Wealth Management News & Insights
There’s a New ‘Super Funding’ Limit for Some 401(k) Savers in 2025, A Mad Dash to Get a Real ID Ahead of the Deadline
Primary Sources
- Beige Book April 2025: Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District. [FRB]
- Beige Book April 2025 – Summary: Economic activity was little changed since the previous report, but uncertainty around international trade policy was pervasive across reports. [FRB]
- Economic News Release – Employment Situation Summary April 2025: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 177,000 in April, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. [BLS]
Financial Markets
- Beijing Doesn’t Want America to See Its Trade-War Pain: Plunging trade has already led to job cuts; ‘it is very painful’. [WSJ]
- What Big Tech Has Going for It in the Trade War: Apple and Amazon’s exposure remains a worry, but tariffs haven’t yet hobbled trillion-dollar tech giants. [WSJ]
- Warren Buffett, on Stage at Berkshire Meeting, Defends Global Trade: ‘Trade should not be a weapon,’ investor says as he decries policies that create a few winners and widespread resentment elsewhere. [WSJ]
Retirement Planning
- There’s a New ‘Super Funding’ Limit for Some 401(k) Savers in 2025. Here’s Who Qualifies: If you’re an older investor and eager to save more for retirement, there’s a big 401(k) change for 2025 that could help boost your portfolio, experts say. [CNBC]
The graphic above displays Visa’s operational performance metrics through April 21, 2025. The left chart shows 2025 U.S. Payments Volume Growth and the right chart shows 2025 Processed Transactions Growth. Both charts illustrate positive growth trends into April.
Business Strategy
- Google CEO Criticizes DOJ’s ‘Extraordinary’ Proposal to Break Up Company: Sundar Pichai takes the stand during proceedings to determine how the search giant should be punished after monopoly ruling. [WSJ]
- Rory McIlroy Dives Deeper Into Private Equity: The golf star is teaming up with the investment firm TPG on a new sports-related fund. [NYT]
- 60 Years At Berkshire – See Warren Buffett’s ‘Woodstock for Capitalists’ Over the Decades: Today’s “Woodstock for Capitalists” began with just a dozen attendees in 1965. Sixty years later, the Omaha, Nebraska gathering attracts as many as 40,000 people from around the world. [CNBC]
- Amazon is Stepping Up to Fill a Gap in Hollywood’s Movie Slate: Amazon has promised to spend around $1 billion each year on theatrical releases, a figure that would fund between 12 and 15 films annually. [CNBC]
- Starbucks Profit Drops, but Leaders Say Turnaround Is Working: Profit fell 50 percent in the quarter, and the company said one reason was its hiring of additional workers to help its turnaround strategy. [NYT]
The graphic above compares premium-tier (Starbucks, Blue Bottle, Bluestone Lane) and mid-tier (Dunkin’, Dutch Bros, Tim Hortons) coffee chains in the US market across various attributes. The graphic also provides examples of signature drinks and lists major markets for each coffee chain.
Life & Work
- Go Delete Yourself From the Internet. Seriously, Here’s How: Find your data, request removal…and repeat. [WSJ]
- ‘No Appointments Here’: A Mad Dash to Get a Real ID Ahead of the Deadline: A Real ID, passport or other federally recognized document will be required starting next week for domestic flights. [NYT]
- What Do Gen Z Renters Want? Amenities, Aesthetics and Their Own Mini Universe: We talked to four young people who are changing the game when it comes to renting. [WSJ]
- Inside the Glitz and Glamor of the Kentucky Derby: As thousands of visitors enter Churchill Downs Saturday for the 151st Kentucky Derby, they will be met with manicured lawns, a rainbow of dresses, suits and hats and thoroughbreds ready to race. [NPR]
- Is It Really Cheaper to Book a Flight on Tuesdays? And Other Travel Myths, Debunked: We sort out the truth about five ‘money-saving’ travel tips, from ‘always vacation during shoulder season’ to ‘you’ll definitely spend less if you book a trip yourself.’ [WSJ]