Hello Friends!   Lately, it feels like presidential commentary is the market’s primary driver. A headline, a post, or a public comment regarding geopolitical developments brings immediate and substantial moves in equities. These swings appear less tied to changes in economic projections and more to how investors interpret evolving messaging. The result has been a stretch where markets are moving quickly and sharply, but without a clear or lasting direction.   The intensity an

Bigfoot's Bustin' Money Myths (Yes, HR Approved This Somehow): University 403(b) Investing + Fidelity vs TIAA Hi. It’s me. Bigfoot. At our last Provizr brainstorming session, they said, “We should do a series on financial myths vs. facts”! Then everyone slowly turned and looked at me, like I was the office Myth Expert. I want to be offended, but between my experience as a blurry photograph model, and once convincing a park ranger I was a “large, misunderstood labradoodle,” I

If you work at a University, there is a good chance your retirement savings sit in TIAA, Fidelity, or both. And at some point, you have probably wondered: which one is actually better? We’ve worked with hundreds of University employees on this exact question. The honest answer is that it depends on what you need, when you need it, and how you want your money invested. Neither platform is universally better than the other. This page walks through the most common questions we h

A family money plan is less about perfect budgeting and more about making everyday decisions easier. When there’s no plan, the same questions come up again and again, usually at the worst time. A bill arrives, something breaks, school costs stack up, and you end up reacting. A simple plan creates routines you can repeat. It lowers stress for adults and quietly teaches kids something important: financial stability is built through habits. Most family plans have a few core part

Parents often feel pulled in two directions: helping their kids get a strong start into adulthood while also protecting their own retirement. The best plans do both, but the order matters. If a parent’s financial foundation is shaky, it becomes harder to help anyone else later. A good approach is to define what you want to fund for your child, choose the right tools for that goal, and then make the plan automatic so it runs in the background of real life. Step one: define wha

Teens can learn investing earlier than many adults assume because they already understand three core ideas that investing relies on: Time:  They can grasp that starting earlier creates more opportunity for progress. Tradeoffs:  They make choices between spending now and saving for later every day. Uncertainty:  They understand that outcomes aren’t guaranteed, and you often make decisions without perfect information. The main challenge is keeping investing education grounded.

We are now almost three and a half years into this bull market cycle, a little over one year into the current administration, and just under a week into armed conflict in the Middle East. The economic landscape appears increasingly fragile, and equity markets are showing some signs of weakness. Let’s assess the current risks and challenges that threaten the current market run.   War with Iran is contributing to supply chain concerns, higher oil prices, upward pressure on infl

Middle school is where money lessons become more real. Kids start wanting independence. They have opinions. They have social circles. They have access to online trends, game upgrades, convenience store stops, and a growing sense that “everyone else has it.” However, don't overcorrect by shutting down their spending; instead, use this as a time to teach financial planning. When kids learn to make a plan for money, they feel more in control. The dynamic shifts. Arguments shrink

Most kids don’t need a formal “money lesson.” They need repeated, low-pressure exposure to how money works in daily life. The goal is to help them build familiarity and confidence so money feels like a tool, not a source of stress. When kids learn early that money has jobs, limits, and tradeoffs, they’re less likely to feel lost later when the decisions get bigger. Start with a simple money structure A simple way to begin is to teach kids that money can do more than one thing