Bayer & Associates LLC

09/07/2026

A long weekend gives us space to step back from work and reflect on the life we are building.

We honor the work our clients have done to build what they have. And we help make sure it actually serves their lives.

🗽 Wishing you and your family a meaningful Labor Day weekend.

09/04/2026

Markets pushed higher in August as AI-driven optimism helped investors look past softer economic data. The S&P 500 gained 2.62% and the S&P/TSX Composite rose 2.96%, even as softening retail sales kept consumer spending in focus. Back-to-school season adds another data point to that story, with spending expected to reach \$146.8 billion in the U.S. and \$4.5 billion in Canada this year.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index advanced 2.62 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 3.93 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, adding 1.34 percent. The S&P/TSX rose 2.96 percent.1,2

09/03/2026

Recent data regarding men's health highlight a critical reality that deserves closer attention:

1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, it stands as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in U.S. men. While that statistic is stark, the turnaround potential is incredible:

🚀 When caught early, the 5-year survival rate exceeds 99 percent.

Here are the most critical facts to know about risk and prevention:

◾ The Age Factor: Approximately 6 in 10 cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 or older.

◾ Family History: Risk increases for individuals with a father or brother who has battled the disease.

◾ The Silent Nature: Early-stage prostate cancer rarely shows any symptoms at all, making proactive screening the ultimate defense.

The American Cancer Society recommends speaking with a healthcare provider to make informed decisions about testing. This conversation typically begins at age 50 for average-risk individuals and earlier (around age 40 to 45) for those with a strong family history.

Consider sharing this information with a colleague, friend, or family member who might need a reminder to prioritize their next check-up.

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.

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.

08/27/2026

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

A gas station convenience store may not sound like an obvious place for a weekend destination.

But in Lakeville, Minnesota, The Farmer’s Cellar has turned an empty storefront next to a gas station into an upscale restaurant and hidden speakeasy.

The business, which includes the speakeasy, convenience store, and gas station, brought in almost $5 million in revenue during its first year. The speakeasy alone generated just over $1.7 million from its opening in May 2025 through April.

The concept stands out at a time when restaurant costs remain elevated, and many consumers are treating dining out as more of a special occasion.

For small businesses, the story highlights the value of location, creativity, and customer experience, even in unexpected places.

Tony Donatell turned an empty storefront next to a gas station into a sophisticated speakeasy, The Farmer's Cellar. Inside, it's still the "roaring twenties."

08/26/2026

By 2030, women are expected to control nearly two-thirds of private wealth in the United States, representing roughly $30 trillion, according to a landmark 2020 study by McKinsey & Co.

That shift is already underway.

More women than men now graduate from college. Women-owned businesses generate more than $2.7 trillion in annual revenue.

And because women statistically live longer than men, many also manage the final, and often most complex, chapter of a family’s financial life.

The numbers tell an important story:

🔸 Women make or influence a growing share of household financial decisions.

🔸 Yet many still report feeling less confident, less heard, and less well served by traditional financial preparation.

🔸 That gap isn’t about ability. It is about whether the guidance, questions, and process reflect the realities of modern wealth.

Today is Women’s Equality Day.

A financial strategy should reflect the life being built and the goals that matter most for women and men alike: family dynamics, longevity, business ownership, caregiving, legacy, and the financial decisions that shape what is possible.

Does yours?

08/25/2026

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.