Rings Financial LLC

11/02/2026

Market Crash or Market Rotation?

After Friday's market carnage, particularly among big tech stocks, it's easy to wonder whether we're heading toward a market crash.

But what if we're simply seeing a market rotation?

What's a market rotation? It's when investors shift money out of one area of the market, like technology and AI stocks, and into others, such as healthcare, financials, or more traditional companies. In other words, money isn't necessarily leaving the market. It's just changing where it's going.

Recently, we proactively adjusted our clients' portfolios amid growing concerns over elevated technology and AI stock valuations, and whether the massive investments being poured into artificial intelligence would ultimately justify the hype.

With those very concerns now contributing to the recent selloff in technology stocks, our focus remains the same: reducing unnecessary concentration, maintaining diversification, and managing risk without sacrificing long-term investment objectives.

Why?

Because it's just as much our job to manage downside risk as it is to take advantage of the upside.

With many of our clients approaching or already enjoying retirement, protecting what they've worked a lifetime to build is every bit as important as growing it.

At the end of the day, we're not trying to win every market rally. We're focused on making thoughtful, disciplined decisions that give our clients the best opportunity to retire and stay retired.

You've worked your entire life to build your retirement savings. Is your investment strategy doing enough to protect them?

Whether you're approaching retirement or already enjoying it, now is a good time to make sure your investments align with your long-term retirement goals.

Reach out and schedule your complimentary consultation. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

10/30/2026

Is your estate strategy full of cobwebs? Does your investing approach have too many tricks and not enough treats? Does your retirement timeline read like a ghost story?

These things have a way of going bump in the night.

Knowing where you stand is the first step.

10/28/2026

Talking with your parents about their wishes as they get older isn’t always easy. ❤️

You may worry about making them uncomfortable, or they may not feel ready to discuss it. But understanding what matters to them can make a difference if your family ever faces difficult decisions.

💬 The conversation doesn’t have to cover everything at once. You might start with a couple of simple questions:
▪️“Have you thought about what you’d want if you ever needed help making decisions?”
▪️“Do you have important documents somewhere we could find them if needed?”

Over time, those conversations may cover medical preferences and documents like a will or power of attorney.

And if your parents aren’t ready to talk? That’s okay. Respecting their comfort and independence is part of the conversation, too.

This isn’t about taking over. It’s about listening, so their wishes are understood if they’re ever needed.



Source:

End-of-life planning can be difficult to discuss, but the right approach can make the conversation easier.

10/26/2026

The last handful of clients we started working with already had a “financial advisor”.

So why did they reach out to us?

For a few different reasons:

They reached out to their advisor with a question and waited several weeks, or sometimes never received a response.

They hadn’t sat down with their advisor to review their financial situation in years.

They had investments, but no clear, comprehensive plan for retirement.

They had important questions about their financial future, such as: Am I being tax-efficient? Is my estate plan in order? Should my home be in a trust? Am I on track to retire comfortably? Am I going to run out of money? What if the market crashes?

Having someone manage your investments isn’t the same as having a comprehensive financial plan.

At Rings Financial, we look at the bigger picture.

Already have an advisor but considering a change? We’ll help facilitate the transition. No awkward conversations with your previous advisor required!

Reach out for a complimentary consultation. You might be surprised by what you’re missing.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

10/19/2026

PSA - MAKE SURE YOU STAY VIGILANT AND ENSURE YOUR ELDERLY FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE AWARE.

Americans lost nearly $16 BILLION to fraud in 2025. And that's just what was reported!

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans reported losing $15.9 billion to fraud last year, an increase of roughly 25% from 2024.

So, where's all this money going?

Here's a breakdown of some of the biggest categories:

Investment Scams — $7.93 BILLION

Fake investment opportunities, cryptocurrency schemes, and promises of guaranteed returns. Scammers often create legitimate-looking investment platforms showing impressive returns, encouraging victims to invest more and more money.

Imposter Scams — $3.51 BILLION

Someone pretending to be your bank, the IRS, Social Security, or even a family member. They manufacture an emergency, convince you your money is at risk, and pressure you into transferring funds.

