525 $394601–$501050 35% $250526–$626350 $501051–$751600 37% $626351+ $751601+, LT capital gains rates,     0% Up to $48350 Up to $96700 15% $48351–$533400 $96701–$600050 20% $533401+ $600051+, 38% net investment income tax, Kicks in above $200000 MAGI Kicks in above $250000 MAGI Tax deductions The OBBBA makes permanent the standard deduction increases first introduced in 2017’s TCJA For 2025 the standard deduction will be $15750 for single filers and $31500 for married couples filing jointly These amounts will be indexed for inflation annually 2 The personal exemption and the dependency exemption removed by the 2017…, AMT exemption phase-out, Permanently resets to the higher post‑TCJA levels—$500000 for single filers $1000000 for married filing jointly, Phase-out rate adjustment, Phase‑out accelerated exemption reduced by, 50%, of the amount by which AMTI exceeds threshold—rather than the prior 25% , Key impact, This phase-out is, twice as fast, as the prior rule (25% reduction so households with very high income will reach, zero exemption, more quickly under the AMT calculation   Estate tax The 2017 TCJA doubled the federal estate and gift tax exemption from a base amount of $5000000 to $10000000 With annual adjustments for inflation it reached $13990000 in 2025 However this increased exemption was set to revert back to pre-TCJA levels in 2026 The OBBBA has raised the federal exemption to $15000000 and it is now permanent The…

by Keith Gustafson CFA and Christopher M ONeill PhD CFA CFP, ®, FRM, ®, ChFC, ®, Executive Summary, This paper examines how different asset classes contribute to more efficient diversified portfolios using mean variance optimization (MVO The study evaluates portfolios across Conservative Moderate and Aggressive risk levels by progressively expanding the asset set, Key findings include, Equities |, Adding size and style diversification dramatically improves potential portfolio outcomes  While international options do improve diversification the allocations are below market weights in the global market, Fixed Income |, Bonds provide diversification and stability benefits with high yield bonds as a hybrid between equity and fixed income displaying meaningful allocations in the mid-level risk portfolios, Supplemental |, Non-core assets like REITs emerging market bonds TIPS and commodities play an important role in expanding the efficient frontier opportunity set with the latter assets providing key hedging characteristics during inflationary environments Overall the analysis confirms that diversification across asset classes produces better and more stable portfolio outcomes Mesirow’s Core Asset Class framework…

Planning for retirement has become increasingly complex Individuals have been forced to take on more personal responsibility for their future due to the elimination of pension plans rising health care expenses and the anticipated increase in longevity However recent studies show that Generation Z is the most optimistic — even the recent ups and downs in the economy , Generation Z is defined as individuals who were born between 1995 and 2010 This cohort is currently between the ages of 15 and 30 and represents approximately 21% of the US population 1 Generation Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse of all of the generation groups and  believe  in an American Dream that includes retirement The thoughts of having a career owning a home and reaching other…, What makes the Generation Z cohort different and more hopeful , What makes the Generation Z cohort different and more hopeful According to generational expert Dr Candace Steele Flippin it may be due to their upbringing Generation Z’ers are the children of Generations X and Y who tended to let their children figure things out whereas Generations X and Y were raised by Baby Boomers who took more of a helicopter parenting approach and guided more of their…, How can we help, Every generation should want the one that follows it to make progress Generation Z’s optimism may be what is needed to help overcome retirement challenges in a rapidly changing world However members of this group still need help  Although Generation Z values education and has a wealth of information at its fingertips many of its members struggle to understand where or how to begin learning about…, Published February 2025, 1 https//wwwstatistacom/statistics/797321/us-population-by-generation/ 2 Generation Z Insights How the Next Generation of Investors Approaches Retirement Saving and More Morningstar 2020 https//wwwmorningstarcom/lp/generation-z-insights 3  https//candacesteeleflippincom/