Invest with Tess - Tessa Steinemann

09/03/2026

In this week’s Markets in a Minute, we explore the growing tension between policymakers and the bond market. After the 30-year Treasury yield climbed to its highest level in nearly two decades, the U.S. Treasury stepped in by expanding its buyback program for long-dated bonds. Why did the move attract so much attention from investors? And what does it reveal about the forces driving long-term interest rates?

We explore the growing tension between policymakers and the bond market.

09/01/2026

Most people think retirement planning starts with a giant number.

I think it starts with a monthly budget.

When you understand what your future lifestyle will cost, you can build a realistic savings target and stop guessing.

Once you know the target, every dollar you save has a purpose.

Do you want your actual number that works with your retirement and long-term goals instead of a rule of thumb? Send me a message. That's what I do with clients.

09/01/2026

As complex as the details of taxes can be, the income tax process is fairly straightforward.

A quick look at how federal income taxes work.

08/28/2026

"The number" doesn't have to feel like a wall.

It's not one mysterious figure someone hands you. It's math, built from your own spending, and it comes apart in pieces once you look at it.

And here's the part that takes the pressure off: your investments usually aren't carrying the whole thing alone. Social Security, pensions, and other income can fill part of the gap.

Swipe through for a simple way to start estimating yours. You don't need it perfect today. You need a direction.

Questions about where to start? Send me a DM.

08/27/2026

Back-to-school season brings tuition bills into focus, but the effects of student debt can last for decades. Borrowers are facing missed payments, damaged credit, and difficult trade-offs involving spending, homeownership, and retirement savings.

In this week's Money with Murphy, our CIO Kara looks at what those challenges mean for individual households and why the broader consumer remains on relatively solid footing.

Kara Murphy explores how student debt affects spending, credit, homeownership, and retirement planning, and why the broader consumer remains on solid financial footing.

08/25/2026

In this week’s Markets in a Minute, we revisit the economic and market implications of the conflict with Iran and explore several questions that remain top of mind for investors as it grinds on. What could a prolonged conflict mean for the economy and markets, particularly after many expected the initial shock to be short-lived? And even if the conflict ended tomorrow, how quickly could global oil supplies recover? Read on for our take on these and other key questions.

We revisit the economic and market implications of the conflict with Iran and explore several questions that remain top of mind for investors as it grinds on.

08/25/2026

Have a kid heading off to college? Here are a few tips.

Dropping off your child is loaded with emotions; here are a few tips for a smoother experience.

08/23/2026

Every relationship has a saver and a spender, but the real gap isn't spending. It's awareness. One partner can tell you the exact balance of every account. The other genuinely could not tell you their own salary within ten grand. Neither is the villain. But money only works as a team sport when both people can see the field. When one person holds all the information, the other loses the ability to plan, to weigh in, and to catch a problem early. You don't need to swap roles. You just both need to know the numbers. Save this and send it to the person you share a budget with.

08/21/2026

Net worth is the number that tells you where you actually stand. Most people either never look, or check so obsessively that every market dip feels like a crisis. Neither helps.

The version I give clients: one page. Everything you own on one side, everything you owe on the other. Subtract, and that's your number.

Then check it about once a quarter, often enough to see the trend, rarely enough that a bad month rattles you. The number on any given day isn't the point. The direction is: "own" growing, "owe" shrinking. That tells you almost everything.

08/20/2026

Your salary tells you how much is flowing in. Your net worth tells you how much you've actually kept.

They're not the same number and the second one is the one that builds wealth. You can earn a lot and keep almost none of it, or earn modestly and quietly grow, paycheck by paycheck.

The shift is small but it changes everything: stop asking how much do I make and start asking how much am I keeping and growing.

Never calculated yours? That's step one. Message me if you want help building a plan around it.