In this episode of the Planned Solutions podcast, with the official government economic data currently unavailable, the private data sources are getting more attention. This includes the ISM reports on the manufacturing and services sectors in the US. These reports show that the manufacturing sector is contracting at a slow pace, while the services sector is growing at a slow pace. Given that the US is primarily a services-centric economy, the whole of this data is slightly positive. However, this data is based on surveys, which have become decreasingly useful over time.

The advantages of using a private fiduciary rather than tasking friends or family with the difficult job of overseeing the administration of a trust and/or will have made this option increasingly popular. Private fiduciaries bring a professionalism to the tasks of making financial and health care decisions for an individual without the influence of family dynamics that can sometimes make the process even more difficult.

The Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2026 will be 2.8%, a number in line with the official inflation statistics. However, Medicare premiums will increase 11.6% which means the average Social Security recipient will see their take-home Social Security benefit increase by much less than the 2.8% COLA.

Plus, a look at the Planned Solutions Incorporated Office Bulletin Board -

Daryl, Carter, and Matt recently attended a Pension and 401k Seminar hosted by a local Third-Party Administrator. This is an annual event that we look forward to so that we can stay up to date with current Retirement Plan rules and limits.

This is the 400th newsletter Planned Solutions has produced since we started publishing our own newsletter in-house over 15 years ago. If you are enjoying the newsletter or have some feedback on how we can improve it, please feel free to let us know.

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Planned Solutions, Inc.ADDRESS: 1130 Iron Point Road, Suite 170 Folsom, CA 95630 PHONE: (916) 361-0100 or (800) 750-2111E-MAIL: ⁠[email protected]⁠ FAX: (916) 361-0191WEBSITE:www.PlannedSolutions.com

⁠Intro 00:00

Institution for Supply Management Reports 01:46

Private Fiduciaries 11:09

Social Security Updates 16:45

Bulletin Board 19:42