Szarka Financial

09/02/2026

🏈 Football season is almost here, and all 32 NFL teams are bringing something new to the field.

From offseason moves and fresh faces to shifting expectations across every division, there’s no shortage of storylines heading into 2026.

The season opens with the New England Patriots facing the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl 60 rematch, and that’s just the beginning.

Whether you’re following your hometown team, setting a fantasy lineup, or just counting down to Sundays on the couch, now’s a great time to catch up on what changed during the offseason.

🏆 Which team are you watching most closely this season?

NBC Sports has 32 team previews full of stats, storylines and projections that could shape your favorite team’s season.

09/02/2026

For many Gen Xers, retirement is starting to feel less like a distant milestone and more like a looming financial reality.

The oldest members of the generation will turn 62 next year, the earliest age to claim Social Security. At the same time, many are approaching retirement with limited savings and fewer pensions than previous generations had.

The median Gen X retirement savings balance is about $107,000, while members of the generation estimate they’ll need roughly $700,000 for retirement. Social Security may also become an increasingly important source of income, with 41% of workers over 55 saying they expect it to be their primary source in retirement.

That gap is prompting some Gen Xers to rethink when they’ll stop working, how much they may need to save, and what retirement could realistically look like.

If retirement is getting closer, this may be a good time to review your savings, expected Social Security benefits, and other sources of retirement income.

Millions of Generation X Americans expect to depend on Social Security as their main — or only — source of retirement income.

09/02/2026

👉 Roughly 56 percent of IPOs bought at the offer price lost money after 3 years.

That's not the headline you see on day one.

You see the first-day pop. The company goes public, and its stock has averaged a 19 percent gain since 1980. Feels like a moment you should catch.

Here's what actually happens:

1️⃣ Institutional investors get the offering price before trading opens.

2️⃣ You buy at market open, after the move.

Then the real story starts.

🔎 This gap is based on research led by Professor Jay R. Ritter, who authored a 2026 report on IPO performance for the University of Florida. His analysis of 9,300 U.S. IPOs is one of the most comprehensive databases available.

Chasing IPOs can provide a thrill, but there are pros and cons.

A sound portfolio should reflect an investor's goals, risk, and time horizon. The risks of an IPO are not for everyone. 🎯

📋 Past performance does not guarantee future results. The return and principal value of IPOs and other stocks will fluctuate as market conditions change. And shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

09/02/2026

Investors should understand the ways in which financial professionals are compensated for the services they provide.

Read this overview to learn how financial advisors are compensated.

08/31/2026

Dolly Parton’s legacy reaches far beyond music.

Over the years, she gave millions to causes ranging from disaster relief and medical research to education and children’s literacy. Her Imagination Library alone has distributed more than 330 million books to children across five countries.

After devastating Tennessee wildfires in 2016, her My People Fund provided displaced families with $1,000 a month for six months, no strings attached. She also donated $1 million toward COVID-19 vaccine research and supported schools, scholarships, pediatric care, and communities close to home.

What tied so much of that work together was remarkably simple: trust people, see a need, and respond.

Her example is a meaningful reminder that generosity doesn’t have to follow one formula. It starts with deciding what matters to you and finding a way to make an impact.

Dolly Parton's death is shining a new light on the country music icon's philanthropy. The Library of Congress has called Parton a “titan of children’s literacy” for the millions of free books provided monthly through her Imagination Library.

08/31/2026

Inflation is still running above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index, rose 0.2% in July and 3.7% from a year earlier. Core PCE, which strips out food and energy prices, increased 3.3% annually.

The report also showed personal income rose 0.4% while spending increased 0.2%.

For consumers, that means price pressures haven’t disappeared, even as some categories, including gasoline and other energy-related goods, moved lower during the month.

With inflation still elevated, the latest numbers may remain an important part of the Fed’s upcoming interest-rate discussions.

The personal consumption expenditures price index was expected to rise 0.1% monthly and 3.6% on a 12-month basis, according to economists surveyed by Dow Jones.

08/30/2026

Currency has been around for a long time. Here's a quick history lesson.

08/27/2026

Two retirees can earn the same average return and have very different outcomes.

Why?

Because in retirement, timing matters.

An early market downturn in retirement can be more damaging than the same downturn later.

That is the sequence-of-returns risk.

The risk is not simply “the market went down.” It’s “the market went down while income still had to come out.”

A strong retirement strategy should look beyond average returns and address:

🔹 Where income will come from
🔹 How much cash or short-term reserves make sense
🔹 Which accounts to draw from first
🔹 When to rebalance
🔹 How RMDs and Social Security fit into the withdrawal strategy

Sequence-of-returns risk does not make many headlines.

But for anyone entering retirement, it can be one of the most important ideas to understand.

The goal is not to predict the next downturn. It’s about being prepared.

08/26/2026

There is usually no single moment when the roles begin to shift with aging parents.

A confusing medical bill.
A missed payment.
A scam text that almost got clicked.

When and how do you step in without taking over?

The goal is not to take control.

The goal is to make sure helpful people, information, and safeguards are in place before decisions have to be made under pressure.

One potential conversation starter you could try…

“We are reviewing our own estate documents and realize we should understand where everything is.”

Sometimes, that is enough to open the door.

The families who tend to feel best about how this chapter goes are the ones who approached it as a proactive exercise rather than a response to a problem.

We are glad to be part of that process at whatever stage a family is ready to begin.

08/26/2026

Here are a few key factors to consider when naming an executor for your estate.

The right executor may help ensure the distribution of your assets is done with as little upheaval as possible.