Business & Job Opportunity Scams — $907 MILLION

Fake job offers, work-from-home opportunities, and business ventures requiring upfront payments or investments.

Online Shopping Scams — $446 MILLION

Fake websites, fraudulent advertisements, and products that never arrive.

Prize, Sweepstakes & Lottery Scams — $304 MILLION

Congratulations! You've won $500,000! There's just one little problem. You need to pay $5,000 in taxes or processing fees before they'll release your winnings.

Spoiler alert: There are no winnings.

Here's what really concerns me.

For someone who's spent 30 or 40 years saving for retirement, one convincing scam could wipe out decades of hard work.

And these aren't necessarily people who are careless with their money.

Scammers have become incredibly sophisticated. They create fake websites, impersonate legitimate financial institutions, build relationships with their victims, and use technology to make their schemes increasingly believable.

So, how do you protect yourself?

✅ Never transfer money because someone calls or texts claiming your accounts are compromised.
✅ Never trust guaranteed investment returns or opportunities that seem too good to be true.
✅ Verify requests independently using phone numbers you already know are legitimate.
✅ Be extremely cautious about unsolicited investment opportunities on Facebook and other social media platforms.
✅ Never allow someone you don't know to remotely access your computer or financial accounts.
✅ When in doubt, speak with a trusted family member or financial professional BEFORE moving money.

One last thing.

If you're helping an aging parent manage their finances, have these conversations NOW, not after something happens.

A little education and an extra layer of oversight could save someone their life savings.
And remember, scammers don't care how long you worked for your money. They're just interested in how quickly they can take it.

Please share this with someone who could benefit from it.

Source: Federal Trade Commission, 2025 Consumer Sentinel Network data. Figures reflect reported losses, not necessarily total actual losses.

10/13/2026

📌 Higher rates sting borrowers, but they can be a real win for savers.

As rates rise, banks may increase the yields they offer on savings products to attract deposits. The average U.S. savings account still pays just 0.64% annual percentage yield. Some high-yield accounts are paying more than six times that, up to 4.2%, for the exact same deposit.

🔎 Certificates of deposit, or CDs, can offer even higher rates, but the tradeoff is access: your money is locked in for a set term, and pulling it out early usually costs a penalty.

Higher yields don’t erase the effects of inflation, and they won’t necessarily transform household finances. But if your savings account is still earning close to that 0.64% average, that gap alone might be worth a second look.


Source:

The Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates for the first time since 2023.

10/07/2026

The dangers of lifestyle inflation.

You make more money, so you spend more money.

Bigger house. Nicer cars. Better vacations. Bigger Christmas. More toys.

Then one day you turn 50 and realize retirement is only 10–15 years away…and you’re woefully behind.

Let’s say you and your spouse make $300,000/year and have $500,000 saved for retirement.

Over the years, you’ve built a lifestyle around that income. Maybe maintaining something close to it in retirement requires roughly $240,000/year of gross income to cover spending, taxes, healthcare, etc.

For simplicity, let’s keep everything in today’s dollars.

At 65, Social Security might cover $6,000/month.

That leaves $14,000/month that needs to come from your investments.

Using the 4% rule as a rough guideline, you’d need around $4 million invested in today’s dollars to support that gap.

The problem?

You have $500,000.

To get anywhere close to $4 million over the next 15 years, you’re going to need to save a LOT of money (for context, roughly $80,000/year if you achieve an 8% ROR) —and that usually means dramatically changing the lifestyle you’ve become accustomed to.

That’s the danger of lifestyle inflation.

It’s not just that you spend more today.

You’re also creating a more expensive lifestyle that your future retirement has to fund.

As your income grows, your lifestyle can grow too.

Just make sure your savings are growing with it.

If this is you and you ignore it, the problem will only compound.

Reach out today to schedule your complimentary consultation. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

10/05/2026

This is a longer one but if you have kids that are college age or older, it's worth the read.

In the interest of helping the next generation — and as a courtesy to my clients — I’ve been offering to meet with their college-age or adult children.

My clients want their kids to develop the right mindset and framework around money early in life, so they can make good financial decisions and hopefully avoid some expensive mistakes along the way.

And as every parent knows, sometimes your kids will listen to the exact same advice a lot better when it comes from someone other than Mom or Dad. Funny how that works.

We could go down the rabbit hole of why kids aren't required to learn more of this stuff in school…but that's a conversation for another day.

Here are a few basic concepts I’ve found tremendously helpful in my own life — and they apply whether you're 22, 42, or 62.

**Emergency Fund (aka the “Oh Sh*t Fund”)**

Try to keep 3–6 months of expenses sitting in cash. Life has a funny way of getting expensive at the worst possible time.

**The 50/30/20 Rule**

A good starting framework is roughly 50% of your income toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward saving, investing, and paying down high-interest consumer debt.

It doesn't have to be exact. The important part is having a plan for where your money goes.

Housing is a major portion of your budget and guess what, your starter home doesn't need to be 2,000sqft.

**Stick to a Budget**

You don't need a 14-tab Excel spreadsheet tracking every cup of coffee you buy, but you should have a pretty good idea of how much money is coming in and where it's going every month, otherwise, it makes it pretty difficult to plan.

If you blow all your eating out money by the end of week two, looks like you're eating hamburger helper at home for the rest of the month.

**Understanding that Building Wealth Is Slow and Boring**

I'm building wealth the same way my clients are. I save a chunk of my income every month and invest it in the same basket of investments many of my clients own.

Save regularly, invest in good stuff, do that over a long period of time and don’t make any stupid, emotional, investing mistakes. And remember, for every stock that hits a grand slam, there are hundreds of others that struck out.

**Pay Yourself First**

Save that 20% — or more if you can — before you start spending.

I can tell you from experience: if your plan is to spend all month and save whatever is left over, there probably isn't going to be much left over.

**Avoid Lifestyle Inflation**

As your income grows, so should your savings.

If you get a $20,000 raise, that doesn't necessarily mean you need $20,000 more lifestyle.

If you're saving 20%, save 20% of that raise ($4,000).

You can always find a nicer car, a bigger house, a better vacation, or another toy to spend money on. That's the easy part.

The boring habits are what build wealth.

There are certainly others but those are some big ones.

And the earlier our kids learn them, the better off they're going to be.

For the parents reading this: one of the best things we can do for the next generation is help them develop good financial habits before they have decades of bad ones to undo.

If you're not currently a client but you're a parent who wants to make sure you're doing everything you can to put both yourself and the next generation in a better financial position, feel free to reach out and schedule a complimentary consultation.

Building wealth is a long game.

The earlier we can help the next generation understand how to play it, the better.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

10/01/2026

If you’re retired and ditched your stock strategy and moved everything into bonds…playing it too safe may be riskier than you think.

Why?

Inflation…that’s why.

Avoiding market volatility doesn’t mean you’re avoiding risk. Over a 20- or 30-year retirement, inflation can quietly eat away at your purchasing power—even if your account balance looks nice and steady.

You also may have noticed bonds aren’t immune to volatility either. Interest-rate movements can cause bond values to move up and down—sometimes more than folks expect. As the article points out, bonds themselves experienced a significant decline in 2022 and you most likely noticed a very recent decline due to interest rate increases.

Make sure you check out this month’s Your Money in Motion column in the October issue of Our Towne Magazine, along with a lot of other great local content.

If you have questions about your current portfolio or retirement plan, feel free to reach out and schedule your complimentary consultation.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

09/28/2026

Small Business Owners: Want to boost employee retention and help your team prepare for retirement?

One great way to do both is by offering an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan.

There are several options to choose from, including:
• SIMPLE IRA
• SEP IRA
• 401(k) Plan

Each option comes with its own pros and cons, and the right choice will depend on factors like:
• Overall cost
• Ease of administration
• Your long-term financial goals as a business owner
• And more

If you're unsure which plan is the best fit for your business, we're here to help guide you through the decision-making process.

Schedule your complimentary consultation today. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

https://www.ringsfinancial.com/contact